What happens when you give a team of engineers, designers, and problem-solvers a mini golf course and challenge them to make it extraordinary? At Re:Build DAPR, we decided to find out.
For our first-ever Mini Putt Engineering Challenge, nine teams set out to design and build their own mini golf holes, each featuring a unique technical innovation. From PLC-controlled drawbridges and pneumatic systems to computer vision, motorized lifts, mechanical puzzles, and interactive obstacles, every hole showcases a different blend of engineering creativity and technical expertise.
The result is a one-of-a-kind 9-hole course that transforms mini golf into an interactive engineering experience. Along the way, teams tackled real design, manufacturing, automation, and systems-integration challenges while creating memorable experiences for players.
In this blog, we’ll take you behind the scenes of each hole, highlighting the concepts, technologies, and creative thinking that brought these incredible designs to life.
A Hogwarts-inspired fortress featuring two automated bridges controlled by PLC technology with pneumatic cylinders, compressed air, and speed controllers. Players must choose between the hole-in-one bridge that shoots the ball directly at the hole, or the par bridge that randomly drops the ball onto one of three different paths through the castle interior. This hole combines automation, pneumatics, and programmable logic to create a medieval challenge with modern engineering, where every shot is a strategic decision.
A tribute to New Hampshire’s iconic ski mountain that brings the chaos of a windy ski day to mini putt. Players must time their shot to catch a chain-driven moving snowcat on its way up the incline for a free ride to the hole in fewer strokes, all while dodging unpredictable wind bursts created by an air knife device. This hole combines mechanical motion, pneumatic systems, and real-world mountain conditions to create an authentic Loon Mountain experience where every shot requires timing, strategy, and the courage to face the elements.
Inspired by the Santa Monica Pier Carousel, this hole features a motor and chain-driven rotating carousel wheel with multiple entry holes of varying difficulty levels. Players must aim for one of several holes on the continuously moving wheel, with smaller sections leading closer to the final hole but being more difficult to enter. This hole combines rotational mechanics, risk/reward decision-making, and carnival nostalgia to create a true test of accuracy where every shot requires patience, timing, and the courage to aim small.
A human-powered mechanical hole that requires no electricity. Players activate a pressure plate that controls moving rubberbands, creating a dynamic, ever-changing obstacle course. The hole features an adjustable cam system that allows rubberbands to shift angles in real-time, plus a Plinko board that adds unpredictability to final ball placement. This hole combines mechanical engineering, kinetic motion, and player interaction to create a truly unique challenge where every shot requires strategy, timing, and a little bit of luck.
This hole features a Raspberry Pi-powered color detection sensor system. The ball enters a cup equipped with the colored sensor that identifies and records the ball’s color, allowing it to pass through the main Hoover Dam gate—a pneumatically actuated rear swipe door that only opens once ball color is verified. Once through, the ball enters a DC motor-driven rotary whirlpool that spins the ball and randomly discharges it through one of three exits, with some exits being more advantageous than others. This hole combines computer vision and pneumatics to create an automated sorting and routing system where every ball gets authenticated before taking the plunge into the whirlpool of chance.
A classic pinball machine reimagined with alternate paths, mechanical flippers, bumpers, and a custom-built space shuttle obstacle. Players putt their ball up a ramp into the pinball machine where they navigate an asteroid field of electrically actuated bumpers and manually activated flippers. Multiple path options with varying difficulty levels allow players to choose their route and use the flippers to guide their ball to victory. This hole combines arcade nostalgia with electrical actuation and mechanical control systems to create an interactive pinball experience where every shot requires reflexes, strategy, and a little flipper finesse.
An ancient engineering marvel reimagined with an oscillating pyramid mechanism and multiple path options for different skill levels. Players must time their shot perfectly to reach the chamber on top of the pyramid—if timing is right, they can sink it in one shot. Missing the chmaber means finding another way through alternative paths. This hole combines ancient architecture with modern mechanical systems to create a multi-path puzzle where every shot requires decision-making, timing, and the confidence to aim for the summit with a risk/reward choice between going for the hole-in-one or playing it safe.
A high-seas adventure inspired by the legendary Whydah Galley, which was shipwrecked off Cape Cod in 1717. Players putt up to the ship deck where the real chaos begins – hidden underdeck piping leads to different places where the ball is spit out, and players must navigate a field of obstacles. The hole includes a water hazard that adds realistic maritime difficulty and a forced air cannon that shoots the ball mid-course, creating unpredictable ball trajectory. This hole combines historical storytelling with pneumatic systems and multi-path routing to create a true pirate adventure where every shot is unpredictable – just like life on the high seas.
The grand finale featuring New Hampshire’s iconic Cannon Mountain, complete with multiple trails, rocky terrain, and the legendary Old Man on the Mountain. Players putt into one of three tunnels that put the ball into a funnel system. The ball is funneled to a DC motor-driven lift that brings it up the mountain using a 3-D printed chain with sprockets. Depending on which tunnel players choose, the lift brings them to a different trail with varying difficulty levels. The middle tunnel provides the most advantageous path where the ball exits from the Old Man’s mouth close to the hole, while other paths are farther away with more difficult terrain to navigate. This hole combines New Hampshire history, motorized lift systems, and strategic path selection to create the ultimate challenge.
Looking to connect with an experienced team?
Look no further than Re:Build Optimation! We are excited to connect with you.
