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Source: http://twitter.com/vegazvegaz/statuses/236765024595636224
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Sunday, August 19, 2012
Passion for mini-golf leads to longtime family business
For nearly 35 years, miniature golf has been big business for Steve Hittle.
Hittle was a Wasson High School biology teacher in Colorado Springs during the late 1970s when he fulfilled a childhood dream by opening a miniature golf course. He loved playing miniature golf growing up in Sioux City, Iowa; as a kid, he used old tires, metal pipes, wooden boards and plywood to make a golf course on a lot next to his home.
Now 64, Hittle and his wife, four children and sister preside over a miniature golf empire of sorts ? Hitt?s Miniature Golf along Academy Boulevard and Adventure Miniature Golf & Batting Cages just west of Interstate 25. In March, they plan to open their newest complex ? Legends Miniature Golf & Batting Cages along busy Powers Boulevard.
Adventure has six batting cages and Legends will have eight, but it?s miniature golf that?s the backbone of the business. Legends, like the other two complexes, will have three 18-hole golf courses, with classic miniature golf obstacles such as spaceships, castles, water hazards and windmills.
?It?s something they can do at all ages,? Hittle said of miniature golf?s popularity. ?You can be just a little kid or all the way up into your 90s. And it?s a great family activity. Families can come here and there?s no distractions. They can just enjoy each other, they can recreate and play golf.?
The activity also attracts couples, religious groups, birthday parties and service clubs, while tourists enjoy miniature golf in the evening after visiting other attractions during the day, he said.
Even in an age of 3-D movies, laser tag and video games, Hittle said, he?s found that miniature golf holds its own against the newer and flashier rivals.
?Sometimes,? Hittle said, ?people just like a break from the high tech. This is just low tech. I mean, miniature golf is the same now as it was 100 years ago.?
As successful as the business has been, however, launching it was no gimme putt for Hittle.
He graduated from Iowa State University in 1970 with a bachelor?s degree in biology and physical education; he received a master?s degree in physiology from Colorado State University in 1971, and moved to Colorado Springs later that year. He got his first teaching job at East Junior High before he moved to Wasson.
When Hittle decided to pursue his dream of opening a miniature golf complex, he spent most of his life?s savings, mortgaged his home and took out a commercial loan to buy land; his parents, meanwhile, mortgaged their home to provide additional financial help.
It was a risk he sweated through, Hittle admitted, although he wasn?t married at the time and didn?t have a family to worry about.
In 1978, Hittle opened Hitt?s, southwest of Academy and Austin Bluffs Parkway. There were other miniature golf complexes at the time, one near Academy and Galley Road and another in Manitou Springs. Hitt?s had growing pains at first, but gained a following.
Hittle kept on teaching until 1985, operating Hitt?s while working.
?That was pretty much my life,? he said.
The business did well enough that Hittle expanded. He opened Putter?s Park, another 54-hole complex with batting cages, in 1986 near South Academy Boulevard and Bradley Road.
Putter?s Park did OK, but not as well as Hitt?s, he said. When Hittle had the chance to sell the land, he did. The site is now a veterinarian clinic.
After the real estate collapse of the late 1980s, Hittle followed the lead of a few local real estate developers: He took advantage of depressed land prices and bought property along I-25, southwest of Woodmen Road, where he opened Adventure in 1993.
With good access and visibility, the complex succeeded in attracting a loyal following. Hittle has had chances to sell the land to hotels, but he?s said no.
Along the way, his kids, who also grew up playing miniature golf, became involved in the business. Cary, 27, paints obstacles and makes welding repairs; Tara, 26, a teacher and head volleyball coach at Doherty High School, works as a manager and helps customers; Keith, 25, has done landscaping work; and, Nathan, a 16-year-old Palmer High School sophomore, has helped with trash and maintenance.
Hittle?s wife, Linda, has a financial background; when she?s not taking care of customers, she?s doing payroll, bookkeeping and other office work. Sandy, Hittle?s sister, is a retired school teacher who helps run the Adventure complex. By the time he opens Legends, Hittle will employ 30 to 35 part-time workers, many of whom are students.
Legends will open northwest of Powers and Dublin boulevards; Hittle had eyed the Powers corridor for several years, which is a short drive from tens of thousands of homes in Stetson Hills, Briargate, Nor?wood and other neighborhoods that sprang up over the last 20 years on the north and northeast sides.
