Golf N' Stuff

Last updated
Golf N' Stuff
FormerlyGolf N' Things
TypePrivate
Industry Family entertainment center
Founded1969
Number of locations
3 (2023)
Area served
OwnerGeorge Brimhall [1]
Website golfnstuff.com

Golf N' Stuff is an American brand of three family entertainment amusement parks and miniature golf courses located in the Southwestern United States cities of Norwalk, Ventura, and Tucson. [2] It has a sister park in Phoenix, Castles N' Coasters. It has an estimated million visitors each year. [3]

Contents

History

The first Golf N' Stuff was opened in Norwalk, in 1969. [4] It was established in Ventura on August 10, 1974. [1] The Golf N' Stuff in Tucson opened as Golf N' Things in 1976, with a medieval theme. After the company was bought in 1979, its name was changed to its current one. [3]

The 29-year-old Timothy Roy broke the treehouse-sitting record at Golf N' Stuff Norwalk by sitting in a prebuilt 6 by 8 ft (1.8 by 2.4 m) treehouse in the park for 431 days, two hours, and thirty minutes between July 4, 1982, and September 8, 1983. [5] The treehouse was 15 ft (4.6 m) above the ground and contained a sink and working toilet. Local restaurants provided the unemployed actor with food in the hope of publicity, and the many visitors also offered company and aid. The previous record, 182 days in 1978 by Glen Woodrich, was also set in the same treehouse. [6]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, guests were required to constantly wear face masks, and half the arcade games were shut off. Staff were required to clean the games and restrooms hourly. [7]

Attractions

The Norwalk location has four 18-hole miniature golf courses, with varying obstacles. There is no general theme throughout the park. Some holes contain alternate paths that may result in an automatic hole in one. [8] It contains a Disk'O, go-karts, bumper boats, and a small train. It also contains an arcade with over 100 games and a snack bar, as no outside food is allowed. In Ventura, 80's music plays continuously, and there are only two courses. It still has go-karts, an arcade, and bumper boats, but also contains bumper cars. The Tucson location is the same, but instead of bumper cars, it has laser tag and batting cages. [2] Birthday parties can be scheduled throughout all parks, and are popular there. [7]

Golf N' Stuff's Norwalk location is known for being the site of both a scene in The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai . Midnight Madness , known for being the debut of Michael J. Fox, was filmed here, along with the music videos "Shoots and Ladders" by Korn, "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne, and "Person of Interest" by Rebecca Black. [9]

In The Karate Kid, the golf course is the site of Daniel LaRusso and Ali Mills' first date, [8] while in Cobra Kai, the season one episode "All Valley," Miguel takes Sam to the course. While the scene in The Karate Kid was filmed onsite, the one in Cobra Kai was actually filmed in Fun Spot America – Atlanta, in Georgia. [10]

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References

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  2. 1 2 "Official website". Golf N' Stuff. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  3. 1 2 Parris, Pat (2019-05-06). "Nearly a half-century of family fun at Golf N' Stuff". KGUN 9 Tucson News . Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  4. "The Kitschy Kingdom of Golf N' Stuff". Atomic Redhead. 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  5. Harding, Caroline (1992-04-05). "RECORDS". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  6. Cherin, Alexander Hamilton (2019-01-24). "What Drove an Unemployed Actor to Set the World's Record for Tree-Sitting in 1982? – OC Weekly". OC Weekly . Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  7. 1 2 Barrett, Lizzy. "THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO AT GOLF N' STUFF!". Bear Essential News. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  8. 1 2 "Golf N Stuff Mini Golf – Norwalk, CA". A Couple of Putts. 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  9. "Norwalk Filming Information Hub". City of Norwalk, California . Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  10. Bedard, Mike (2020-10-11). "The Cobra Kai Location You Can Actually Visit In Real Life". Looper. Retrieved 2023-07-10.