fig1 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a first embodiment of the invention , having geysers or fountains erupting from the fairway of the miniature golf course hole . in a preferred embodiment and best mode now contemplated for carrying out the invention water feature 11 is a set of geysers or fountains . these fountains are shown to span the fairway area 12 of the miniature golf course , however , they may in fact be located upon green area 18 , tee - off area 14 or the like . the geysers or fountains may be constant , requiring players to get their ball through them or suffer having the motion of the ball altered by the motion of the water , or the water features 11 may be spasmodic in operation . they may erupt randomly , or may be triggered by the presence of the ball or player in a first area of the course , and so on . they may also erupt in a pattern , such as a ripple pattern from one side of the fair way 12 to the other , forcing the players to successfully time their shots through the water . another aspect of the present invention is that it has features of a water park : the players may be required to bring swim wear or the like to gain admission , and to secure all electronics before playing , as the water features 11 may be arranged to douse the players as well as the ball . alternatively , the players may have to pass the ball through but may have a dry path past the hazard , or the ball may stay dry but the players may get soaked , misted , sprayed , rained upon or the like . fig2 is a side view of a miniature golf hole according to a second embodiment of the invention , having a vertical feature which can be traversed by using hydraulic water pressure to advance the ball . ball 20 is pictured in flight after being launched by the water feature , in this case , a skewed fountain which makes a “ ball jet ” 21 . while the ball is depicted above the water it may simply flow with water which is being forced by hydraulic pressure to flow upward , from lower fairway area 22 a to upper fairway area 22 b . vertical feature ( bump ) 23 c may be seen in profile , and it will be understood that for safety reasons this vertical feature may have alternative dry path which is a set of steps , so as to minimize the risk of accidents to people attempting to step on a wet sloped surface . customers will not normally be allowed to walk on obstacles presenting tricky footing . fig3 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a third embodiment of the invention , having a slanted fairway , a river type water feature which advances the ball to a grate upon which the ball automatically is retrieved . river water feature 31 may be used with a ball which is able to float , that is which is lighter than water . while a standard pga competition ball sinks , floating balls allow a stream to meander along carrying the ball easily visible to the player , who may not even have the end of the stream in view and thus may find themselves wondering where they are going to end up . alternatively , with clean water of shallow depth a player may see a ball which is heavier then water being rolled along the ( clean , smooth ) stream bed to its final destination . arrow 35 depicts the flow direction , which in this embodiment is toward the hole 36 , not away from it . thus , the water feature of the present invention is not necessarily classed as a water obstacle or water hazard , which renders it completely opposite in effect from passive water hazards . slope 33 adds an exciting element of skill to this process . if a player manages to hit the ball hard enough to avoid the problem of having the slope 33 roll it sideways into the stream 31 , they may keep their ball on an advantageous track toward the hole 36 . water tunnel 37 further increases the interest of the course as the ball may disappear from view for a moment passing under a decoration or in this case , under the fairway area . in addition , water tunnel 37 allows for a broader arrangement of courses with more interesting and varied terrain . outlet ( grating ) 39 is one example of a mechanism which may remove water ( a water outlet ) but which leaves the ball back in play , even on dry land . in addition to a grating , outlet 39 may be a netting , an artificial turf with no backing which allows water to pass between the blades of greed grass , a water permeable carpet , etc . fig4 is a side view of a miniature golf hole according to a fourth embodiment of the invention , having a tunnel or cave with a waterfall and for which the ball is shot either into or out of , or both , during the play of the hole . waterfall water features in / out 41 , 43 , allow the ball to pass through a land tunnel 45 . the player may also be allowed , or required , to pass through the tunnel in alternative embodiments . hole 46 may be inside of the tunnel or outside of the tunnel . there may be a waterfall “ in ” or a waterfall “ out ” or both as shown . fig5 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a fifth embodiment of the invention , having a tricky shot which must be made in order to send the ball straight to the area of the hole and avoid having the ball enter