Tupper’s newest tourism venue rising on The Boulevard

by Dan McClelland

It’s the talk of the town these days. The construction of Julie and Jed Dukett’s new Timberjaxx Pass miniature golf and ice cream business is all the buzz here.

From the long empty site of the Hyde gas station and convenience store has been shaped by sand, concrete and dozens and dozens of large boulders the foundation of Tupper’s newest tourist attraction.

The most striking feature so far is an eight boulder high water fall, where water will cascade down on new concrete ponds.

The local couple and their company Dukett LLC were awarded one of the grants in the village’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative earlier this year. They are building an 18-hole miniature golf course and ice cream store on one of the most highly traveled corridors in town. The state funding was for about two-fifths of the half a million dollar anticipated cost of the project.

They say location is key to business success, and there’s is prime.

At the center of the operation working daily alongside Jed and guiding the project is miniature golf course builder Bob Horwath, who has fashioned courses all over America, in Belize, England, Mexico, Canada and in South Korea.

Bob, whose business is now based in the Binghamton, N.Y. area, said he worked for the largest miniature golf course company in the world for over 25 years before starting his own business.

“Building amazing golf courses at amazing prices,” is Bob’s motto.

A number of concrete lined ponds, which will punctuate and be part of some of the new fairways, have been built in recent weeks.

A pump house to be built on site will drive the water through the pond system intertwined in the fairways.

Many of the details of the course are kind of getting worked out as the construction progresses under Bob’s guidance, Jed admitted last week.

Like most miniature golf courses, the paths that the balls will follow will weave through an assortment of tiny buildings and landscape features.

Mr. Horwath has been building tiny golf courses for 40 years, and no two are the same.

“He just finished a course in Indiana, before coming here earlier this summer,” according to Mr. Dukett.

Poles have been erected around several of the new fairways for various structural purposes. Many will carry ropes, giving the place something of a nautical look, and keep people from falling in the shallow ponds.

Errant balls that run off into the water will be able to be easily retrieved by the golfers as all balls float. A scooping device will easily lift them out of the water.

The dozens of boulders have come from a number of local excavating contractors, including Kentile Excavating and Lemieux Contracting. “They both have stockpiles of them and were just waiting for a guy like me to show up,” Jed joked.

Jed said he found Bob on the internet and they have been communicating about his and Julie’s plan for over six years.

“I love working with the smaller guys like Jed,” Mr. Horwath said a week or so ago.

He said he likes to come up with a finished showpiece that reflects both his vision and the owners’.

Working with the pair also has been Jed’s uncle from Saranac Lake, Raymond “Gus” Dukett.

Bob, whose a hands-on builder, estimated it takes him about six months to build a new venue- from start to finish.

“I set the forms and Jed and I pour concrete together,” he said of the contractor-owner method of building that he most prefers.

A number of Jed’s friends have helped with various stages of construction so far. Jed and Julie rented two small tractors- a small Kubota and a Skidsteer from Sturdy Supply to move the sand and boulders and other heavy materials around the site at 86 Demars Blvd.

“Chip Lemieux has helped us out. Tim Larkin helped us out, Wally Kennedy has helped, Josh Gravlin and his Tri-lakes Masonry- and others helped us.” He noted much of the fill came from Mitchell’s Stone Products. All materials were purchased locally from Fortune’s Hardware, Tupper Lake Supply and Aubuchon Hardware, etc. he told the Free Press.

“The location here couldn’t be better,” said the very knowledgeable golf course builder, Bob.

Bob and Jed planned to continue building the new course through the fall. Over the winter Jed will return to the renovations he and Julie have planned in the brick building that was once a convenience store.

The only major piece of the golfing landscape that will be done in the spring is laying the artificial turf carpet that will cover the tees, greens and fairways.

“Because the carpet is so expensive, the Duketts figured that because play won’t begin this fall, there’s no point of exposing that astro turf material to the elements this winter.

Bob Horwath figures blanketing everything in the carpet will involve about 900 square yards of material.

He also noted that boulders will be accepted right up to opening day. “I can never have enough boulders,” he said with a knowing grin.

The parking lot which lines the creek on the western edge of the parcel will be eventually lined with boulders, for example.

Mr. Horwath said that judging by the experience of other communities where he has built miniature golf course the Timberjaxx Pass will give tourists more reasons to stay here longer and more things to do in the evenings after the beaches close. “You are going to see a lot of people- and particularly families- hanging out here, playing golf and eating their food.”

Jed said they plan to operate the new recreational place from May to October in coming years, and then he and his wife can figure out what they could do there in the winter.