Among other businesses, Dion?s, a New Mexico-based pizza chain, is coming to the intersection; apartments are envisioned across the street; and American Furniture Warehouse plans a new store just to the north that?s expected to be a draw for the area.
Legends will be similar to Hittle?s other complexes, where each golf course has a theme. At Adventure, for example, ?Around the World,? ?Old West? and ?Journey thru Time? challenge players with obstacles such as a castle, the Eiffel Tower, a western town, an E.T.-like alien ship and a dinosaur. Hittle conceives and builds the obstacles himself and designs the layout of the courses, although he buys buffaloes, hippos, elephants and other animals from old amusement parks around the country.
Legends also will have an 1,800-square-foot covered concession area, slightly larger than one at Adventure, where snack items will be sold.
But like the other complexes, Legends won?t have video or arcade games. The games are money makers, Hittle said, but he prefers to stick to golf and batting cages.
?A lot of families really appreciate that,? he said. ?They come out here and they know it?s just miniature golf. They don?t have to worry about their kids wanting to come and play more games, more this, more that.
?It?s a happy business,? he added. ?Sometimes you go to a store or something, people are grumpy because (prices) are too high. Most people come here to have a good time.?
Like Rachel McFerron and her 6-year-old daughter, Kirstyn, who were enjoying the Adventure complex recently on a sunny weekday morning.
?I like it because I don?t get to do the real golf,? Kirstyn said. ?This one?s for kids and adults. It?s a lot of fun.?
Added Rachel: ?It?s something to do outside with the kids.?
Or, parents sometimes go it alone. Scott and Theresa Frakes left their two young sons at home recently while they enjoyed the Adventure complex.
?At a movie, you just sit there,? Theresa said. But being outdoors, she joked as she competed for bragging rights with her husband, ?you can talk a bit, you can talk a little trash talk.?
The complexes are open roughly March through October, but will open during the winter if there?s a stretch of nice weather. The down time allows a chance for Hittle and his family to paint and make repairs.
The business hasn?t been problem free. Hitt?s was barely hanging on several years ago in the face of competition from other miniature golf courses, Hittle said.
He began wooing customers with a 25th anniversary special ? dropping prices to $1.75 for 18 holes, just a quarter more than when Hitt?s opened in 1978. The price cut worked, and Hittle now has made Hitt?s the discount complex, charging an even $2. Adults will pay $5 for 18 holes at Legends, the same price as Adventure.
As with Hitt?s and Adventure, Hittle?s family will have roles in overseeing Legends. Eventually, Hittle said he envisions Tara and Keith running Legends, while Cary takes over Hitt?s and Hittle and his wife operate Adventure.
Hittle plans to retire at some point, but probably not for another seven to 10 years ? he says he enjoys the business too much.
?You don?t have to be a great athlete to play it,? Hittle said of miniature golf. ?All you have to do is want to have some fun. And we all need that these days.?
?
Contact Rich Laden: 636-0228 Twitter @richladen
Facebook Rich Laden
Source: http://www.gazette.com/articles/golf-143332-miniature-hittle.html
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NAME THIS DISH: This is a popular dessert in India made by deep frying rings of...
NAME THIS DISH: This is a popular dessert in India made by deep frying rings of flour and coating it with sugar syrup. Do you know what it is called?
a) Jalebi
b) Muruku
c) Chakli
For the answer and other amazing India trips, click here:
http://www.cnngo.com/
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Saturday, August 18, 2012
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Motorist runs down cyclist on golf course
Police are looking for an elderly, white, gray-haired man who, in an apparent fit of road rage, chased a bicyclist onto a golf course in Santa Rosa and ran him down.
The bicyclist told Santa Rosa police he was cycling down Pythian Road at about 5 p.m. Wednesday when the driver began yelling at him and tried to hit him.
To get the angry motorist off his tail, the cyclist told police he raced onto the nearby Oakmont Golf Course. But the driver steered onto the course and continued chasing him, eventually hitting him before speeding away.
The cyclist had moderate injuries and was transported to a local hospital. He described the driver as an elderly man with gray hair, and the car as a gold or beige sedan similar to a Toyota Corolla.
The sedan may have a broken passenger side mirror, police said.
| Aug 17 at 3:08 pm
Old dude runs down bicyclist
Blogs
Police are looking for an elderly, white, gray-haired man who, in an apparent fit of road rage, chased a bicyclist onto a golf course in Santa Rosa and ran him down. The bicyclist told Santa Rosa police he was cycling down Pythian Road at about 5 p.m. Wednesday when the driver began yelling at him [...]
