Ephraim, Wis. (June 28, 2020) – Red Putter Mini Golf on Hwy 42 in North Ephraim has announced that it will hold its first-ever ‘Non-Tournament’ Mini Golf Tournament on August 1-8, 2020.
The original owner of the Red Putter, Bob Yttri, was a consistent promoter of “Safety First!” in everything. The new owners of the well-known mini golf destination, Tracy and Chris Opper, said that phrase echoed in their minds when they were forced to make the tough decision whether to cancel their original plans for the 2020 Red Putter Pro Tournament. Planned for August 1, the usual tournament would have entailed too much close contact among participants and spectators, said Opper.
“It was a hard decision,” Chris Opper said. “Bob Yttri was my wife’s father, my father-in-law, and an all-around great guy who began the Pro Tournament back in 2002. We’ve been carrying on the various Putter traditions since Bob died in 2017, and we wanted to hold the Tournament again this year, but we didn’t want to put people in even the slightest danger of contracting COVID-19.
“So we went over every possible scenario,” said Opper, “and we just couldn’t see a way to safely run the regular one day Tournament in the usual manner this year. But then we came up with the idea for a Non-Tournament.”
So, in lieu of the Pro Tournament, said Opper, The Red Putter will instead hold a week-long Non-Tournament. Golfers who sign up will play three rounds of mini golf in a row anytime between August 1 and August 8. The best three-round score at the end of the week earns bragging rights forever.
“The Non-Tournament,” said Opper, “will have no cash prizes, no trophies, and no donuts. There will be no shotgun start, no jacket and no chicken dinner…well, maybe just one chicken dinner. The winner will receive a chicken dinner or other meal of their choice, redeemable with a Mink River Basin gift card,” he concluded.
The 2021 Red Putter Pro Tournament is planned for Saturday, August 7, 2021. Players who have qualified for the Pro Board will retain their status and then be eligible to play in the 2021 Pro Tournament.