damo
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http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/fe...iature-golf-courses-to-mix-humor-horrors.html
Construction continues on the miniature-golf courses at Universal CityWalk, but we have new details on Universal Orlandos Hollywood Drive-In Golf, which is scheduled to open in early 2012 with 36 B-movie themed holes.
The attraction is strategically placed right after the moving sidewalks from the Universal parking garage. Guests will be able to look down onto both courses. The one seen on the right-hand (or cineplex) side will be called Invaders from the Planet Putt and represent science-fiction flicks. On the left-hand (or Bubba Gump restaurant) side will be Haunting of Ghostly Greens with a horror-movie theme. Each will be built around a 40-foot icon: a robot for Planet Putt and a haunted house for the Ghostly Greens.
Theres kind of an overall goofy, midcentury-modern architectural style to it but very playful, says Dale Mason, part of the Universal Creative team behind the courses. Theres a lot of humor in the courses.
Dont look for Frankenstein or other classic Universal properties on these links.
Weve created two new characters on the courses that are sort of our mascots, Mason says. On the sci-fi side, we have a character called Putt, whose head is shaped like a golfball, and he has a single eye, he says. Hes the invader whos coming to take us back to his planet. There will be a ghost character (also with a ball-shaped head) named Whiff on the haunted side, he says.
Story lines have been integrated into the courses. On the Planet Putt side, golfers will see crop circles, Area 51, an alien invasion and a hole that leads into a spaceship.
You exit the spaceship on the alien planet. So the last three or four holes of the sci-fi side are all played on the alien planet, Mason says. You realize youre there for lunch Unfortunately, youre the lunch.
The entrance to both courses will be on the plaza level near the (actual CityWalk) movie theaters. Planet Putt will quickly veer beneath the moving sidewalks and be located primarily on the Bubba Gump side. Ghostly Greens will go along the theater side, heading toward the valet parking but also curve under the sidewalks (We have some dark and spooky areas down there, Mason says.)
Other notes about Hollywood Drive-In Golf at Universal Orlando:
+ Pricing for mini-golf rounds has not been set, says Ric Florell, general manager of resort revenue operations for Universal Orlando. Dont be surprised if there are combo deals akin to the ones Universal runs for dinners and movies.
+ Florell says the hope is that patrons will linger longer at Universal Orlando. Were always looking for new things that will add to the multiple choices that we have at CityWalk. he says. Were focusing on doing things that encompass the entire day and into the evening.
+ Beer and adult beverages will be available for those of legal age, Florell confirms.
+ The official signage which will feature a golf club, a ball and a movie marquee will be even taller than the courses marauding robot and haunted house icons, Mason says. It fits in really nice with all the vertical signage weve got going on in CityWalk, he says.
+ But what about traffic tooling along on Universal Boulevard with golf balls flying nearby? Fear not, Mason says. The course has been designed so that the greens run parallel to the road, so thats not really an issue, he says. On top of that were berming it, landscaping and then hiding a fence inside that landscaping.
Construction continues on the miniature-golf courses at Universal CityWalk, but we have new details on Universal Orlandos Hollywood Drive-In Golf, which is scheduled to open in early 2012 with 36 B-movie themed holes.
The attraction is strategically placed right after the moving sidewalks from the Universal parking garage. Guests will be able to look down onto both courses. The one seen on the right-hand (or cineplex) side will be called Invaders from the Planet Putt and represent science-fiction flicks. On the left-hand (or Bubba Gump restaurant) side will be Haunting of Ghostly Greens with a horror-movie theme. Each will be built around a 40-foot icon: a robot for Planet Putt and a haunted house for the Ghostly Greens.
Theres kind of an overall goofy, midcentury-modern architectural style to it but very playful, says Dale Mason, part of the Universal Creative team behind the courses. Theres a lot of humor in the courses.
Dont look for Frankenstein or other classic Universal properties on these links.
Weve created two new characters on the courses that are sort of our mascots, Mason says. On the sci-fi side, we have a character called Putt, whose head is shaped like a golfball, and he has a single eye, he says. Hes the invader whos coming to take us back to his planet. There will be a ghost character (also with a ball-shaped head) named Whiff on the haunted side, he says.
Story lines have been integrated into the courses. On the Planet Putt side, golfers will see crop circles, Area 51, an alien invasion and a hole that leads into a spaceship.
You exit the spaceship on the alien planet. So the last three or four holes of the sci-fi side are all played on the alien planet, Mason says. You realize youre there for lunch Unfortunately, youre the lunch.
The entrance to both courses will be on the plaza level near the (actual CityWalk) movie theaters. Planet Putt will quickly veer beneath the moving sidewalks and be located primarily on the Bubba Gump side. Ghostly Greens will go along the theater side, heading toward the valet parking but also curve under the sidewalks (We have some dark and spooky areas down there, Mason says.)
Other notes about Hollywood Drive-In Golf at Universal Orlando:
+ Pricing for mini-golf rounds has not been set, says Ric Florell, general manager of resort revenue operations for Universal Orlando. Dont be surprised if there are combo deals akin to the ones Universal runs for dinners and movies.
+ Florell says the hope is that patrons will linger longer at Universal Orlando. Were always looking for new things that will add to the multiple choices that we have at CityWalk. he says. Were focusing on doing things that encompass the entire day and into the evening.
+ Beer and adult beverages will be available for those of legal age, Florell confirms.
+ The official signage which will feature a golf club, a ball and a movie marquee will be even taller than the courses marauding robot and haunted house icons, Mason says. It fits in really nice with all the vertical signage weve got going on in CityWalk, he says.
+ But what about traffic tooling along on Universal Boulevard with golf balls flying nearby? Fear not, Mason says. The course has been designed so that the greens run parallel to the road, so thats not really an issue, he says. On top of that were berming it, landscaping and then hiding a fence inside that landscaping.
and this woud be right up his alley. But I'm guessing its too much to hope for when they say "early 2012" that it would be open for our trip December 31st to January 7th. Fingers crossed that we might just get lucky and squeeze in a round later that week!
