M
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Story and Photos by Lance Shearer
Playing
a round
New miniature golf course lets
Islanders work on their short game
Golfer Bobby Locke famously said, “you drive for show, but
you putt for dough.” Good putting is key to good golf, and
at Marco Golf & Garden, putting is what it’s all about. Leave
behind the driver, the sand wedge and the irons; in fact, leave
behind all your clubs — they will supply you with balls and
an appropriately sized putter.
The mini golf layout didn’t start out to be a golf facility at all,
though. The original idea was a garden. But when Marco Golf
& Garden owners Fred and Marianne Kramer looked at the
economics of installing a tropical garden next to Sasso’s, the
restaurant they own on Winterberry Drive, they realized they
needed a way to help pay for the plantings, fertilizer and such,
and a miniature golf course was born.
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Marco | APRIL
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Jill LaMacchia is the course manager at Marco Golf & Garden. Two-year-old Timmy Hannich heads
to the next hole. Jeremy Hannich reaches for his ball after sinking a putt at the new mini golf course on Marco. John Ranieri mans the
pro shop. Water is a prominent feature at the Marco Golf & Garden miniature golf course.
“The garden already contains over 35 plant
species,” said Fred Kramer. “Some were gifts
from local gardeners, and some were acquired from Fairchild Tropical Gardens,”
the famed botanical and horticultural center in Coral Gables. He estimates they spent more than
$50,000 purchasing plantings,
including characteristic Florida
flora such as a gumbo limbo or
“tourist tree,” known for its
peeling red bark, as well as a
screw pine with its thick clusters of sausage-like roots, ponytail palms,
West Indian ebony, fiddlewood, wild cinnamon and flowering plants such as hibiscus and pentas.
“It’s a natural course, without a lot of gimmicks,” said Kramer. He and Marianne created the design, along with David Bailey of
Ormond Beach, who specializes in designing
miniature golf courses and has installations
all around the world.
“There are some long
putts you have to make,”
helping sharpen the game
of those who play “big
people golf ” on regulation courses.
Kramer said it is attractive now, but “it will be
truly special as it matures over the years. We
anticipate continually adding to the garden.
In 15 years this will be awesome.”
Of course, this is miniature golf, not Augusta National, so there have
to be a few wrinkles. On hole No. 13, your
“tee shot” drops into one of two tubes. Put
your ball into the furthest tube, and you are
lined up for a potential hole in one. On No.
14, you actually want to put your ball into the
water, which will then carry it into scoring
position.
In keeping with the tropical motif, Marco
Golf & Garden is a low-key, natural course,
with water running throughout, an “old Florida” feel and an absence of the kitschy embellishments seen at many “putt-putt” layouts,
where you have to dodge the windmill’s spinning blades or put your putt into the clown’s
mouth to reach the green.
And each golfer has their own handicap —
but not all of them wear theirs strapped to
their person. Sarah Hannich, visiting local
family members, played her entire round
with son Nate, 7 months, positioned in front
of her in a sort of papoose, not to mention
2-year-old Timmy zooming around the
course. Like most everyone witnessed there,
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Marco | APRIL
though, Hannich was smiling and enjoying
herself, regardless of what the scorecard said.
To Fred Kramer, this is one of the real benefits of the business. “As a lawyer, I work at
the courthouse, and not everyone there is
having a good time,” he said with an attorney’s understatement. “At the golf course,
everyone is happy. You love to hear the people laughing as they play.”
It was not all smiles getting Marco Golf &
Garden established, as MICA, the Marco
Island Civic Association, sued for alleged
deed restriction violations. But that controversy is over, and the Kramers are committed
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Marco Golf & Garden has a wide assortment of flora that is native to
Southwest Florida. Kendall Ballotti, right, putts as her twin sister Courtney watches. Andy Phillips, left, and
Amanda Carlisle high five after sinking their putts. Courtney Ballotti concentrates on lining up her putt at
Marco Golf & Garden.
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Marco | 11
to providing enjoyable recreation for all —
families, couples, residents, visitors and seniors.
The course is easily playable, even for those who
have difficulty getting around. “We are required
to have nine ADA holes,” handicapped accessible.
“We went further and have 12,” said Kramer, of
the American with Disabilities Act requirements.
Course manager Jill LaMacchia noted that they
host parties with special group pricing, and offer
discounts including half price for return visits
the same or next day. Senior discounts are offered Tuesday before 6 p.m., and college students
can enjoy a $3 discount any time by showing
their student ID.
“Playing a
round” at Marco
Golf also earns
you 10 percent
off your check at
Sasso’s next door,
if you want to
combine golf
and dinner for
your date night. Evening hours tend to be some
of the busiest, especially when the day offers
prime beach-going weather, said LaMacchia.
While many golfers at the course were observed
cheating pretty flagrantly, with “hand wedges,”
foot nudges and outright steering of the ball into
the hole, some players do take it seriously. The
course record, a sizzling 35 for 18 holes, is held by
an out-of-stater, Tyler Smith, of Bloomington, Ill.
Surely some crackshot local golfers, short
game experts, want to reclaim that title for a
Marco Island. n
Marco Golf & Garden
971 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island
239-970-0561
www.marcogolfandgarden.com
10a.m.–10p.m., seven days a week
Base rate $12 adult, $10 for 10 and under,
free for under 5.