Indoor course puts golf in a new light

CHAMPAIGN – As a grandmother of two, Elisa Testory could see there just weren't enough places in Champaign-Urbana to play when the weather's not so nice.

So she and her husband, Dave Bolt, have created such a place – an indoor, black-light miniature golf course – at one of their two Champaign bowling alleys, Arrowhead Lanes.

Called The Playground, it's set to open around July 10, Testory said. And it will be available all year long, rain or shine.

The Playground isn't just for kids, though the course's four colorful themes – jungle, pirates, underwater and Aztec – may well appeal to the kid in everybody.

The miniature golf course was built inside a 12,000-square-foot addition at Arrowhead, a bowling alley that's been at 1401 N. McKinley Ave. for decades.

The addition also has two big banquet/party rooms, a new snack bar, a new arcade, and new bar area. A beer garden is planned for outside, said Testory's son, Robert.

He and his mother promise the miniature golf course will wow you. The place was designed and installed by a Canadian firm, Shankz, that specializes in black-light miniature golf, they said. The company sent its artists, who painted all the scenery on the walls free-hand.

And while the black light adds a glow, it's plenty light enough to find your way around. The course is also wheelchair-accessible, Robert Testory said.

While the opening is still a few weeks away, he said, birthday parties and events are already being booked for the banquet rooms.

A grand opening celebration with giveaways is also being planned for Aug. 22 to 24.

Under its current ownership, Arrowhead has undergone other remodeling, including the addition of glow-in-the-dark bowling. In 2005, Elisa Testory and her husband also bought GT's Western Bowl in Champaign, dropped the GT from the name and also did some remodeling there.

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