In the 1920s the miniature golf craze hit America, and by 1930 there
were some 40,000 courses, known variously as Lilliput Links, Tom Thumb
Golf, Rinky-Dink Golf, Garden Golf and Baby Golf. There was money to be
made in the “sport” and by 1930 anything that smelled potentially
lucrative was sure to draw the attention of the criminal underworld.