On the last Monday in June we did something we’ve been planning on for a couple of years, but kept getting stymied by broken legs and such. But it was one of those gorgeous Finger Lakes days, sunny, light breeze, temps in the low seventies, just right for a drive to Seabreeze and a round of miniature golf.
*This is NOT, let me say clearly, in the Seabreeze Amusement Park, but in the nearby hamlet of Seabreeze, in the Town of Irondequoit. We were headed to Parkside Diner’s Whispering Pines Miniature Golf.
*And why did this call for a trip from Bath to Lake Ontario? The minigolf course is on the National Register of Historic Places; it’s probably the oldest miniature golf course in the United States; and it preserves the early 20th-century style of course, making it quite different from most others.
*Here we don’t find turning windmill blades, little barns and churches. The original builders seem to have assumed that you came for the game, not the kitsch. If there’s a theme here, it’s obstacles.
*At the first hole, for instance, you have to drive up a fairly steep slope, hoping to get your ball under a low stone overhang, and down the reverse slope onto the green… except that there are posts and angled barriers along the way. It’s sort of like teeing off inside a pinball machine (without the lights and the noise).
*Unsurprisingly there are shafts, chutes, and tunnels to shoot into. There’s a “sea” theme here at Seabreeze, so many of the obstacles are bollards, heavy rope, and other nautical accessories. (The only miniature building on the course is a lighthouse.) Crabs, lobsters, and lobster traps decorate the course – salt water stuff, rather than the fresh water of Lake Ontario, but who cares?
*One tee just plain bewildered us. You had to clumb several steps onto a small platform, and then – what? We studied for a spell, utterly without success.
*But a mother, who clearly knew the course well, was playing a round behind us with her young boy. She pointed out that we actually had to tee up and drive from the platform, ten yards or so onto the green (which was surrounded with a sort of baseball backdrop).
*What with that broken leg we mentioned, Joyce didn’t want to climb to the platform, and told me to drive on her behalf. This worked out to her benefit! Unsure how much force to put into it, I dropped my own drive into the grassy rough… drove from there, and still came up short… and was on the green in three. By the time I addressed Joyce’s ball I had the hang of it, and left her lying one on the green.
*All the holes were par 2 or 3, and on most holes one or both of us either made par or birdied… though on some other holes we shot six or more. But we’re out of practice… we can’t remember when last we played… so that’s not too bad. (In our opinion!)
*There were perhaps half a dozen parties making their way around the links, shaded by beautiful evergreens. In my experience most miniature golf courses give an ephemeral air, using lightweight materials. Seabreeze is solid – built for the ages, with fossil stone brought in from the west, almost 90 years ago. It’s also delightful.
*Naturally we had lunch at the next-door diner, and enjoyed it very much. So did quite a few local folks – the place was pleasantly busy, but not overcrowded. The web site is www.parksidediner.com, where you can print off coupons for both diner and golf.
*If you’re reading this in the Corning area, I really don’t recommend a trip solely for the golf and diner. We did it, but that’s because I wanted to write about it. It’s 90 miles each way from Bath, so you might do better to take it in while you’re in the area. But if you’re in the orbit of, say, Canandiagua… or anyplace closer… you might find it’s worth the drive. We did!