About seven years ago, I built a miniature golf course in my basement. Nothing to it, really. Some boards, some plastic grass, a few odds and ends hanging around the tool shed. Until a heavy rain flooded the basement and warped all the wood, it worked pretty well.
The course actually consisted of one hole, but it was a pretty good one, a two-level affair with a couple of ramps, a water hazard and a sand trap. Nothing fancy, but comparable, if I may say so, with what many local miniature golf courses offered at the time.
The times have changed.
Today`s miniature golf impresario owns more than a sloppily maintained assortment of two-by-fours and weather-beaten statuary. He holds sway over a fantasy land of enchanted castles and smoke-breathing dragons, of roaring waterfalls and burbling fountains, of artistically designed holes and meticulously maintained landscaping.
He`s also got $250,000 or more sunk into his golf course-no modest investment when you`re recouping it $4 at a time.
But that`s what it takes to catch the public`s eye in the no-holds-barred, no-mulligan-given world of miniature golf.
The Zigfield Troy Golf Range in Woodridge built its Lost Mountain miniature golf course three years ago. It took 12,000 cubic yards of dirt to support the artificial mountain range that gives the course its name and untold miles of plumbing to service the course`s waterfalls and streams.
Why are miniature golf complexes getting so, well, complex?
”Bigger and better is the nature of our economy,” says Tim Troy, who runs the Zigfield Troy complex with his brother, Dennis. ”You`re always looking for something different and exciting, and that`s what adventure golf brings. There was a major magazine article on the miniature golf boom, saying that Baby Boomers and their kids were rediscovering miniature golf; I think it`s just the new courses. People find them attractive.
”The same thing is happening with the design of major golf courses,”
Troy says. ”The new courses of the last 10 years have incorporated more drama and greater use of water and mounding-Kemper Lakes is a perfect example. The new miniature golf designs are a smaller reflection of golf as we see it on a big course.”
Two distinct trends run together among top new golf courses. First, lavish is in. New course operators are sinking big bucks into such bells and whistles as elaborate waterworks (dramatic fountains, big waterfalls, rushing streams), imposing scenery (artificial mountains, remarkably detailed castles and old-fashioned buildings) and landscaping any park would be proud to call its own.
”The goal is to create a special atmosphere-a Disneyland atmosphere, if you want to call it that,” says Bill Miessner, marketing director for Castle Park Inc. The Mesa, Ariz.-based firm constructs miniature golf courses nationwide, which includes 10 in the Chicago area. There are a lot of different elements that go into that atmosphere: Colorful lighting, a lot of water displays, elaborate fantasy themes and nice landscaping. They create a pleasing, very attractive atmosphere.”
But even as miniature golf courses are dressing up, the playing greens are simplifying. New courses don`t bother with spinning windmills or drawbridges or other putt-through statuary; instead of obstacles, new courses go for more ”natural” hazards, such as hills and depressions on and in the playing surface.
”The industry is going back to the natural look, with lots of greenery,” says Elena Ruane of Enchanted Castle, whose indoor course in Lombard nevertheless features plenty of greenery, albeit artificial. ”It`s more pleasant and tranquil, more of what people associate with golf.”
”Surveys show that customers don`t care about windmills and elevators and those things,” says Jay Greenwald, representative for Fantasy Golf, a $300,000-plus palace of miniature golf, which opened this summer in Algonquin. ”They just want challenging play.”
”No matter how beautiful you make the course look, the customer has to feel he got his money`s worth out of the game itself,” says Miessner.
But still, $400,000 (a typical, deluxe-version price, says Miessner) for a miniature golf course?
”It takes money to make this product, but when people use it, what do they wear out?” asks Miessner, warming to his pitch. ”Once you build it, you`re essentially selling air. You mow the grass, pay insurance, pay for a little labor, replace some plants. You still can have an operating profit of as much as 70 percent. Most golf courses pay for themselves in two years. Miniature golf is a tremendous deal.”
What`s next for miniature golf courses?
Voices and animation, says Miessner. ”It`s out there already, but I think it`ll become more popular,” he says. ”You can have a different voice talking to players, or music playing, at every hole. It`s not that expensive, and it adds a lot.”
Here are some of the newest, visually arresting courses in the area:
– ArtGolf. Humorous, thought-provoking and loads of fun, ArtGolf is miniature golf on a whole (hole?) new level. Four years ago, a group of artists put together ”Par Excellence!” an 18-hole course of artistically compelling yet completely playable holes. ”Par Excellence!” now goes by the name ArtGolf, and sits in the 1800 N. Clybourn building. Many of the original holes are still part of the layout, including such personal favorites as Jenny Krantz` ”Earthquake” (you putt through a kitchen strewn with post-seismic debris) and Lynn Duenow`s skull-lined hole (you have to place your ball in a grinning skeleton`s lap); but there are some new holes as well. Tops are Randy Johnson`s ”Shoot on the Shingles,” which resembles a Chicago rooftop, and Bev Overton and Ken Heinze`s ”An Ancient Whole-In-Oneness,” in which you putt past a rotating yin-yang symbol (miss and your ball deflects to the metaphorical rock-strewn path). Don`t overlook the pro shop, which sells all sorts of humorous golf paraphernalia. 1800 N. Clybourn Ave., 3rd Level, 312-ART-GOLF.
