Putt-putt proprietors enjoying unique business model

What do you get when combining black lights, putters, 3-D glasses, music and a peg-legged swashbuckler?

To Mitzi Dufrene and Sue Baugh, the recipe for a successful miniature golf business.

The Larose residents have certainly cooked up a good one with 18 Hole, a putt-putt course located at the Southland Mall in Houma.

Hackers young and old alike have been swarming to the dimly-lit store since its Dec. 17 grand opening.

The Sports Net sat down with Dufrene and Baugh to discuss the dark side of golf.

Sports Net: Why black-light 3-D golf? How did you come up with the idea?

Mitzi Dufrene: We just wanted to do something different and eye-catching. To get people’s attention. Sue and I have kids. You come to the mall, and there is nothing for them to do. (Laughs) Most parents are at the mall with their kids anyway.

Sue Baugh: My brother has three of these (putt-putt courses) in New Orleans, and I worked at one of them for a while. They do pretty well. People seem to enjoy the black lights and music we play because it’s different.

SN: What went into creating everything here? Tremendous endeavor?

MD: Sue came up with the idea to do miniature golf, and our husbands came up with the 3-D and the black light.

SB: There was a lot of work that went into it and it’s really nice. It gives little ones, teenagers, grandmas and grandpas something to enjoy. It works for everybody. Plus, guys in the mall can bring their kids here when their wives or girlfriends are shopping. A lot of teenagers come because the music is upbeat – it feels almost like a club to them. And the kids like it because of the black lights.

SN: The lighting has to get to you after a while, does it not?

MD: (Laughs) You get used to it, but the first week I had a bad headache. Malls open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., so I was in here almost six to seven hours at a time. Your eyes really have to adjust coming from outside light to inside light.

SN: Kind of like working in a movie theater.

MD: Right.

SN: What is it that will set this course apart from others?

MD: You can actually play golf in 3-D. We actually ran out of 3-D glasses the first week because we didn’t know it would be so popular. They were gone the first week we opened.

SB: The black light and music make a big difference.

SN: What is your background in this line of work?

MD: This is my first time doing this. I wanted to do it because it looked fun, and we just ran with the idea.

SN: Why did you choose the Southland Mall to set up shop?

MD: Any mall in general is good, but you have nice malls and not-so-nice malls. If you get in a mall that’s really nice inside and gets a lot of shoppers, that’s where you want your business.

SN: Do you think there is something about miniature golf that has an everlasting quality about it? It doesn’t seem to be a fad.

MD: I think everybody enjoys doing it. My little boy likes playing it, and he’s 6. I think it appeals to everyone. We have everyone from two-year-olds to grandmas and grandpas.

SB: I didn’t do this as a little girl. This is all new to me since I started helping out my brother, and that’s how I got a chance to see how much people enjoy it. I just started playing it when the day would go slow.

It’s a lot harder than what you’d think. A lot of people think it would be really easy just to hit a ball into a hole but it takes a lot of practice.

SN: Are you admitting you’re not a good putter?

SB: (Laughs) Well, I think I’m getting pretty good. But I used to think golf was nothing. But now that I’ve played it, I see that it takes a lot of concentration to play. You just have to practice a little bit more.

SN: How many times have you played your course?

MD: I’ll grab a club every now and then and play some holes when it’s slow.

SN: Any particularly challenging holes?

MD: Hole No. 5 with the cannon.

SB: No. 14 and 15 are hard for me.

SN: What’s the story with the menacing pirate on Hole No. 16?

MD: We just decided to go with something kids would like … something people would like. It’s just something different.

SB: The course has pirates, mermaids, fantasy … everyone can enjoy it. It’s called 18 Hole, but other stores we want to open will have different themes.

SN: Now that you’ve been open for nearly a month, how would you rate the response?

MD: A lot of people like it. They come in and say “We didn’t even know you were in here,” or, “Where did you get the painting done and the lights?” I think everyone is just amazed how much different it is than a regular outside (miniature golf) course.

The 18 Hole’s hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Cost is $6.50 for 18 holes. The business plans a spatial expansion and will eventually accept birthday parties.

For more information, call 985-873-5955.

Mitzi Dufrene, co-owner of 18 Hole at the Southland Mall in Houma, enjoys a moment on the back nine with one of the course’s main attractions. (Photo by CHRIS SCARNATI

• Tri-Parish Times)