Mini golf etiquette comes down to one idea: keep the course moving and stay out of the way of the ball. Nobody is checking your grip or your score. What other players notice is a group that lingers on a hole after the ball is in, or a bag left across the putting line. Learn the handful of habits below and you will fit in on any course, from a seaside pier to a garden course in Chiang Mai.
What do I do if the group behind me is faster?
Let them play through. Finish the hole you are on, then step to the side of the next tee and wave the group behind ahead. They putt out, move on, and you carry on at your own pace with clear green in front of you. It costs you a moment and saves both groups a long, awkward round of waiting and being waited on.
The signs are easy to read. If the group behind is standing at the tee every time you look up, and there is empty green ahead of you, they are faster. Waving them through is not an admission of anything. A family on its first round and a competitive foursome move at very different speeds, and the course works best when the quick ones are in front.
Once they are past, give them a hole's gap before you tee off again. Playing straight into their heels puts you both back where you started.
What do I do when the group ahead is slower?
Wait at the tee, well back from the hole they are playing, and do not putt until their last ball is out of the cup and they have stepped off. If they do not offer to let you through after a hole or two, a friendly "mind if we play through?" is normal and expected. Ask once, thank them, and move on quickly so you are not in their way for long.
Never putt into a hole that still has people on it. A ball rolling through someone's stance is the one thing that genuinely annoys other players, and on a course with obstacles it can bounce anywhere.
If you are the slow group and someone asks to pass, say yes. It is no judgement on your putting. Step to the side, let them finish the hole, and pick up where you left off.
Where should I stand while someone else putts?
Stand still, behind or beside the player and away from their line to the hole. Keep your feet and your putter off the green in front of them, and hold the conversation until the ball stops. On a narrow hole, wait on the path rather than the green. The person putting should see nothing moving between their ball and the cup.
Shadows count too. Late in the day the light comes in low across a garden course, and a shadow across the cup is as distracting as a foot. Move so yours falls off the green. Bags, drinks and phones go on the ground beside the tee and stay off the putting surface. If your ball comes to rest in another player's path, mark the spot with a coin or a finger, lift it, and replace it once they have putted.
Who goes first and how do we keep score?
On the first hole, any order works, so let the youngest or the newest player go first. After that, the player with the lowest score on the previous hole tees off first. Once everyone has hit, the ball furthest from the cup putts next. Write each player's strokes on the card after every hole, and count every stroke, including the ones that miss by a hair.
Two house rules save arguments. First, a stroke cap: if you have hit the ball several times on one hole and it is still not in, pick it up, take the cap and move on. Second, out of bounds: if the ball leaves the hole entirely, place it back where it left the green, add a stroke and carry on. Nobody plays it from the flowerbed.
Keep the tally honest and the round light. The point of scoring is to give the last hole some drama.
How do I keep a round moving with children or a big group?
Split into small groups, send the quickest group off first, and let the slower ones follow at a hole's distance. Give each child a job, keeping score or carrying the balls, so they stay involved between putts. If someone loses interest, they can sit out a hole in the shade and rejoin later. Nobody has to finish all 18.
Large parties hold a course up more than any single slow player, and a birthday party crowded onto one tee is a queue waiting to happen. Message the course ahead so space is set aside, then arrive with the split already agreed. There is more on this in our guide to activities for large groups in Chiang Mai. With toddlers, drop the scorecard altogether and treat it as a walk with putting. Our Chiang Mai with toddlers post covers pacing a hot afternoon.
What to expect at a garden course
| Detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Holes | 18, laid out through a garden |
| Booking | None needed, walk in |
| Opening hours | Every day, 09:00 to 18:00 |
| Time for a round | About 1 to 2 hours |
| Between holes | Shaded garden seating, cold drinks, snacks and ice cream |
| After the round | Lawn games: cornhole, board games, frisbee |
| Groups and birthdays | Welcome, message ahead so space is set aside |
A round at Mini Golf CNX takes about 1 to 2 hours, so there is no reason to rush and no reason to hold anyone up. If a group is faster, wave them through, then claim a shaded seat and a cold drink while the gap opens.
Bringing a group or a birthday party? Message ahead and space will be set aside.