the water feature . stream 51 has angled wall 53 , by hitting the bank shot off the angled wall the player avoids having their ball land in the water and the ball as a result stays on a fairly straight path toward the hole 56 . if the ball falls into the water feature , it will end up at areas 59 a , 59 b of the green area , which are depicted to be gratings or other water outlets . these areas 59 a , 59 b may not be as advantageous for the next putt as if the player had hit the angled wall 53 . fig6 a is a side view of a sixth embodiment of the invention , having a cascade ( non - vertical waterfall ) in turn having obstacles or rocks which simulate action of a pinball as the ball bounces down the cascade , carried along by the gravitationally supplied pressure of the water . water flow 61 down the cascade 63 may be seen to carry the ball from upper fairway area 62 to the lower fairway area , passing about and / or over obstacle 64 for amusing effect as players attempt to shoot so as to have the ball land in an advantageous location on the lower fairway area . outlet 69 , such as a mesh or screen , allows the ball to remain in play . plumbing arrangements for the golf holes of the invention may be carried out by a wide variety of means , such as gravity fed plumbing , pump pressurized conduits and the like . such pumps may recirculate the water in areas having little water . water of the course of the invention may be chlorinated and otherwise treated as swimming pool water is treated , so as to render the invention a combination of golf course hole and water attraction . this of course may be an optional embodiment of the invention and may not necessary unless it is required by regulation or ordinance . fig6 b is front view of the cascade of the sixth embodiment of the invention , showing more of the pinball like nature of the invention . fig7 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a seventh embodiment of the invention , in which balls pass down a series of terraces or water covered plateaus . water flow 71 carries the ball from the upper fairway area 72 down a series of terraces such as terrace 73 to green 76 to come to rest at grating 79 . fig8 a , 8 b is a planform and side view of a miniature golf hole according to an eighth embodiment of the invention , in which the balls enter a bowl and exit by one of multiple different exits leading to different parts of the green . water flow 81 may swirl , or may be smooth , or turbulent , but it allows the balls entrained with the flowing water to pass into an exit hole 83 by means of a skillful shot by the player or random luck due to hydrodynamics . hole 86 may be more advantageously approached after the water tunnel of exit hole 83 deposits the ball on the green , or less advantageously approached if the ball entered a different one of the plurality of exit holes / tunnels . fig9 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a ninth embodiment of the invention , in which fountains operate continuously . water feature 91 is across fairway 92 to from tee 94 to hole 96 on green 98 , but a putt which is not straight will hit the fountains . fig1 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a tenth embodiment of the invention , featuring a plurality of water cannons which act to shoot the ball from the fairway area to the green area . water cannon 1001 may be automatically programmed to shoot a golf ball , entrained in water , over an intervening obstacle and onto the green area 1008 . note that the proximity to hole 1006 may be determined by which water cannon of the plurality of water cannons the ball first enters . fig1 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to an eleventh embodiment of the invention , having multiple water features which leave the fairway area to the green area . water course 1101 is one of a plurality of water courses into which the player may direct the ball . separator ( island ) 1103 may entirely prevent the waters of the plurality of streams or cascades from mixing , or it may allow them to mix to a limited or unlimited degree . at the end of the water courses , the position of the ball will be partially or wholly determined by the skill of the player in choosing the water course into which to putt their ball and the success of that effort to do so . fig1 is a side view of a twelfth embodiment of the invention , having multiple water features of different types : one type , a jet 1206 , if hit by a ball will loft the ball over a ridge or curb 1207 into a favorable position near the hole while the other type , a water flow 1201 , will carry the ball to a less favorable position below a lower slope 1203 . fig1 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a thirteenth embodiment of the invention , possibly suitable for use as a final hole which removes the balls from play . water feature ( a shallow pond ) 1301 may have a platform ( floating / solid ) 1303 which may in turn have a wall 1305 about the entire rim , part of the rim , or the wall 1305 may be absent . hole 1306 is in the platform . in use , players will have to hit their balls onto the platform with great care in order to not lose their