Why this Myrtle Beach mini golf a top spot to visit. It may be the weird, giant creatures
In a city that has earned the title of “Mini Golf Capital of the World,” it pays to stand out.
It also doesn’t hurt to be a little weird. And that’s where Mt. Atlanticus Minotaur Golf in Myrtle Beach shines.
At five stories high, its tiki huts tower above North Kings Highway, offering players who reach the top an ocean view. But there’s also a giant Loch Ness-type monster in the water, along with dodo birds, a giant venus fly trap, aliens, and of course, minotaurs, that can be found in this over-the-top course that sits on 3 acres.
Throw in secret holes, multiple level caves and a back story of how these two 19-hole golf courses were part of the sunken continent of Atlantis, and you’ve got yourself a wondrous adventure.
The design of Mt. Atlanticus came from the imagination of James “Poddy” Bryan, who was named by Sports Illustrated magazine as the “Father of Modern Miniature Golf.”
Bryan designed more than 20 courses in the Myrtle Beach area and about 200 across the United States. Bryan passed away in 2002. Mt. Atlanticus, which opened in 1998, was his final, and, reported to be, the most impressive he created.
It’s so impressive that U.S. News ranked it as the No. 3 Best Things to Do in Myrtle Beach.
“Many would say that this was his crowning jewel,” Todd Kluttz, Mt. Atlanticus operations manager, said of Bryan. “It’s crazier, wilder than anything he built.”
The course also has a bit of history attached to it, having been built on the former Chapin Co., the department store located in Myrtle Beach from the 1920s into the 1970s. Mt. Atlanticus is still owned by the Chapin Co., Kluttz said.
Kluttz said there are hidden items and pictures on both the Minotaur and Conch courses. While waiting to putt, players can search for fish, a hippo and even a painting whose character is the likeness of Bryan, Kluttz said.
“(Players) will see something new each time they play,” Kluttz said.
The artwork, including the murals and creatures, were done in 1998 by a group of different artists. They were freshened up in 2023, Kluttz said.
Myrtle Beach artist Ruth Cox was one of the original artists. The 77-year-old said the mural she painted for the course was “one of my first big mural jobs.”
Cox described Bryan as a “genius” and a “character.”
Cox got a late start on her professional art career, deciding in her 50s that she wanted to do murals. It was at that time that Mt. Atlanticus was going to be built and Bryan asked her to paint one of the murals.
Cox said she has hidden places and faces in her murals.
“I never thought I would be this old and have this much fun,” Cox said of her art.
The course also has secret holes, including hole No. 7 on the Minotaur course. Sherry Nobles, a longtime employee and a manager, demonstrates with a golf ball the unconventional way to make a hole-in-one.
It may be a little easier to make the perfect putt at this hole than it is on the 19th hole. Kluttz describes it as a challenge as players must hit the ball across a narrow strip of artificial turf surrounded on both sides by water.
But if you make it, you’ll get your photo on the wall and a lifetime pass to play at the golf course.
So far, Kluttz said, 10,000 people have done it.
This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
