He leans over his favorite putter, sweat and concentration marking his face. The stakes have never been higher. He's dominated this course for years, even as duffers like me dogged his heels and threatened his supremacy. He draws back, then taps the ball with laser precision. Spectators gasp as the ball careens down the sloping green and over a covered bridge. A plastic clunk announces the finale: my brother Richard has crushed me at miniature golf yet again. The beers are on me. He's unstoppable!

Miniature golf, aka minigolf or Putt-Putt® (the latter two terms are also trademarks), has been around for more than a century. The original full-time course, "Golfstacle," debuted in London in 1912. There's an official governing body, the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) in Göteborg, Sweden, and, since 2007, a National Miniature Golf Day in America has been held the second Saturday in May. As good as Richard is, he can't touch the international record: more than a thousand players have finished an 18-hole eternit(e)-system course in only 18 strokes each. Take that, Tiger Woods!

As befits our mild weather and bright summer evenings, we're blessed with at least seven quality courses in the South Sound. One, Shankz in Chehalis, boasts glow-in-the-dark 3D obstacles. Another, Tower Lanes in Tacoma, stays open 24/7. Many offer food, go-karts, bowling, and other fun amenities at a reasonable price. Parkland Putters is my favorite, thanks to its rustic charm and colorful obstacles, but I suspect Richard would prefer the more serious vibe at Performance Golf Center. Rest assured, though, he'd destroy me at any of them. My skee-ball ramp game is for crap.

Aardvarks Mini Golf And Novelties, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat.-Sun., 1504 Yelm Ave. W., Yelm, $4-$6, 360.400.4444

Marvin Road Mini Golf & Batting Range, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sun., 2831 Marvin Rd. NE, Olympia, $7, 360.438.2299

Mike 'N' Terry's Outdoor Fun Park, hours vary, 6326 114th Ave. Ct. E., Puyallup, free to $10.50, 253.841.1234

Parkland Putters, 1-10 p.m. daily, 10636 Sales Rd. S., Tacoma, $5.50-$6.50, 253.588.2977

Performance Golf Center, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, 2416 14th Ave. NW, Gig Harbor, $4-$7.50, 253.853.4653

Shankz Black Light Miniature Golf, 3-9 p.m. Thurs., 1-10 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sun., 2100 N. National Ave., Chehalis, free-$8.50, 360.996.4301

Tower Lanes, open 24 hours, 6323 6th Ave., Tacoma, $5-$7, 253.564.8853

Tacoma Firs Golf Center, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, 4504 S. Tyler St., Tacoma, $5 juniors, seniors, $6 adult, 253.472.6899

Pop-Up Art Putt! Mini-Golf, Tacoma Art Museum, June 18-21, 5-8 p.m., Fri.-Sun., Free, 1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, 253.272.4258