Caribbean Pirates, Fire-Breathing Dragons, Renaissance Knights and More Await at Old Pro Golf’s Elaborately-Themed Miniature Courses
At the forefront of miniature golf design is the late Herbert J. Schoellkopf, founder of Ocean City’s Old Pro Golf. Schoellkopf’s career spanned over five decades and dominated the East Coast putt-putt industry for much of the late 20th century. Extravagant themes and mechanized features – signature touches of Schoellkopf courses – appeared in coastal cities from as far north as New Jersey to the low country beaches of South Carolina. Old Pro’s most celebrated courses reside in Ocean City, however, and Schoellkopf’s legacy is carried out by his son, Scott Schoellkopf.
Scott explains that Old Pro Golf is as much as a family business today as it was when Schoellkopf first founded the company in 1965.
The Schoellkopf family oversees 6 miniature golf courses throughout Ocean City. The four outdoor locations, spanning from 23rd Street to 136th Street, boast state-of-the-art design elements from massive prehistoric dinosaurs and guarded castles to a life-size run-aground pirate ship. Old Pro’s immersive theming is carried into two indoor locations touting killer whales, a safari village and several surprise features. “The use of moving figures as “obstacles” is something unique to my father’s design style,” says Scott. “[As is] our use of extensive water and fog features.”
Scott notes that his father held Walt Disney’s concept of “Imagineering” close to heart.
The Old Pro team constantly reimagines its operations to give visitors a new and improved experience every season. “We emphasize maintaining the putting surfaces as well as the lush landscaping. We usually add new features each season,” explains Scott. “Even though we maintain our courses as old-school amusements [to] keep the nostalgic charm of our decades’ worth of experience, we use current technologies to make the point of sales up-to-date.”
At Old Pro, the fun doesn’t stop with mini golf. Old Pro offers a host of family-friendly arcade games at both its 68th Street and 136th Street locations, perfect for rainy days or a mini-golf tiebreaker.
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oldprogolf.com
410-524-2645
Old Pro Golf
six locations!
