Where Was Kankakee County’s Mini-golf Hot Spot in the 1970s?

By Melanie Holmes

Once upon a time, families gathered at drive-in theaters, local shopping centers (large clusters of stores with one or more “anchors,” such as Sears or JC Penney; Meadowview had both!), and mini-golf hot spots. On the latter, the hottest spot in Kankakee County was Pee Wee Golf Course, a.k.a., Fifty-Fore Golf Range. Those who lived in the county in the 1970s will recall this course’s location, now obliterated from the landscape.

Yes, memories of this mini-golf course conjure fond memories – from its paddlewheel riverboat hole to its Dutch windmill hole. Another part of what made the Pee Wee Golf Course so hot was their “Pee Wee” burger. Much like White Castle sliders but without the castle. It was a smart marketing plan. You might find yourself dreaming of a sack of Pee Wee burgers, and then decide to play a round of golf. Or vice versa – come for the golf, grab a snack, too.

Like many types of entertainment that are harder to find today, mini-golf was once very popular. Its rise began at the start of the 20th Century in the UK, then made its way to the USA in the form of a course built by James Barber on his property in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Today, Pinehurst is a top-rated professional golf mecca. But its roots as the birthplace of mini-golf are documented.

Pee Wee Golf Course’s alternate name, Fifty-Fore Golf Range, gives away its past location. That is, if you know that Route 50 was once designated as U.S. Route 54. Located on the east side of what was then Route 54 – and is now Route 50 – Pee Wee Golf Course sat across from where McKnight Road used to cross the railroad tracks. Note that McKnight Road now extends east of Route 50, running next to Kohl’s department store.

For anyone looking for mini-golf in Kankakee County today, the only place, for now, is Adventure Mini-Golf, on the southeast outer limit of Bradley’s Northfield Mall. The old Hidden Cove was transformed by Adventure Christian Church and opened in 2019, with two 18-hole courses, each with themes from the Old and New Testaments.

Everything old is new again, and with that idea in mind, I’ll share that my grandson asked me for one thing for his January birthday – for me to bring him mini-golfing. We must wait for a warm spring day, and then, yes, we’ll head out to the links. That is, to the mini-links!

Tune in the first Thursday of the month for a new nugget of trivia from Manteno and beyond from Melanie Holmes, who hails originally from Manteno, and is author of four books (including Manteno/Images of America, 2020), with a fifth due from Reedy Publishing in May 2023. She can be reached at holmesauthor11@gmail.com.