Mini golf springs into action

If you’re looking for something to do outdoors with the entire family, look no further than mini golf. And the good news is that you have plenty of options to choose from near you.

Delta Knolls Golf Center, 8388 Elmer Hill Road, Rome, has opened its doors, hoping to have a strong season. Owner Mike DeSalvio began working at Delta Knolls Golf Center at the ripe age of 18, when his father bought it 48 years ago.

What sets Delta Knolls apart from most mini golf attractions is that it offers not only mini golf but also a driving range and a par 3 course. Children can play mini golf while their parents can drive some balls. “This is a great advantage, as it is an all-around great place to come for the whole family,” says DeSalvio. “We are more like a classic, traditional course. We haven’t really changed that much from the 1960s,” he continued.

Delta Knolls gets a lot of school groups for endof-year picnics, and they host birthday parties. Delta Knolls also has a nice junior program that teaches kids golf starting at 5 years old. The program, called The Tony Cardello Jr. Golf Program, is $25 for six sessions with a professional golfer. The program begins July 11.

Why has DeSalvio stuck with the family business all these years? “I do it because it’s a nice family atmosphere,” he says. “Over the years, I have met a lot of nice people.”

Delta Knolls Golf Center is open every day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you have any questions, or would like to participate in the junior program, contact DeSalvio at the golf center at 315-339-1280.

Looking to play mini golf but feel like you’re in the tropics? Palm Springs Miniature Golf, 9411 Maynard Drive in Marcy, has heavy landscaping with about 500 plants and bushes and so much vibrant color around the golf site, including palm trees and palm plants. They also have a 20-foot waterfall.

Owner Brian Kney, of Utica, has been running the course for 36 years. Kney’s love for golf goes back to when he was 8 years old. Instead of building a lemonade stand by the road like the rest of the kids, he built a little mini golf course and charged people a nickel to play. He had no idea that this would grow into his adult occupation. Kney used to work out in California doing catastrophe adjustment, handling insurance claims during earthquakes and hurricanes. While there, he enjoyed the palm trees and California scenery so much that he had the idea of making his golf course look just like that.

“We call it Palm Springs — a touch of California in Central New York,” says Kney. “It’s a great business to run. People come here happy and leave here happy, and everyone has a great time. It’s our job to make sure that happens. It’s a nice way to make a living, and it’s rewarding.”

Palm Springs makes you feel like you are on vacation. Kney has had a customer once tell him, “Coming here, I don’t feel like I am in Utica for an hour, I feel like I am somewhere else — I love this place.”

Kney adds, “People can spend their money anywhere, I tell my staff. It’s our job to make them feel great and be nice, because we appreciate them coming to spend their money with us.”

Palm Springs also has a pavilion, and Kookies Q and Creamery is on-site offering BBQ, burgers, ice cream, shakes and more.

Palm Springs Miniature Golf is open for the spring from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Summer hours begin in mid-June, which will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.

Below is a partial list of other local mini golf locations:

• Gold Rush Adventure Golf, 4853 State Route 233, Westmoreland

•Tee Time Mini Golf, 320 Mohawk St., Herkimer

• Bonomo’s Mini Golfland, 7589 State Route 5, Clinton