Staring down at the putter, silence has overcome the green. Just him and the ball remain in this world and one putt can win the entire match. Then he hears a metallic ping and an engine roars in the distance. A quick look shows he is not alone but in a complex along with an arcade, batting cages, and go-carts. No, this is not Augusta National. This is the Carlisle Sports Emporium, Carlisle’s preeminent mini-golf location. Featuring two golf courses, Western and Castle, which their website describes as “two of the largest and most challenging mini-golf courses in Central Pennsylvania."
Perfect for any occasion, my 1st time on the Castle Course was playing with five of my friends on a Saturday during our spring Finals week. The 18-hole course, full of challenging shots and wacky mini-golf antics was the perfect stress reliever and brought out healthy competition. Both courses offer chances for amazing hole-in-ones and hilariously difficult shots to save par. There are the mini-golf classics like “hit it through the house” and “get it in the hole or down the hill” but also new variations on the American past-time.
The best part of the entire mini-golf experience is that it is made for everyone. In the hour and a half that I was on the course high school friends, a couple on a date, and families were all enjoying themselves. If you are looking for a fun weekend activity with the kids, a fun date night, or a break from school, mini-golf at the Carlisle Sports Emporium is laid-back fun for everyone.
The roar of the go-carts brings a charm that Augusta National does not have. The pings of the batting cages help create a scene that not even St. Andrews can rival. On the green the player blocks out all this notice for just one second. The putter strikes the ball, just hard enough to push it up the ramp and into the house. As the ball rattles down the pipe the players rushes over to the hole just in time to see his ball clip the edge and end up behind a block. That’s mini-golf for you.
-Trevor Diamond
Trevor is a junior at Dickinson College, studying American History and Italian. Born and raised in Rhode Island, Trevor found a second home in Carlisle, PA. He is a senior broadcaster for the Red Devil Sports Network at Dickinson as well as an Admissions Tour Guide and a brother of Delta Sigma Phi. In his free time you can find him admiring Carlisle’s many historic sites, preparing for his next broadcast in the Waidner-Spahr, or sitting in an Adirondack Chair on Morgan Field discussing the latest Red Devil victory.