balls into the water . if the wall 1305 is employed , the balls may instead remain on the platform . a wave maker may be employed to cause waves to break upon the platform or to even cause the platform to rock , as will be discussed below in regard to a barrel bridge embodiment . fig1 a is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a fourteenth embodiment of the invention having a fancy , multi - level , decorative fountain feature which is able to take the ball to different parts of the green area . this is also a preferred embodiment of the invention . the shape of the fountain feature may be much different from that depicted . the main principle of the invention is in fact the use of pressurized water in fountains , ramp 1401 may loft a putted ball toward the fountain , which has fountain ( upper level ) 1403 as well as other levels , partitions , areas , divisions or flows . the chute 1405 from upper level 1403 will direct the ball by means of water flow c into one area of the green , either closer or further away from the hole than other parts of the fountain would deliver the ball . fig1 b is a side view of a decorative fountain feature according to fig1 a , showing the multi - level nature of the fountain feature . water flow a and b may be seen as may chute / trough from mid - level 1409 , which leads to a less desirable part of the green . fig1 is a side view of a miniature golf hole according to a fifteenth embodiment of the invention , having a “ rain forest ” area in a lower elevation part of the hole &# 39 ; s fairways / greens . the tree features of the invention embodiment may rain , spray or mist players who must enter below the trees . rain trees 1501 may be located so as to wet those entering low area 1503 . since the golf ball tends to obey gravity and roll to low area 1503 , the player is likely to find themselves being forced to endure the rain to make their shot . the bump may be provided to add to the merriment and difficulty level of the hole . note that “ trees ” 1501 may be a roof , or decorations , an arbor , etc . fig1 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a sixteenth embodiment of the invention , in which the water flow continues while the ball is caught on a grate . fig1 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a seventeenth embodiment of the invention , in which the green area having the hole therein is subject to adverse water flow . adverse flow 1701 will quickly slow a ball after it leaves fairway area 1702 , water from adverse flow 1701 may exit by way of grating / outlet 1709 . fig1 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to an eighteenth embodiment of the invention in which the players may all hit their balls into an extended water feature of the river type , then walk beside their balls , even past other holes of the miniature golf course , to reach the green area . long water feature about park 1801 has a path built into or near it , so that after player &# 39 ; s balls enter stream 1801 from tee area 1802 , they may follow or walk beside their balls . obviously players may be warned to shoot all of their first shots from the tee area 1802 so that they may stay closer together as they pursue the balls . the length of the water feature 1801 is quite long compared to most miniature golf course holes . it may even pass about normal length golf holes , or even circumnavigate the entire water park , before coming to green area 1808 . fig1 a thru 19 d are a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a nineteenth embodiment of the invention , in which jumping jets , roman arches or “ water snakes ”, i . e . timed , brief , angled spurts of water pass over the fairway / green area . water snake style jet 1901 is of the type which shoots a very precisely aimed and controlled spurt of water 1905 , which looks much like a snake ( made of water ) jumping from a first hole ( the jet 1901 ) into a second hole , water acceptor 1903 as shown in fig1 b and fig1 c and fig1 d . these can be arranged in sequence , so that single water snake 1905 appears to be leaping about the course from hole to hole , always passing over the course but posing a threat to players who stand in its way . the spurts may be multiple or individual , may be random or timed or even actuated by another player , etc . fig2 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a twentieth embodiment of the invention , similar to the second embodiment , in which a vertical feature is matched with a water feature which can carry the ball over the vertical feature ( obstacle ), however , a second vertical feature can be traversed in a single stroke if the players are accurate enough . fig2 is a side view of a miniature golf hole according to a twenty - sixth embodiment of the invention , in particular , a side view of a the twentieth embodiment of fig2 . first vertical water feature , middle feature 2001 , propels a ball all the way upward from fairway area 2002 / 2602 to the green area ( 2008 , 2608 ). for example , if the second vertical feature , middle 2003 / 2603 , is a second hump , the first feature 2001 might propel the ball directly into the flow of a second feature , or might itself be strong enough or arranged so as to propel the ball all the way up . however , first vertical water feature , side , 2005 / 2605 does not extend all the way to the upper level of the course . it extends only to intermediate grating outlet 2020 / 2620 , and does not propel the ball into the second vertical water feature , side , 2007 / 2607 . thus here it functions as the first step in a two stage water - elevator , forcing the player to putt the ball again from intermediate grating , side , 2020 / 2620 , into the second side water feature , 2007 / 2607 , to finally reach grating 2009 / 2609 . fig2 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a twenty - first embodiment of the invention , in which the player may use an angled wall to select which of a plurality of watercourse type water features to use to reach the green . double angled obstacle 2101 allows a player to ricochet their ball , banking it in a selected direction , into either first water feature 2103 or second water feature 2105 . these then deliver the ball to different parts of green area 2108 , due to arriving at different water outlets . fig2 is a side view of a miniature golf course hole according to a twenty - second embodiment of the invention in which the player putts the ball over a waterfall and down to the green area . waterfall 2201 allows a straight shot or may be provided with angles , curves etc , but in any case the player is offered the opportunity to literally have their ball receive extra velocity from the motion of the water at the lip of the waterfall . the ball may even be carried by the water and end up on the outlet at the base of the waterfall . players of course will have the opportunity to walk down a set of steps beside the waterfall . fig2 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a twenty - third embodiment of the invention , in which the players must wade in shallow water if their ball does not very accurately hit the green . water feature ( wading pool ) 2301 surrounds the green area . the green area in turn is partially or wholly made up of sloped section of green 2305 with hole 2306 disposed therein . a ramp may be provided from the fairway area toward the hole or not . fig2 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a twenty - fourth embodiment of the invention in which the ball passes through one of multiple underground tunnels in the water feature . water feature 2401 has multiple underwater tunnels such as underwater tunnel 2403 which arrive at different parts of the green area . fig2 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a twenty - fifth embodiment of the invention in which a low area of the fairway has water passing across it periodically . trough 2501 allows water to flow across or over the fairway area , the tee area or the green area . intermittent water feature 2503 may flow within the low area . the intermittent nature of the water flow may be timed , random , spasmodic , controlled by other players or otherwise arranged . fig2 is a side view of a miniature golf hole according to a twenty - seventh embodiment of the invention in which a water - wheel arrangement lifts balls out of a water feature and deposits them at a higher level on a green or a trough leading to a green . water feature 2701 accepts balls from the fairway area 2702 , which is actually lower than the green area . waterwheel 2703 may rotate and carry along with it bucket 2705 , which fills with water at a low position , and with it brings the ball into the bucket . at a higher level the bucket may tilt and empty , allowing the ball to approach or enter hole 2706 . fig2 is a front view of a miniature golf hole according to a twenty - eighth embodiment of the invention , in which a new style of wind - mill has blades which enter the water feature . new style windmill 2801 may be situated by or over water feature 2803 with blade entering water 2805 , which in turn may be used to alter the motions of the ball as it is carried along by the water flow depicted by the arrow . fig2 a is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to twenty - ninth embodiment of the invention in which one or more buckets are supported in an off - set manner so that as they fill they eventually empty onto the green . fig2 b is a side view of the off - set bucket of fig2 a . water feature 2901 has bucket 2903 with a tilt mechanism such as an offset support , or an offset water receptacle 2905 allowing it to tip and empty when it becomes full enough . the bucket may empty water and balls into green area 2908 . with several buckets available , the ball may be delivered to several different parts of the green area 2908 depending on which bucket it entered . fig3 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a thirtieth embodiment of the invention in which the ball passes through one of multiple underground tunnels in the water feature in a manner similar to the twenty - fourth embodiment , of fig2 , but with dry caves 3003 on the later side of the water feature 3001 . fig3 is a frontal view , from a player &# 39 ; s perspective , showing a series of intermittent fountains which operate to produce