SPORTS + OUTDOORS

Discovery Green presents the Insperity Golf Experience at Discovery Green. The nine-hole miniature golf course, created by local artists, is a first-of-its kind attraction. The artfully crafted course reflects the artists’ talents, inspirations and hobbies. Their creations will be located on the Sarofim Picnic Lawn for park visitors to play a round of miniature golf from Sept. 1 through Nov. 27, 2011. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Thursdays – Sundays.

The InsperityTM Golf Experience at Discovery Green has extended its operations through Dec. 25, providing park visitors with one more activity to enjoy during the winter holidays. The nine-hole miniature golf course, created by local artists, will be open on weekends and school holidays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. More than 5,000 visitors have played the Insperity Golf Experience course since the inaugural putt on Sept. 1.

A group of 10 artists are courting visitors for an entirely art-driven miniature golf course. Sponsored by human resources outfit Insperity, the athletic exhibition/putt-putt course is being curated by Galveston Arts Center founder and arts patron Clint Willour.

Golf holes by: Aerosol Warfare, The Art Guys, Elaine Bradford, Bill Davenport, Noah Edmundson, Jonathan Leach, Jason Makepeace, Seth Mittag, Anthony Thompson Shumate, and Emily Sloan.

While the golf motif looms large, each artist will imbue the respective entries with a specific conceptual and putting rigor. Former oil rig equipment fabricator turned metal art sculptor, designer and Art Car Museum director Noah Edmundson will present a streamlined "Snake Hole" made of plywood, Astroturf and steel. Drawing a page from 20th-century art history, Bill Davenport has built a mini replica of the park's Jean Debuffet sculpture, "Monument Au Fantome." The facsimile will prod putters to navigate through Debuffet's imagined metropolis.

Art world comrades Jason Makepeace and Seth Mittag are collaborating on "Fishin Hole," which places a — you guessed it — fishing hole metaphor in place of the typical golf ball hole. Mini golfers will also get an eyeful from Aerosol Warfare's graffiti-infused entry and Anthony Thompson Shumate's mega-scaled pinball machine, entitled "The Galactic Forfeit Cowboy Lounge."

Read more about the artists' creations.

The attraction will be open through November 27, 2011. Admission is $5 and group packages will be available.

Pictured above:  Bill Davenport, Deux Buffet.