Hole in One Project Scores Big in Old Town

Are you a homeowner looking to make some renovations?  Maybe a new deck?  Perhaps remodeling a kitchen?  Or maybe you’re looking to install a round of mini-golf?  Yes, that’s right, you heard me correctly: mini-golf.  It’s the latest fashion to hit Fort Collins and it’s all thanks to one person, Matt Gettig. Matt’s the proud owner and operator of Lightning Mini Golf LLC, a local project dedicated to building mini golf courses on homes throughout the neighborhood of Old Town.

Matt’s a busy guy; when he’s not designing mini-golf courses, he’s busy running his landscaping company of 30 years called Matt’s Down to Earth Sprinklers and the ‘Down to Earth’ name speaks volumes about the life Matt’s lead. Having grown up in Laporte, Matt graduated from Poudre High School in the ’80s, married his high school sweetheart Josie and the two settled down at their home in Old Town where, along with their son Ray, they live to this day.

Being a long-time resident and local business owner, Matt certainly understands a thing or two about community, and Matt’s interest in bringing the community together helped inspire his idea.  The story started at Matt’s friend’s house roughly a year and a half ago.  He was helping his friend Tom clean his backyard and when the question arose as to what to do with leftover pieces of Astroturf, the two decided they’d build the rounds of mini-golf, first just for themselves.

Matt installed the first two along the side of his house on the sidewalk at the corner of Whitcomb and LaPorte. At that time, the pandemic was in full swing and Matt got the sense that people were walking around aimlessly, in need of something to do. He decided that if they could expand upon their idea, it could not only give folks something fun to pass the time with but also promote a much tighter community along with some sense of normalcy.

They came up with the name Lightning Mini Golf because the courses are lit up at night by LED lights, allowing folks to play free mini golf day and night, seven days a week, all season long. So far, Matt says the process of finding homes interested in participating has been easy, especially as more are built and the popularity spreads.

“I do have more and more people asking me to build them a course; with the charity happening on the website, it’s become easier. I meet with the homeowners and discuss a design and location area. After that, I build the course at no cost to the homeowner and they maintain it.”

In addition to the two installed on Matt’s property, there are currently four others; one is located nearby Matt on Laporte and another is at Olive and Whitcomb.  Another one can be found at the corner of Mountain and Sherwood and the newest addition is on North Whitcomb.  If you’re considering hunting one of these spots down, don’t feel like you have to lug around your own bag of clubs because clubs and balls are all provided, along with hand sanitizer at each location.

If you’re interested in learning more about the project or if you’d like to make a donation in support, you’re encouraged to visit the website at lightningminigolf.com/s/ or call 970-222-0764. In addition to raising funds for more courses, money is also raised for Animal Friends Alliance based in Fort Collins.