Putt-Putt

Posted December 21, 2007

The debate rages over whether electricity-generating turbines will ever dot the Garden State’s coastline. But people are missing the real issue:

Where have all the windmills gone?

They generated energy—of the nervous variety—as you tried to avoid the thwump that propelled your pastel-colored golfball right back at your feet.

We putt, therefore we are. It’s the down-the-Shore philosophy. There are no statistics on just how much money miniature golf generates, but the demand for more over-the-top novelty scares proprietors away from throwback bank shots, loops, and yes, the dread windmill.

 “I don’t think windmills are dead,” says Pat Boylan, “but today courses have to look good and be fun to play for kids, for teenagers on a date, so we have to make them exciting.”

Boylan is vice president for Harris Miniature Golf Courses, Inc., the Wildwood-based company that’s been building mini-golf parks for 50 years. He says the company has built about 50 of the state’s hundreds of courses.

“There’s just something about the Jersey Shore and miniature golf,” he says.

As you tee up along the Shore with water-spurting elephants and pirate ships that send off fake warning shots, you’re seeing the future of the genre. And the next time you botch a water hole, thank Harris. “It’s pretty fair to say we revolutionized that,” Boylan says.

According to Boylan, the company’s hottest new tracks are Atlantic City Miniature Golf and the as-yet-unnamed course they just finished in Cape May Point.

Fire in the Hole!

The sportiest spots for Shore putt-putt

Atlantic City Miniature Golf Golf and gambling are a good pair, so why not combine the two in a town dedicated to going for the green? (1 Kennedy Plaza, Atlantic City)

Congo Falls Adventure Golf Right on the boardwalk just south of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, this place teems with elephants, tigers, and other enormous fake animals, which makes it a blast for kids. (1132 Boardwalk, Ocean City)

Pirate Island Miniature Golf The course winds in and around the faux    ruins of a pirate ship. There are tricky holes, elevation changes, and a surprise for unsuspecting players at the final hole. (2738 Dune Dr, Avalon)

Putt-Batt Golf This is the perfect double-header: cool putt-putt and batting cages! Add the soft-serve ice cream for a summertime triple-threat. Aw, what the heck, since it’s on the boardwalk, it’s a grand slam. (500 Boardwalk, Pt. Pleasant Beach)

Surf City Island Golf This course has lots of bells and whistles and is not a pushover for grown-ups, which means the place is jumping with teenagers and couples on dates (603 Long Beach Blvd, Ship Bottom).

For more stories about: Atlantic City, Wildwood, Ocean City , Ship Bottom , Surf City Island Golf , Cape May Point , Avalon , Peasant Beach , Harris Miniature Golf, Atlantic City Miniature Golf, Congo Falls Adventure Golf , Pirate Island Miniature Golf