Black space encircles Meagan Wood as she stares into the glowing eyes of a florescent blue shark that appears to be lit from within. The shark's pearly whites taunt her and her florescent pink golf ball as she tries to focus on the path to the shark's mouth.
"Playing this course could be really fun," said Wood, 19, from Oceanside Calif., majoring in microbiology, when she toured the new, local-mini golf course.
Shankz Black Light Mini Golf teams up with Laser Assault at 254 N. 100 West, Provo, to introduce Utah County's first black light miniature golf course.
According to Mini-Golf Inc., black light courses are the most recent trend in the miniature golf industry. Mark Nugen took over Laser Assault in November and created the nine-hole golf course that was completed in January.
"The previous owner suggested the idea," Nugen said. "Once I made it happen, I said 'wow, this is really cool.' I have never seen anything like it."
He hired the number one black-light artist in the country, he said. The artist and his fiancé came from Edmonton, Canada, to paint prehistoric, jungle and ocean images on the black-canvas walls for the course. The couple free-handed images and creatures they saw in various magazines, CD covers and sticker books. They used ultra-violet paint to create 3D-appearing creatures and used ultra-violet lights to see in the dark room.
"It took seven days to paint all of it," he said.
Nugen and his partner helped build the course by hauling the walls, materials and props into the room, he said. Students from Walden Academy helped arrange the course by bringing more than 500 fluorescent-speckled bricks and laying them to outline the greens.
Wood visited the course and said she was impressed with the atmosphere and artistic design.
"I think once people find out about it, others will like it," she said. "I really like the idea of black light golf."
Admission on weekends is $7 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under, and weekdays are $6 for adults and $4 for children. For more information call 374-3400.
Copyright Brigham Young University 12 Mar 2007
