New sport entertainment facility coming to town

JAKARTA (JP): Jakartans desperately in search of a family recreation place are about to receive a new sports entertainment arena at Carita Beach, West Java, about 160 kilometers west of Jakarta.

Putt-Putt Golf and Games, one of the largest entertainment franchises in the United States, signed an agreement yesterday with Lippo Carita Resort to build the facility.

The franchise rights for Indonesia has been acquired by the Ponderosa group, which also owns the franchise rights for Ponderosa, Pizza Hut and Red Lobster.

The new site will have an 18-hole miniature golf course, which will be expanded to 72 holes in the future. Unlike other golf courses with driving ranges, Putt-Putt Golf and Games will only provide putting greens.

It will also have a bumper boat arena, a go-kart race circuit, a video games arena and a toy area for kids.

Putt-Putt Golf and Games is being built initially with a total investment of US$200,000, though it plans to increase its investment to US$1.5 million and expand from 3,000 square meters to 1.5 hectares.

"Ponderosa also talked to 58 mayors from Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and South Sulawesi to build the same recreation sites in those cities," Ronald Mullers, General Manager of the Ponderosa Group, told reporters.

Jakarta will have similar sites at Senayan Square and Dukuh Golf Kemayoran. The Ponderosa Group also plans to build one in Puncak, West Java.

In three years, Putt-Putt Golf and Games plans to open 20 outlets in Java island.

"But we plan to open 100 outlets here in the near future," Mullers said.

General Manager of Putt-Putt Asia Chad Greer, world champion in the Putt-Putt golf championships in 1992, said that the Asian branch will concentrate first on developing its sites in Jakarta.

Putt-Putt Golf and Games has set up a temporary site at the Jakarta Fair, which is being sponsored by Coca Cola and is free to the public.

"People will only have to pay every time they play the games," Mullers said.

"It's a very cheap entertainment site for families. It is not only for children but also for adults," he added. (yan)