Below are the words of Mo Burke, the man behind Sandwich Mini Golf:
There are many special things about this wonderful waterspot. The golf course is centered around the Cranberry River with many bridges and a boat. The first bridge crosses to Treasure Island. The second bridge dips down and then up and onto the large Lily Pad.
After a long putt over the water on Surf and Sand, one takes the curved sloping bridge to the green. The fourth bridge crosses from Sandwich Lighthouse up a steep plank to the Olde Docke. The fifth bridge is named the Cranberry Covered Bridge.
Twenty-five years ago this bridge had a story in Covered Bridge Topics, written by Mrs. E. S. Coffin. Madge Pierce sent me the article and information on what the bridge number meant:
“Enclosed is the number that you may put on your covered bridge as it has been given to your covered bridge. It will be known by the number 21-01-04 next year when the World Guide is republished.
21 – Massachusetts’ number is 21
01 – First county in Massachusetts
04 – Fourth bridge in your county”
The sixth river crossing is the River Raft which is a floating green bridge. It has two small hinged bridges that adjust up and down with the level changes in the river. The seventh bridge is named the Zig Zag Bridge and is inspired by the Chinese bridges in Asia. The eighth bridge leads to a floating boat green named after my first granddaughter, Molly Rebekah.
The ninth bridge that crosses the Cranberry River is the Westwind Bridge. Thornton Burgess wrote stories about animals like Peter Rabbit and Jimmy Skunk and used the phrase “Old Mother Westwind,” so I have dedicated this bridge to Old Mother Westwind and her friends . Another hole, Moby Dick, has a bridge for the ball as it crosses over the whale pool, but the bridge is not for people.
This peaceful, gently flowing stream, with its ship, the Molly Rebekah, its River Raft, its Cranberry Covered Bridge, as well as other bridges and fountains, make this my favorite waterspot in the world.
Why is this my #1 waterspot in the world? It’s a long story that started as my boyhood dream in 1950. The property was my grandparents’ land at the turn of the century. I dreamed of making this pie-shaped marshland into a quaint, Cape Cod mini-golf. This has become one of my lifelong hobbies.
~ H. Maurice Burke, SMG owner & founder