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| A Summer 2011 view |
Well, I noticed the other day that the old Putt-Putt miniature golf course out on Route 57 near Midway Mall was finally torn down and replaced by a FriendShip Kitchen convenience, food and fuel store. The miniature golf course had been there since around 1978.
For the last twenty years since it closed, it’s been slowly disappearing from view. Here’s a view from 2017.
(I wrote about the Putt-Putt
here back in 2017, and the post yielded some nice, informative comments from readers.)
Anyway, the FriendShip store opened in late July, which you can read about
here. It looks quite nice.
Although the Putt-Putt there didn’t last, the chain is still around. You can read about its history on the
company website.
8 comments:
Dan, I can remember playing miniature golf there back in the mid-Sixties.Is it possible there was another miniature golf course out that way?
It’s amazing how well that sign held up after all those years after it closed.
...The one I remember is the miniature golf course that used to be on Oberlin Avenue - approximate address is 4300, and it was right behind the old Pizza Hut and KFC. There's a large overgrown area back there right now, but I know in the late 70s there were still concrete walkways back there.
Alan, Bill left a comment on my last post about this Putt Putt course. He remembered that it was originally located for a time further north on 57, where the U-Haul is now, at the southwest corner of N. Ridge and Grove. I'll see if I can establish some kind of time frame for that one using the city directories and post what I find here.
I did look at some historic aerials and this one (replaced by the FriendShip) definitely wasn't there in the 1960s.
i remember the BMX track back behind that was frequent visit for me along with the track in Avon and Akron
That takes me back to warm summer nights of my childhood. It wasn't as fancy or flashy as Swings 'n' Things (or Rinky Dink that came along later near General Cinema 8), but as little kids we still had fun. Plus the arcade had Pac-Man, so... bonus. I remember how excited we'd get about a hole-in-one and going to trade in our ball for an orange one and a coupon for a free game. I remember how the outer fencing of the course had PUTT spelled out in the railings. Outside that railing was extremely dark, since the course was next to a thick wooded area. They played a contemporary radio station over the PA system, and to this day, certain songs from the '80s (In the Air Tonight, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Kokomo) still remind me of playing that Putt-Putt course.
I'm kind of amazed the sign still looked as good as it did a year ago in that picture. I wonder what happened to it? Likely sitting on a trash heap somewhere. Here's a collection of photos someone took in 2007. They also wrote a brief history on this page. I learned some time ago that the building was dilapidated and torn down for safety reasons, but I can't find where I read that.
I never played at that Putt Putt. Wish I had. Spent a lot of time at the one in North Olmsted. I have very vague recollection of one near the corner of 57 and 254. The lights for those places were unique and that is what I remember. Sad that most of these places are gone. It was a nice relaxing way to spend an afternoon or evening.
They had one next do the Perkins off Cooper Foster and 57 till they built a car lot on it and them turned into U haul. They also had the Tiny Pines mini golf and driving range next to Midway O'Boy.
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