Margo Richards (left), vice president of Community Resources for the Lower Colorado River Authority, and Clara Tuma, public information officer for the LCRA, laugh at Richards’s first shot on hole No. 1 at the new Lake Buchanan Mini Golf course at Black Rock Park. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The 25-acre lakeside Black Rock Park added another attraction: a nine-hole miniature golf course. Lake Buchanan Mini Golf opened this spring to the delight of parkgoers, who already appreciate the location for its camping, fishing, kayaking, swimming, and beach volleyball opportunities.
Cost for all ages is $8 for one round and $14 for two. In addition, adults pay a park entrance fee of $5, while adults with disabilities and those 65 and older pay $2. Children 12 and younger get in free to the park.
The idea for the miniature golf course sprang from a survey, said Margo Richards, vice president of Community Resources for the Lower Colorado River Authority, which operates Black Rock Park. People said they wanted another activity at the park that could be completed in less than an hour. Miniature golf fit the bill. Each hole on the tree-shaded course has unique challenges. There are three marquee holes to honor the natural resources in the Highland Lakes: No. 6, in the shape of a bass fish; No. 7, a concrete replica of Buchanan Dam; and No. 8, a lighthouse.
“When we build a course,” Richards said, “we want to bring in the local flavor.”
From the course, golfers can see swimmers, kayakers, and others enjoying their time in or near Lake Buchanan, which provides a beautiful backdrop for the game.
The course adds to that enjoyment — and brings out the competitive side of some.
On the eighth hole, Richards facetiously dropped to one knee to measure the distance from tee to hole, looking for a slope or a curve to hit a narrow shot between two bricks for a hole-in-one. (She didn’t make it.)
She and Clara Tuma, LCRA’s public information officer, teased a fellow golfer for parring another hole after the woman said she was awful at mini-golf.
The trio shared plenty of laughs, jokingly accused each other of fibbing about their golf handicaps, and simply enjoyed the spring weather.
Visit Lake Buchanan Mini Golf for a round anytime from sunrise to sunset. Black Rock Park is located at 3400 Texas 261 in Buchanan Dam.
jfierro@thepicayune.com