Read More '); // ]]>Source: http://blog.sfgate.com/crime/2012/08/17/old-dude-runs-down-bicyclist/
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Average Gamer 8.17.12: NCAA Football Edition
Average Gamer 8.17.12: NCAA Football Edition
Posted by Dan Watson?on 08.17.2012
Posted by Dan Watson?on 08.17.2012
Dan Watson takes a look at some of the best moments and features of the past twenty years in the NCAA Football history
Welcome back to the Average Gamer. It has been a crazy week and finally we are at the weekend.
I was out of town last weekend and have felt like for the past month I have been going and doing and not taking much time for myself. That changed a bit this week. I have been able to sit down and enjoy my evenings a bit as well as this upcoming weekend should be fairly relaxing.
In the gaming world, I have been playing Borderlands a ton. This game is pretty solid still and is still a great multiplayer experience. I am just working on the achievements now as I have gone through the story a total of five times now and it just isn't the same. I just have a few of the collectors' achievements as well as the arena achievements left. Feel free to join me, send invites to Dag821 on 360. I am also playing NCAA Football a bit more. The freezing has stopped so now I can play entire games and seasons without issues. This has led to some great gaming experiences.
Before we go any further with NCAA, let's go back to the unrelated video game top five chart. This week, top four movies I wish could be remade?
4. Goodfellas. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. The problem is it is so dated now, that I would love to at least see it get remastered and updated a bit.
3. Masters of the Universe. I loved He-Man growing up. This guy was awesome in my eyes. I had the toys, watched the cartoons, etc. The problem is the movie wasn't so good in my opinion. I'd love to see them re-make this movie and give skeletor a bigger role.
2. Mario Bros. This movie needs to be remade and made larger than life. I am sure you guys are going to destroy me in the comments section for this next comment but I have to say it. I would love to see a Mario Bros. movie done like the recent Batman series, dark but still true to the roots of the original character.
1. The Outsiders. This movie kickstarted a lot of careers or helped a bunch. The book was one of my favorites growing up and I still enjoy the movie. I would love to see this movie get redone and made even better than the previous.
NCAA Football
It is very hard to imagine that this series has been around for twenty years. Well part of the reason is technically it hasn't been twenty years. EA Sports created a game called Bill Walsh College Football back in 1992 and that started EA Sports on their adventure into more than just pro football. During the past twenty years we have seen a ton change though in this series. Even down to the last five and ten years this series has changed, some for the better, some for the worse. Let's take a look at the series and weigh some of the pros and cons.
Bill Walsh College Football started off very simple. There were just a few teams and they were supposed to be the best teams ever since 1978. This game was very basic with only sixty eight plays. Then the game Bill Wash College Football 95 came out. This game featured only 36 division 1-A teams and a windowless passing mode.
Finally, EA dropped the Bill Walsh name and went with College Football USA 96. This game was a bit closer to what we have today. It featured all of the division 1-A teams at the time, a total of 108 teams. Also, it included over 400 plays. The big deal here is that it also featured real bowl games.
Then in 98, a mere fourteen years ago, we were introduced to NCAA Football 98. This title has stuck and the game has evolved a ton. Normally, in my experience, this title features upgrades much quicker than Madden, the series' Pro football counterpart. This game featured the first multi-season dynasty.
Since then we have seen a lot come and go. For example, in 2000 we saw Division 1-AA teams, which made me happy as I could play as my college Eastern Illinois University. We have lost that feature recently. In 2005, the defense was given the ability to get the crowd energized. This still makes the game fun.
Just like Madden, the series features a variety of athletes on the cover. A bit different than Madden, the player has to have graduated or been drafted as college athletes are not allowed to receive benefits such as this while playing in the NCAA. So, some of the highlights of cover athletes include: Carson Palmer, Joey Harrington, Robert Griffin III, Desmond Howard, and everyone's favorite Chris Weinke.
So what are some of the benefits that have been added? Well, as I have already covered, having real teams, real bowl games, and real trophies are all benefits. The game also features real sponsorships such as the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Another great addition is Road to Glory. This has been a very rewarding experience that continues to grow. It started out by just playing from the first day of college, then evolved to a high school playoff where you were offered scholarships, and now it has become a full on season of high school ball, where you are being recruited. The dynasty mode has been a great addition as well. In this mode, it has evolved to a point where you are under contract and have goals to meet as well as the recruiting process is a task in its own. Overall the series has gotten much better than worse.
