MOUNTAIN TOP, Pa. — Practice makes perfect when it comes to the putting green, and the Malacari family has certainly gotten their fair share of practice.
"I played it countless times already," said Joey Malacari. "I'm still not that great — competitive, but not that great. But definitely, a very cool thing to have."
Rounds of mini-golf used to be reserved for their trips to the New Jersey shore, but now the Malacaris have their own course right here at home in Mountain Top.
"Planning started about two years ago," said Frank Malacari. "The construction aspect of it probably took us around eight, nine weeks. The weather was not on our side."
You might recognize the Malacari name from some of their other business ventures, whether it's their grocery store, homemade wine, or several ice cream shop locations, one of which is now right next door to the new mini-golf course.
All of these operations have managed to not only survive but thrive through what's been a tough stretch for many family businesses.
"We just keep going out there every day, doing whatever we can to make it," Joey said. "After this, I'm going to go put out chicken and cabbage and all different kinds of stuff. We go from job to job and countless hours, but we make it happen."
The mini-golf course welcomed plenty of people over Memorial Day weekend — some seasoned pros, others who were picking up a putter for the first time ever.
"Opening day, it was great to see it packed here. There was people on every single hole. I'm really happy for the Malacari family that they were able to do this and provide something to the community that's family-friendly and good for all ages," said long-time employee Matt Yekel.
You can get out on the green daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. It's $9 a person.
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