GOLF MAY BE the sport of the elite, but mini golf is the great equalizer. We all have memories of playing as kids—something the whole family could do together and that even the less, er, athletically gifted among us could master (or at least play without totally embarrassing ourselves).

As children, we didn’t know that mini golf was tacky—we were swept away by the dinosaurs, giant bears, faux stone castles, and paper-mâché volcanoes. It all felt like a thrilling fantasy. As adults, we see mini golf as a nostalgic reminder of the “good old days,” or perhaps we enjoy it through the excited eyes of our own children and grandchildren.

Photographer Justin Tsucalas says he was drawn to the subject not just because of the nostalgia factor but because of the “odd beauty of the more rundown locations” as well as the eye-popping kitsch of the splashier ones.

And, Tsucalas says, make no mistake about it: “While working on this project, I witnessed numerous family outbursts, as someone inevitably took the game a bit too seriously, affecting the overall vibe. My own family is no exception to this, with some of the most memorable childhood meltdowns occurring on the mini-golf course. Despite all this, I still eagerly anticipate the next opportunity to play.”