“In central Texas, no one wants to stand in the boiling sun, in the pasture basically, and play miniature golf with no trees,” said Audrey Anderson, co-owner/operator of Cen-Tex Mini Golf outside of Georgetown. “So, we had all these trees on the property we purchased to build the course on, and the Modular Advantage system from Adventure Golf & Sports became a huge benefit to us. It could make what we envisioned happen.”
Cen-Tex Mini Golf sits on 2.5 acres and offers mini golfers a course filled with native oak trees providing tons of shade in the summer, along with water features and obstacles that are challenging but encourage players to return and play again.
Being new to the miniature golf industry, Audrey and her husband Ted (the other co-owner/operator) researched several companies online before selecting Adventure Golf & Sports (AGS). According to the Andersons, the Modular Advantage system allowed this landscaped mini-golf course to be built up right up next to the trees on the property.
“We didn’t have to dig in the ground and cut into tree roots,” explained Audrey. “So we were able to tuck this course under the trees. We only have two holes in the sun. Everything else is shaded. And shaded is something we can sell. It’s so much easier to be able to work with whatever Mother Nature gives you, and then let Adventure Golf do their work. This is all they do. This is their specialty. They can make things work and happen with the natural topography, rather than digging holes and trying to force something.”
Audrey says the Modular Advantage system from AGS is much more economical than traditional concrete courses. “You have no initial expense of having to excavate or doing extensive prep work. And it doesn’t take nearly as much time for installation and completion.”
According to AGS, the Modular Advantage mini golf system uses flexible, patented interlocking panels pre-cut to fit a client-approved design. The system also offers “green” benefits, since the panels are made of recycled materials and are permeable for water drainage. In addition, a Modular Advantage course can be installed where ground remediation may be too expensive. The versatile system can also be moved, but once in place, it is solid.
“If you didn’t know better, you’d think you were standing on concrete,” said Audrey.
AGS designed the Cen-Tex course with water features that blend into the landscape and the entire course is ADA accessible. The course also features resort-style lighting where tree canopies are illuminated and pathway lights make evening play a completely different experience. Given the dramatic nighttime lighting, the Andersons have promoted some adult-only evenings on occasion.
The Cen-Tex course starts out featuring a large pond holding approximately 5,000 gallons. “It looks like it belongs in central Texas,” explained Audrey. “(Adventure Golf) included some big rocks, streamed water under a bridge they built, and it flows over to a small waterfall. It looks like a natural stream and the stream interacts directly with several of the holes.”
The house that was on the property has been remodeled and is being used as a clubhouse along with office and meeting space. One side of the house is the check-in area. “You come out the entrance door and there are two 400-year old Oak Trees,” said Audrey. “We call them Lucy and Ethel. You go to hole one and make your way through the water feature and continue to the rest of the holes under the oak trees, then end up at the eighteenth hole on the same side of the house as you started, near the check-in area called the ‘Pro Shop,’ where you picked up your putters.
“We have had nothing but positive and exciting comments about the course from all who have seen it in person and on social media,” noted Audrey.
Before becoming miniature golf owners, Audrey spent 20-plus years as a realtor in the area and Ted held a variety of jobs ranging from Firefighter to Coast Guard aviator to Jet Pilot and Simulator Trainer. Both were looking for a career change and Audrey suggested they do something together, like mini-golf. She adds, “If you met my husband Ted, you’d say ‘I know why you have this course because he has done so many interesting things he would be bored working for anyone else.’”
Before purchasing the property for the course, Audrey says they chose to work with AGS because the salesperson they spoke with, Jessica Stratton, “…was super easy to talk to and she would give me good suggestions and say, ‘think about this.’ She would give me straightforward, honest answers, and when I called with more questions she would always call me back and discuss things as if she were in our business with us.” The Modular Advantage Mini Golf system was one of the suggestions made by Stratton, noted the release.
Audrey says they found the property for the course by accident. She was helping a client look for property and they came across a 2.5-acre site with a 3,300 square foot house on the property (built-in 1960 with an addition added in 1995). Although her client wasn’t interested in the property, Audrey thought the site was ideal for the course and thought the house was an added benefit.
The Andersons bought the property in February 2020 and took control of it on July 1. The AGS crew of four men, including supervisor Russell Ferrill, arrived Aug. 23 and completed the installation of the course by September 15.
When the crew arrived, “COVID-19 protocols were in place at that time,” recalls Audrey. “We had sent them pictures of the house and we were able to put each gentleman in their own room, provide a large common area and all the comforts of home, including an outside grill. I had a cleaning company come in each week during the day when the guys were out working on the course and they sanitized everything from the ceiling to the floor. We wanted to be sure the guys were safe.”
For more information about custom designed miniature golf courses from AGS as well as pre-made portable systems that can be used in a variety of situations, email info@adventureandfun.com, call (231) 922-8166 or visit www.AGSGolfandSports.com.
