It's miniature golf season: Everybody putt!

At a miniature golf course practice area, Eddie Condran, 12, strokes a putt that seems headed for the cup until his 9-year-old brother Milo takes a slap shot at the ball with his putter, sending it over his sibling's head.

Milo is a ferocious hockey player, and approaches miniature golf that way. Which is not recommended. In this game, better to under-swing than over-swing.

Their father, Ed, had brought his boys, along with daughters Gillian, 15, and Jane, 4, to Horsham Family Golf from their Jenkintown home for a little bit of sporting activity they could all enjoy. It was Jane's first time on a course, but the older children play sports and are competitive with each other - and with Dad, 46, who predicted he'd win.

Stop by a miniature golf course from one end of the region to the other and you'll see families with toddlers, teens hanging out, twentysomethings on a date, and seniors having a day or night out.

Eric Hunn, manager of Monster Mini Golf in Feasterville, said a couple in their 80s came into the indoor course to play "and they were competitive with each other!" The course, where inanimate objects come to life under the glow of eerie lighting, hosts birthday parties (many courses do) and people have come to celebrate their 50th, 60th, and 70th birthdays there.

Hunn says miniature golf's appeal is simple: "It's a fun activity for anyone to play, regardless of ability or skill set." He says two thirds of players diligently keep score and one third play for fun. (Here, the person with the highest score wins a free practice round.)

Brian Schnitzer of Feasterville had just played a round with his wife Lori and 7-year-old daughter Emma at Monster Mini Golf. Emma won. How? "She kept her eye on the hole," her father said.

The Condran boys could learn from her disciplined approach. They play organized ice hockey and treat their clubs as if they were hockey sticks, their father said. After a few holes, Jane stopped playing and used her club to touch tree leaves. Gillian, who has learned patience babysitting her siblings, played a steady round, sinking three holes in one on the way to victory.

Taking in a round at Franklin Square near their Center City home recently were Danielle Goodheart and her daughters Avery, 6, and Logan, 3. Avery had been at day camp and was tired, but was energized after a few holes. Danielle did what every parent should do with a child 5 or under: She stood behind Logan, wrapped her arms around her daughter's club, and helped her with her stroke.

Half of Franklin Square's holes have curves and rocks to navigate. Others feature famous landmarks - Avery had fun looking into windows on Elfreth's Alley and knocking on its doors, while Logan needed a few shots for her ball to cross over the Ben Franklin Bridge (which does, indeed, span water). Other locales include Boathouse Row and the Art Museum.

Miniature golf has taught patience to Ryan Krivas, 30, of Cherry Hill, a special-needs person who often plays at Pleasant Valley Miniature Golf in Evesham. "He's become a very good player," said his mother, Kay. "He gets holes-in-one. I try to beat him but he beats me."

Her ex-husband, Frank, who lives in Arizona, traveled to play with his son on Ryan's birthday. He works for an organization that promotes golf, and says the miniature version teaches hand-eye coordination.

Pleasant Valley was built in 1972 by Mike Whelan, an engineer, who constructed each hole by hand. Many have moving parts and there's a sand trap. His son Dan now manages the course, and has seen people bring their children and then grandchildren to play. Why does he think adults play the game?

"There are no Bluetooths, no tablets," he said. "It's a relaxing activity."

When it opened in 1971 with five 18-hole courses, the Putt-Putt Fun Center in Clifton Heights was the largest miniature golf course in the country, said current manager Rob Kokordik.

There are now four courses at Putt-Putt, with varying levels of difficulty. A friend and I played the hardest, and it was tricky, with obstructions and angles and even a miniature lake. The courses are surrounded by colorful plants and bushes. The sylvan atmosphere encourages a slow pace and one of the game's great benefits: You can converse while playing - even if, like the Condrans (including Dad), you stick to trash talk.

The Philadelphia area has no shortage of miniature golf courses. Here are a few:

Horsham Family Golf. 1020 Easton Rd., Horsham. 215-674-8735, horshamfamilygolf.com. Adults $7, children $6 (12 and under).

Monster Mini Golf. 1045-7 Bustleton Pike, Feasterville, 215-396-6700, monsterminigolf.com/fran-pa-feasterville. Adults $9, children $8.

Pleasant Valley Miniature Golf. 93 Route 73, Voorhees. 856-767-2167, pvminigolf.com. Before 6 p.m., $5; after 6, adults $8, under 12 $6.

Putt-Putt Fun Center, 510 W. Baltimore Ave., Clifton Heights. 610-626-5766, www.puttputtpa.com. Adults $6.50, under 13 $5.50.

Franklin Square. 200 N. Sixth St. Adults $9, under 12 $7. 877-462-1776, historicphiladelphia.org/franklin-square/what-to-see.EndText