THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607110169
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER McMENAMIN
STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: 101 lines
SIX-YEAR-OLD Emily Jubb liked the waterfalls.
Jessica Sawchuck, 8, said the train ride to the top of the mountain was fun.
Denise Walters, 10, thought the best part of the island oasis was the humps and water jumps.
Lane Jubb, 8, described the caves as ``pretty cool.''
And Alex Sawchuck, 10, said the whole thing was ``awesome.''
These were the fresh-from-the-course impressions of children playing miniature golf at Professor Hacker's Lost Treasure Golf Course - the Outer Banks' newest outlet for part-time putters which is barely a week old.
Manager Tom Mason said these are the people whose opinions matter most to him and the course owners.
``We've heard a lot of compliments, especially from families. Kids love the ride,'' Mason said. ``We wanted to make this a plus for Kill Devil Hills - something they could be proud of, too. It's not just a business proposition for us but a community one also.''
Offering two 18-hole tracks through a beautifully landscaped, multilevel area, the courses trace a fictictious professor's search for treasure to finance the Confederate war effort.
Golf course employees compared Professor Hacker to the movie character Indiana Jones.
Golfers' adventures begin with an ``old mine train ride up cliffs,'' according to a sign that greets them at the gate to the heavily bolted wooden transportation.
The benefits of this slow-moving ride seem to be twofold. Kids love it, as every 4-foot and under visitor mentioned.
And it helps manage the flow of golfers during heavy usage, avoiding a backlog of visitors waiting at each hole.
Mason also mentioned that of the more than a dozen miniature golf courses on the Outer Banks, Professor Hacker's Lost Treasure Golf is the only one with a ride.
Along with the standard variety of putt-putt obstacles - holes in the center of round hills and several downhill tubes that empty onto a lower green - barrels, stalagmites, castle turrets and streams also challenge golfers on the gold and diamond courses.
A free game can be won by scoring a hole-in-one at the designated hole of the evening.
A different hole is selected randomly each night. So if you hit a lucky shot, be sure to check your score card with the management at the end of the game.
Lilies, shrubs and small pines transform the sandy spot near milepost 7 on the west side of U.S. 158 into a colorful, lush landscape.
Plastic tags still on the plants reveal a variety of other vegetation such as blue shore juniper, bartlarbor juniper, miscanthis strictis, spreading sunset lantana and rockspray cottoneaster.
Despite the owners' intentions, children don't seem to be the only fans of the course.
During a recent visit from Minnesota, a friend of mine joined me for an afternoon tee. Even at age 28, he seemed to enjoy himself on the Gold Course.
I returned a few days later with a bunch of friends to try my club at the Diamond Course.
Our group of 20-something-year-olds also enjoyed ourselves.
For Steve, a 25-year-old from England and the winner of our game, it was his first golfing experience.
``Back home, you can't play a sport without having a fight. So this was a new experience for me,'' he said, laughing. ``You're never too old to play miniature golf.''
This philosophy seems to prevail - especially at the beach.
``The Outer Banks doesn't have anything like this here,'' Mason said. ``Even though there are a lot of miniature golf courses, they appeal to a different group than we do.
``You see the response,'' he said, waving in the direction of the bustling golf course. ``I think people wanted it. It's their vote.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Jonathan Forget, 14, of Laval, Quebec, Canada, putts at Professor
Hacker's Lost Treasure Golf.
MINI GOLF
The Grass Course, N.C. 12 in Corolla. 453-4198.
The Promenade, U.S. 158, milepost 1/4 in Kitty Hawk. 261-3844.
Bermuda Greens, U.S. 158, milepost 1 1/4 in Kitty Hawk. 261-0101.
The Grass Course, U.S. 158, milepost 5 1/2 in Kill Devil Hills.
441-7626.
Professor Hacker's Lost Treasure Golf, U.S. 158, milepost 7 1/2
in Kill Devil Hills. 480-0142.
Diamond Shoals Family Fun Park, U.S. 158, milepost 9 7/8 in Kill
Devil Hills. 480-3553.
Pink Elephant Mini Golf, beach road, milepost 11 in Nags Head.
441-5875.
Forbes Candies and Mini Golf, beach road, milepost 12 in Nags
Head. 441-7293.
Blackbeard's Miniature Golf Park, U.S. 158, milepost 15 in Nags
Head. 441-4541.
King Neptune Golf, U.S. 158, milepost 16 in Nags Head. 441-6841.
Avon Golf, N.C. 12 in Avon. 995-6159.
Cool Wave Ice Cream Shop and Miniature Golf, N.C. 12 in Buxton.
995-6366.
Trent Woods Golf Center, off N.C. 12 in Frisco. 995-6325. by CNB