Inventor of the Mini-Golf Windmills dies at 89 February 16, 2006 Associated Press
JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. (AP) -- Robert R. Taylor Sr., who with his brother Joseph helped revolutionize miniature golf by creating elaborate obstacles and custom-designed courses, died Tuesday. He was 89.
Taylor, who worked as a leather sorter for Endicott Johnson Shoe Corp., was persuaded by a friend to invest in miniature golf. He built his first course in Williamsport, Pa., in the 1940s, and then capitalized on the game's increasing popularity.
The Taylors built more miniature golf courses in New York state, and their layouts featured pinball machines, lighthouses, wishing wells and the ever-popular windmill. Their designs were so popular that the U.S. military even requested that some courses be sent to units in Asia and Africa.
According to family members, the brothers rented a garage where they designed courses, then took them to their destinations and constructed them on-site.
Robert Taylor's son said the mini-golf business supplemented his father's income from Endicott Johnson and kept the family afloat.
"All the family used [the business] to better themselves," said Robert Taylor Jr., who said he remembers a Sunday when his father made $100 selling 10-cent games at Williamsport.
Friends and family said Robert Taylor enjoyed mini-golf because it brought families -- including his own -- together.
"He loved to see people laugh," said his daughter, Sharon Anderson. "He loved the background noise of people having fun."
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