ATHOL — Families seeking a little active weekend fun needed look no further than the Athol Public Library this weekend.
The library hosted a free 18-hole mini golf game throughout Saturday and Sunday for families and friends looking to get out of the house, and perhaps engage in a little friendly competition. Some familiar faces from Saturday returned again on Sunday.
The homemade course spread throughout different rooms in the library, from the kid’s section, to the conference room, to all the way upstairs. At the end, pizza and other refreshments waited for hungry golfers.
The library took the event as a chance to educate its patrons about the library’s history and offerings, setting a card with facts about the library at each hole.
Joe Buckley of Norfolk, owner of Mobile Mini-Golf and maker of the courses, dreamed up the idea in college. He lived in a large house with a friend, and wanted to create a fun activity for parties. Thus, a form of mobile mini-golf was born.
Back in college, he built his course using materials like foam, paper towel rolls, and boxes. Now, his courses are built with sturdier materials like polyurethane foam and PVC pipe — sturdy enough to withstand players but flexible enough to pack into a trailer.
After Buckley took a job in Human Resources, his love for mini-golf resurfaced again. Mini-golf seemed like a great team-building activity.
Now, Buckley brings his portable mini-golf courses to one or two events per week. Popular locations are libraries, senior centers, corporations and colleges across New England and New York.
He’s built two 18-hole courses from scratch — one for corporate events and a slightly easier one for communities.
“It’s really nice they invited me here,” Buckley said of the library. “I love working with the kids, and it’s great to see the adults interacting with the kids.”
Buckley sometimes has a difficult time convincing parents to play, too, but he appreciates when entire families participate in the fun. He also mentioned that the benefit of hosting mini-golf in the library is that children have a chance to pick up new reading materials, too.
“It was very busy yesterday,” Buckley said, estimating that around 90 people came to play.
As of 2 p.m. Sunday, Buckley estimated that around 50 people had participated so far.
“Your feet should be as wide as your shoulders,” Buckley said, positioning his feet near the first hole in the course.
He did a test swing of the putter and checked the position of his feet.
“It’s not a chop or a hit,” Buckley explained, showing how to commit to a perfect swing. “You swing it like a pendulum.”
Buckley tapped the ball with the plastic club, hitting a hole-in-one.
Buckley himself isn’t a golfer, but his wife is. She tests out the courses he made to determine whether they’re too easy, and his son — who isn’t a golfer — tests them to determine that they aren’t too difficult.
“You want them to be challenging, but not diabolical,” Buckley said.
Reach Christie
Wisniewski at:
cwisniewski@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 280