With a longevity that exceeds Disney World, the Goofy Golf miniature golf course on Navy Blvd has prevailed through decades of triumph and trial.

Miniature golf courses originated as "Tom Thumb Golf" near Chatanooga Tennessee in 1929 as the age of road travel began to boom and roadside attractions began to spring up across the nation.

Tom Thumb Golf and other non-franchise miniature golf courses became popular with over 3 thousand courses opening up across the country by 1930. Lee Koplin, a welder who had built some small structures for a friend's course opened his own in Biloxi, Mississippi in the late 50's after perfecting his structures. He followed it shortly thereafter with the course on old Hwy 98 in Pensacola and others along the Gulf Coast.

Koplin's large structures were a far cry from the small elvin statues of Tom Thumb days. Pensacola's signature T-Rex towers over the course grabbing the attention of Navy Blvd travelers and enticing them to stop in.

Other mechanized and stationary structures that fill the property and create the challenges on the courses include an ostrich, Martian, and outhouse.

The property was severely damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, but owner Jeremy Marsh repaired and refurbished the property and reopened the golf course in 2006.

Researched and written by University of West Florida Public History student Lindsay Whidden