Some things that I miss include the create-a-play and team options. Also, the game is lacking the fun features it used to have like interacting with mascots. Overall, the game has gotten better but removing teams like the Division 1-AA teams was a mistake. I loved taking a lower team and bringing them to the top.
Well that is all I have guys. Have a great weekend and enjoyed pre-season football. Please feel free to email me or find me on Xbox live at Dag821.
Source: http://www.411mania.com/games/columns/251135
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Friday, August 17, 2012
7 US troops die in Afghan chopper crash
All seven Americans aboard the helicopter were killed, including two Navy SEALs. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
By Jim Miklaszewski and Atia Abawi, NBC News
Updated at 3:08 p.m. ET: Seven American troops were killed Thursday when the Black Hawk helicopter they were traveling in?crashed in southern Afghanistan, possibly shot down by enemy forces, U.S. officials told NBC News.
Three of the Americans were U.S. Navy sailors ? two?were Navy SEALS and one was an explosive ordnance disposal sailor.
Three Afghan soldiers and an Afghan interpreter were also killed, bringing the total number of dead to 11, officials said.
According to U.S. officials, the helicopter had just landed in a "hot zone" to insert a small number of combat forces to support an ongoing operation. It was apparently shot down shortly after it took off to depart the area.
The helicopter was totally destroyed on impact.
U.S. officials at the Pentagon and in Kabul tell NBC News that American forces engaged in a shootout with enemy forces on the ground who were trying to reach the crash site.??
The crash marked another deadly day for the U.S. in Afghanistan, less than a week after six American service members were gunned down, apparently by two members of the Afghan security forces they were training to take over the fight against the insurgency as international combat troops prepare to exit the country by the end of 2014.
As NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports, US military officials are investigating whether or not the Taliban was in fact involved in deadly Black Hawk helicopter crash that claimed the lives of seven US soldiers and four Afghan troops.
The recent spike in American deaths and attacks by Afghan allies have stirred fresh doubts about the prospects for the U.S. plan to leave a capable Afghan government in place when most troops depart after more than a decade of war.
Spokesman Brig. Gen Gunter Katz said the NATO coalition is investigating the cause of Thursday's crash in Shah Wali Kot, Kandahar.
Dozens killed in Afghan suicide bomber attacks
The Taliban claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter, saying they were able to bring down the aircraft during a raid by the "invaders."
While the Taliban often exaggerate their victories and are quick to claim any incident involving the death of foreign troops, it could be significant that they took responsibility for Thursday's crash hours before NATO announced it.
Ahmad Jamshid / AP
More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.
"Nobody survived this," Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi told The Associated Press by telephone.
Insurgent hotbed
The area where the helicopter went down is an insurgent hotbed and supply route, lying north of Kandahar city near Zabul and Uruzgan provinces.?The insurgents regularly attack police checkpoints around the rural villages of the district and plant bombs in the road to catch passing government vehicles.
Is the Taliban softening its stance on girls' education?
Thursday's crash is the deadliest since a Turkish helicopter crashed into a house near the Afghan capital, Kabul, on March 16, killing 12 Turkish soldiers on board and four Afghan civilians on the ground, officials said.
The Taliban shot down?a CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter in August 2011, killing all 38 people on board, including 25 U.S. special operations service members.
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a medium-lift helicopter that has served as the U.S. Army's workhorse since the 1980s.
?
Dozens have been killed following a rash of deadly suicide? bombings in Afghanistan.? NBC's Atia Abawi reports.?
The U.S.-led NATO force in Afghanistan has relied heavily on utility helicopters such as the Black Hawk to ferry troops, dignitaries and supplies around the mountainous terrain, thus avoiding the threat of ambushes and roadside bombs.
Afghan bomber kills senior Army leader, 2 majors
Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said this week that the Taliban had not let up on attacks during Ramadan and security forces had stepped up security ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival, which ends Islam's holiest month.?
A half-yearly report by the United Nations last week said 1,145 civilians have been killed between Jan. 1 and June 30 this year as well as 1,954 wounded, representing a 15 percent decline on last year due to a severe winter that hampered fighting.
The search is on for a man in an Afghan Army uniform who killed three US service members. NBC's Atia Abawi joins us live from Kabul with the latest.
Homemade bombs and suicide attacks remain the biggest killers of Afghan civilians and Afghan and foreign troops.?
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More world stories from NBC News:
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