– City Golf. The gimmick at this indoor, 36-hole course is that replica city landmarks are the props. Play past replicas of North Pier, John Hancock Center, Sears Tower and Lincoln Park Zoo. The course play is pretty challenging; there are few goofy obstacles, just a lot of irregular surfaces and some steep inclines. Refreshingly, the penalties for overshooting are substantial (at simpler courses, overshooting the hole is good strategy). This is one of the few miniature golf courses that will serve you a beer, assuming that`s a selling point. North Pier, 435 E. Illinois St., 312-836-5936.
– Enchanted Castle. It`s easy to miss the golf course at this riotous indoor entertainment center, what with the arcade games, skill games, performance stages, 600-seat restaurant and the blaring noise of delighted kids, who arrive here by the busload. The miniature golf course, on the far east side of the building, is a virtual oasis of quiet; the waterfalls, fountains and streams (all indoors, remember) create a neutral background noise that drowns out the din next door. A black ceiling and dim accent lighting contribute to the subterranean atmosphere, brightened somewhat by colorful artificial landscaping. The 3-year-old course is in fine shape. The holes are largely gimmick free, focusing mostly on somewhat challenging putting. Lombard Pines Shopping Center, 1103 S. Main St., Lombard,
708-953-7860.
– Fantasy Golf. This 27,000-square-foot, outdoor miniature golf course is the newest addition to a complex that includes a bowling alley, arcade game room and sports bar (next up: batting cages, to be completed soon). But the golf course is the grabber. A 32-foot-tall castle, guarded by a 16-foot, smoke-breathing dragon, is the first thing you notice. Then the WWI biplane high in the center of the course. And the various waterworks-fountains and waterfalls and ponds-that accent nearly every hole on the course, and the pretty bridges that connect the playing greens. The course is relatively challenging, the greens full of dips and rolls-but few obstacles. 2075 E. Algonquin Rd., Algonquin, 708-658-9200.
– The Frosty Putter. Tucked into a shopping center in Tinley Park is this small-scale complex, in which components are designed along a turn-of-the-century theme. The indoor miniature golf course is festooned with old-fashioned street lights, brick streets (fortunately, you don`t have to putt on them), quaint storefronts and the like. The course is geared for kids;
adults won`t find much challenge here. Next to the golf course is a game arcade, then a terrific-looking ice-cream parlor with tin ceiling, ceiling fans and tiled floors. It`s a really cute place; it`ll be even cuter once management replaces the scruffy carpeting on the golf course. 16072 S. Harlem Ave., Tinley Park, 708-614-1212.
– Haunted Trails. Kids love the ghoul-and-goblin decor of this elaborately themed outdoor golf course. Tombstones, skeletons, coffins and more are part of the show, as is a bubbling ”hot tub” that, thanks to well- placed spotlights, seems to be filled with blood. The play is simple and kid-oriented. There are one 18-hole course in Burbank and two courses in Joliet. 7851 S. Harlem Ave., Burbank, 708-598-8580; 1423 N. Broadway, Joliet, 815-722-7800.
– Lakeview Links. While other courses abandon (or fail to maintain) the putt-through golf relics of the past, Lakeview Links revels in them. Playing the course here (set in a large, dimly lit room dominated by a bright, colorful wall mural) involves putting through an alligator`s mouth, dodging windmill blades and so on-all the `50s kitsch you remember, nicely laid out and lovingly maintained. Playing here is like stepping back in time, and it`s a lot of fun. A ping-pong room, downstairs pool table and game room and a large bar complete the rec room ambience of this spot. Says co-owner Philip Cable: ”I always wanted a golf course you could drink beer at.” Now he has one. 3206 N. Wilton Ave., 312-975-0505.
– Lost Mountain. Rising from the flatlands of 75th Street is this mammoth course, conceived as a tall mountain into which 18 golf holes have been cut. Huge boulders (actually concrete blown over wood frames) surround the course, and smaller rocks (again, artfully managed concrete) line each hole. A large waterfall begins at the top of the mountain and cascades to the bottom. The holes here are particularly challenging; at the ”Leap of Faith” hole you must launch your shot over a rocky stream, while at ”Ride the Rapids” the idea is to putt into the stream; a hidden sieve snags the ball and deflects it toward the cup. At other holes, the challenge is to putt sharply uphill or downhill; both types require a delicate touch. Zigfield Troy Golf Range, 1535 75th St., Woodridge, 708-985-9860.
– Wright`s Barnyard. The two 18-hole golf courses in this complex (which includes batting cages, go-cart track and more) are virtually mirror images;
the holes, framed in concrete and almost devoid of gimmickry, are straightforward and sufficiently challenging. The landscaping, consisting of deciduous and evergreen trees and assorted summer plantings, is gorgeous and meticulously maintained. A wide manmade stream, which cascades over concrete cliffs, races along stone-lined rapids and burbles past fountains, runs the length of the course. Detailed buildings-old-fashioned stores, a castle and a beautifully detailed scale-model Victorian mansion-add to the appeal. One of the prettiest layouts around. 2635 Bernice Rd., Lansing, 708-474-8989.
