Mini-golf attracted visitors from across the region to Arlington for over 50 years.
In 1930, Robert P. Balinger opened a miniature golf course on Wilson Blvd. in Ballston. 30 years later, it was replaced by the 36-hole course pictured above.
When Putt-Putt Golf Courses closed for good in 1989, making way for Ballston’s rapid high-rise development, many mourned its loss as a fun, multi-generational activity and hoped it would relocate elsewhere in Arlington.
Unfortunately, the Putt-Putt Golf Courses never found a new home in Arlington, but its memory lives on. Now Arlington putt-putt lovers can go to Upton Hill Park for mini-golf, or sometimes find pop-up mini golf courses like the one in Rosslyn this summer.
Looking for an extra glimpse of Arlington history? In the background of the first image, you can catch a glimpse of Bob Peck Chevrolet, an iconic Arlington landmark from 1964-2008.
To see more items like these, or to learn more about Arlington's history, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor of the Central Library.
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