Zach Johnson showed his expertise on the greens of the Old Course at St. Andrews. Jason Day followed with his PGA major win at Whistling Straits.
Both proved the adage, “you drive for the show and putt for the dough.”
Yet, it would be a good bet Johnson and Day would both have their hands full challenging the guys and gals from the Roanoke Putting Club. Especially, trying to match their putting prowess when it’s Putt-Putt golf on their territory.
Every Monday evening from early March to October, the club convenes at the Putt-Putt Fun Center on Peters Creek Road where players of all levels are invited to take part in an evening of affordable putt-putt, tournament style.
For an $8 entry fee, players get an hour’s worth of practice time followed by a fast-paced 54-hole tournament complete with cash prizes. Granted, the Monday night purse won’t come close to the $1.8 million Day pulled in for his win, but the fun is priceless even if you get smoked by the die-hard putters who will have you rubbing your eyes in disbelief with their uncanny ability.
Anyone who thinks they can keep up these players better bring their “A” game to the course. “A,” like in “Ace”.
Founded in 1954 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Putt-Putt originally cost only 25 cents per round. As the world’s first and only copyrighted and branded miniature golf game, all courses were built to exact standards to create a game enjoyed by children and adults alike.
The signature green carpet and orange rails are known to most everyone who has played on an official Putt-Putt course.
And, there are a number of significant differences between Putt-Putt’s brand and other versions of miniature golf.
Par is set at 2 without exception on each Putt-Putt hole. Other varieties of mini-golf may vary par from 2 to 6. Putt-Putt holes are designed so that a hole-in-one can be scored on each hole with a skillful putt, often through the use of banking, as the metal rails facilitate accurate caroms.
Most mini-golf courses include holes that are impossible to score an ace, and those that can be aced often rely on luck due to length of the hole, randomly placed obstacles or uneven borders that make banking difficult. Additionally, mini-golf typically goes through waterfalls, around mountains, lakes and caves, and past moving objects. True Putt-Putt may incorporate themes throughout the course, but they never come into actual play.
Obstacles in Putt-Putt are limited to small hills, metal blockers, pipes and rarely, small water hazards. But, don’t think these little subtleties will let you off the hook.
Ever tried putting into a hole sitting out of sight on the back side of a hill? The novice will be ready to pull their hair out while attempting to get the little ball in the jar.
Each Putt-Putt hole begins with a rubber teeing area complimented with 7 dimples. Although it may seem insignificant at first glance in deciding which one to use, the choice is key based on the obstacles and location of the hole. And, Putt-Putt holes can lure your opening shot into loop-de-loops towards no-man’s-land, when the hole is actually hidden behind a metal blocker less than 5 feet away from the teeing area.
“I actually use different dimples on the same hole as the night progresses,” tournament director Geoff Boyer told me on a recent Monday night. “I move the ball over one spot in each round. The carpet will actually lay different and alter the caroms as each round progresses.”
So, now being tipped off on being on your toes at all times on the Peters Creek’s two par-36 layouts, you’re ready to take on the best putters in the area.
Roanoker Mark Smith is a regular Monday night player. Smith holds the course record on Course #2 with the seemingly impossible score of 20, accomplished in 2009. For those mathematically challenged, that’s 16 holes-in-one and a pair of twos in a single 18-hole round. Little information is available on where he went astray with the two deuces, but the smart gambler would avoid going head-to-head with this guy. Smith also has posted a 3-round tournament score of 67; that’s 41-under par, and a former Amateur Putting Association world record.
Smith’s 16 holes-in-one in a single round still comes up short in Putt-Putt immortality. There have been three documented perfect rounds of 18 in the history of the game, the last in 2011 by Rick Baird on a Putt-Putt course near Richmond.
“Mark is the most level headed player I’ve ever seen,” Boyer says of Smith’s ability to master Putt-Putt. “He always looks calm and never gets shaken during a round.”
No wonder. Most would be calm with 16 aces in 18 holes.
Don’t think you’ll gain ground by picking on other amateurs on hand. Regular Clayton Craft is a 2-time national APA champion, winning the titles in 1995 and 1996 in Michigan and Orlando, Florida, respectfully. Craft had 13 wins in the 17 tournaments he played in on Monday nights through August. He holds the course record on Course #1 with a nifty 23, and has 2 rounds of 21 (Course #2), 4 rounds of 23 and 3 more of 24 on his resume in the Roanoke Putting Club’s record book.
Roanoker Troy Sarver has won two Virginia state tournaments, the last in June. Like the others, Sarver knows every angle and carom needed to make an ace.
And, don’t try to pick on the girls. Liberty University student and former Cave Spring High School softball player Cortney Cooper toured the 3-rounds in +1 in late July.
“My best 18-hole score has been 32,” Cooper notes. “I quit playing softball, but I play putt-putt because I’m still competitive.”
Although the Roanoke Putting Club has only been around since 2007, an official Putt-Putt course has been in Roanoke for 56 years, moving to its current location in 1985 from the old location in Boxley Hills. The Professional Putters Association held a national tournament, the $10,000 PPA Eastern Open, at the Roanoke course in June where pro Kevin Lacey shot an 8-round, 93-under par total to take first place. Craft won the amateur division the same week.
Roanoke Putt-Putt owner David Mitchell says he hopes to host the week-long $50,000 PPA national championship in two years.
“The pros heard good things about our course and traveled here from all over the country,” Mitchell noted of June’s Eastern Open. “We had 68 pros and 20 amateurs. The pros put out the big money for travel and entry fees. Now, it looks like we’ll have them back for their national championship.”
So, round up your favorite putter and come out for the challenge. But, keep your score low. With these guys and gals, “1s” don’t add up very fast on the scorecard.
Bill Turner