Completely Disappeared: Big Lake Mini-Golf & Creamery, Prudenville

Michigan used to be overloaded with miniature golf courses, in tourist towns found in the Upper Peninsula and many areas throughout the mitten. Little by little, the majority of them disappeared.

Why did they shut down? Lack of business.
Why was there a lack of business? Blame it on technology.

Ever since video game arcades came into vogue in the 1970s, more people were choosing the video games over the more physical mini-golf. Although there remains a healthy amount of mini-golf enthusiasts, there wasn’t enough to keep many of the little courses open.

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One such tourist mini-golf attraction was the Big Lake Mini Golf & Creamery in Prudenville at Houghton Lake. Although there is no available info on when it first opened, it’s believed to have been around since the 1960s. By 2018 it was completely gone, no traces left, and by the 2020s it was a small open field.

It was a place to get yummy ice cream cones and sundaes and play a round of mini golf. The Big Lake Creamery was right next to the golf course, and it too closed down. In 2025 it was converted as MJ's Burrito Company.

To see this former mini golf site, you can check out the image gallery below or visit at 371 W. Houghton Lake Drive in Prudenville.