Polynesian Putter Mini-Golf
St. Pete Beach, Florida
Polynesian Putter is an old style 18-hole miniature golf course along the Gulf-facing strip of beach west of St. Petersburg. There are various jungle and tropical hazards. The most distinctive features are a large Easter Island-style moai and a coiled snake near the highway.
We might've roared by this in prior decades of Florida attraction glut, heading north to Indian Rocks Beach for a complete faux-Polynesian experience at Tiki Gardens theme park. But that treasure is long gone, so we pay our respects to the dogged preservation of Tiki culture at Polynesian Putter.
Mrs. Renate Ostrovski was running the cash register at the mini-golf when we stopped in. She and her late husband bought the business (and adjacent Sea Palms motel) in 1972; she estimates the mini-golf was built in 1966. The original owner returned once at their request to repair the giant snake statue, which had been damaged by hooligans.