a “ wave ” or other synchronized water effect as the player putts the ball . “ wave ” of water jets 3101 thus may block fairway 3102 , unless the player works out the pattern and / or timing of the synchronized wave or other pattern and putts properly in response . fig3 a and 32 b are a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a thirty - second embodiment of the invention in which one player has a control which they may use to activate water features which spray onto the fairway when another player is attempting to shoot . this may have a main purpose to deflect the ball . water feature , geyser / fountain 3201 may wet fairway area 3202 and players thereon . manuel control of water 3203 ( fig3 b ) is provided at a location convenient for a player other than the one in the wet zone , so players may wet one other during the course of play . fig3 a and 33 b are a side view of a miniature golf hole according to a thirty - third embodiment of the invention in which the fairway is mounted upon a floating , pontoon - style , bridge which is free to move somewhat under the weight of the players and the action of an optional wave making machine . water feature 3301 may support fairway area 3302 on a floating pontoon bridge 3303 . pontoon / float 3305 may provide the support for the for the bridge . as the bridge will bob in response to players of various weights stepping upon it and moving about , and as the balls on the fairway on the bridge may roll about as a result . wave maker 3307 as shown in fig3 b may also be used to cause additional motions of the floating bridge . fig3 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to thirty - fourth embodiment of the invention in which an offset supported bucket fills and empties itself onto the fairway , thus periodically flooding the fairway area . water bucket 3401 is located so as to douse fairway area 3402 and thus alter the course of a ball in motion , thus encouraging players to attempt to time their putts during the time the water feature fills the bucket . offset support or mechanism 3403 may be provided to allow the bucket to empty . fig3 is a planform view of a waver - type sprinkler of an alternative embodiment of the invention having obstacles 3502 impeding the advance of the ball while the intermittent sweep of the sprinkler 3501 wets the green . fig3 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a thirty - sixth embodiment of the invention , in which players pass between walls , or through a framework , arbor , gazebo or the like which jets , sprays or mists the players from the side , and in which such action may be controlled for example by light sensors and lasers or similar light sources , and yet further in which players may be given an alternative route to the hole which allows them to avoid getting wet but which may not be advantageous otherwise . for added amusement effect , the nozzles or misters may be concealed inside of foliage , decorations , etc . water feature , sideways jet / mister / geyser / nozzle 3601 may obviously be any of a variety of mechanisms . fairway area 3602 thus becomes a zone in which a person is highly likely to become wet during the course of play . wall / framework / arbor / gazebo / decoration 3603 may support both the water mechanism , as well as light sensor / light source 3605 . sensor 3605 may detect the ball and cause the jets to begin firing either intermittently , in a pattern , or otherwise . an alternative ( dry ) path may optionally be provide a dry route to the hole , for those who do not wish to get wet . this alternative embodiment may be applied to any hole of the invention . however , it is anticipated that players and golf course designers will desire holes which do engage the players with the pressurized water features as actively as possible , so this is merely an alternative embodiment . fig3 is a planform view of an alternative embodiment of the invention as seen in side view in fig2 , showing the twenty - eighth embodiment of the invention . water feature 3701 has therein a number of windmills 3703 which as discussed in relation to the earlier fig2 may dip their blades into the water and thus create obstacles to the ball . fig3 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to an alternative embodiment of the invention in which any missed putt by the player results in the ball entering water features 3801 which move the ball to an earlier part of the green . fig3 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the ball must be putted from fairway 3902 across water 3903 which is “ boiling ” and bubbling to reach green 3908 . ( the term “ boiling ” as used herein does not refer to high temperature of the water but to the specific type of vertical motion associated with the same word in water sports . water boiling due to high temperature would be extremely undesirable and is not part of the invention as claimed .) kayakers and other water sports fans know that a “ boil ” of water in a river , also called a “ haystack ” or other names , may cause extremely unpredictable motions of objects passing through . fig4 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a thirty - fifth