By Peggy O'Farrell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Robin Green of Batavia and Joel Vandergrift of Amelia play at Eastgate Adventures. (Gary Landers photos) | ZOOM |

Summer scenes is a series of stories taking a peek at activities that can be enjoyed when the weather is warm.

Joel Vandergriff lines up his shot at the first hole at Eastgate Adventures. He squints, eyeing the ball, then the club, and takes a deep breath.

And then he swings.

And misses.

Nine times. On the 10th try, the 18-year-old Amelia man makes the shot, cheered on by friends Robin Green and Kevin Zipf.

Vandergriff and friends readily admit they aren't much of a threat to Tiger Woods. But miniature golf requires some skill: There are angles to be cheated, water hazards the size of birdbaths to be negotiated, geese to be chased away, koi to be fed.

Course designs vary widely, says Tim Jones, owner and president of Eastgate Adventures. The iconic windmill is a rarity at miniature courses these days, but a handful can be found around the country.

Adventure courses are hot right now, with courses designed to give players a lot of variety and a little challenge.

Eastgate Adventures' course winds around an artificial mountain: The 11th hole lies at its peak, and the 12th hole is in a shady cave. A waterfall rushes through the center of the course.

Nick Weitlauf, 14, of Goshen, has worked up a sweat by the time he reaches the 15th hole one recent warm afternoon.

Daniel Renz, 5, of Florida gets into the swing of things at Eastgate Adventures. | ZOOM |

He thinks the 12th hole is the hardest on the course. "It's got all that rock, and it's dark."

Weitlauf and his buddy Travis Chrisman, 13, of Union Township, play real golf once in a while. "We're not that good," Weitlauf says. "We mostly just play for fun."

Wes Todd and a group of friends, all from Oak Hill in southeastern Ohio, visit Eastgate Adventures whenever they come to Cincinnati for a Reds game.

At the 19th hole, Todd, 22, tries to make a hole-in-one.

A sign offers a prize. Jones swears "a lot" of customers win, but today is not Todd's day.

"I've never gotten it," he says.

For most players - families, kids and college students make up the bulk - a round of miniature golf is a great way to kill an hour or two on a summer day, not a way to reach the Masters tournament.

Unlike real golf, players at a miniature course only need one club (a putter, of course) and minimal talent.

And keeping score is optional, though score sheets and pencils are provided.

But it's not always easy to hit the little ball into the little hole with the little stick.

There are hazards and bumps and hills and tunnels and tubes to be negotiated.

"It's harder than it looks," Green says.

"That's what makes it fun," adds Vandergriff.

By any other name...

Calling all miniature golf "Putt-Putt" is like calling all burgers Big Macs. Putt-Putt Golf and Games is a trademarked franchise, just like McDonald's, and was founded in 1953 by Don Clayton. Clayton's courses were a novelty at the time because they allowed only straight putting - no trickshots between the blades of the windmill or over the plaster dinosaur's shoulder, no dance steps carved into the green on the eighth hole.

Tristate courses

Eagle Tee Golf Center, West Chester

Eastgate Adventures, Mount Carmel

Etters Miniature Golf, Evendale

Fairfield Golf Center, Fairfield

General Custer's Golf & Gulp, Western Hills

Great Time Family Fun Center, Union Township, Clermont County

Hamilton County Park District's Little Miami Golf Center, Anderson Township

Lake Gloria Golf & Fishing, Colerain Township

Miami Lakes Sports Unlimited, Whitewater Township

Putt-N-Fun, Milford

Putt Putt Golf, Erlanger

Sports of All Sorts, Florence

World of Sports, FlorenceE-mail pofarrell@enquirer.com