embodiment of the invention , in which extremely turbulent shallow water is present around the hole of the green area or in other parts of the hole . water feature 4001 on fairway 4002 may make play across the fairway area 4002 while water feature 4003 on green 4008 . this feature may use swirling or turbulent water to make a ball hit into the water move in extremely unpredictable ways . fig4 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to an alternative embodiment of the invention , in which players are not restrained by walls but which leaves the players little choice but to enter a fairway 4102 crossed by horizontal water jets 4101 which may be ( but are not necessarily ) activated by sensors 4105 , or by a timer or randomly , etc . the jets may be at ground level as seen in fig3 , previously , or at ball level / ground level , as seen in fig4 below . fig4 is a planform view of an alternative embodiment of the invention in which a ball may be impacted by water jets from the side of the course , rather than vertical jets . ball 4200 is seen to be deflected by contact with a horizontal , ground level jet such as jet 4201 across fairway 4202 . optional wall 4203 ( not seen in the embodiment previously , fig4 ) may constrain player &# 39 ; s ability to avoid having the ball deflected . an alternative dry path may be provided ( 4222 ) either in this embodiment or the in embodiment of fig3 . fig4 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a forty - third embodiment of the invention in which a ridge down the middle of a fairway area may divert balls into a water feature , and including backing walls . water feature 4301 cooperates with mid - fairway slope 4303 which may cause balls to enter the water feature 4301 if balls are hit slowly , however , by making use of banking wall 4305 . outlet 4309 may be positioned so that allowing the water feature 4301 to carry the ball will leave the ball in a less desirable position then if the player makes the shot . fig4 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a forty - fourth embodiment of the invention in which a gate may be present in a water feature , the gate opening when players successfully pass their balls across a light sensor / laser arrangement , such as in a tunnel , thus opening the gates for a more direct route toward the hole . in alternative embodiments there may be no sensor , just a timed gate , a randomly timed gate , a gate which opens or closes depending some action or input by players and so on and so forth . tunnel 4401 may have light sensor / source 4403 such as a laser and a light sensitive cell , which when actuated may change gates ( in closed position ) 4405 to gates ( in open position ) 4407 . fig4 a and 45 b are a planform view of a miniature golf hole according to a forty - fifth embodiment of the invention in which the players shoot their balls off a ramp and into a water feature having nets instead of holes therein . ramp 4501 ( fig4 a ) leads players to shot into a pond 4505 ( fig4 b ). instead of holes , the pond may have nets 4503 . this feature is also useful as a final hole which retrieves balls from the players for re - use by the course . fig4 is a planform view of a miniature golf hole according a forty - sixth embodiment of the invention in which the players stand on a platform 4609 and actually shot their balls away from the hole . the ball enters a water feature 4601 which then carries the ball back toward the green 4602 , for example , under the platform 4609 or around the player . stairs 4607 may be provided for player convenience and safety in platform embodiments . fig4 is a front view of a miniature golf hole according to a forty - seventh embodiment of the invention in which the players actually pass sideways under a flowing waterfall provided by an extended overhang , with a side water feature should balls leave the dry area . water feature ( sideways waterfall ) 4701 has a walkable tunnel 4701 ( number not correct ) passing underneath overhang 4703 from which water feature ( side river ) 4705 flows toward the green area . the disclosure is provided to allow practice of the invention by those skilled in the art without undue experimentation , including the best mode presently contemplated and the presently preferred embodiment . nothing in this disclosure is to be taken to limit the scope of the invention , which is susceptible to numerous alterations , equivalents and substitutions without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . the scope of the invention is to be understood from the appended claims .
an improved miniature golf course provides water features which may advance , retard , or randomly impact the motion of the golf ball . the features may also wet the players by spraying them , forcing them to wade , misting them , etc . the features may take the form of water jets , streams , waterfalls , cascades , swirling turbulent water , water tunnels , triggers , alternative routes to the green , alternative parts of the green reached by different water features , fountains , gratings , nets , floating fairways and greens , ramps , waterwheels , water cannons , and combinations thereof .