What do ice cream and miniature golf have in common?

Both can be found at Kerber's Dairy in North Huntingdon Township.

The new 18-hole course adjacent to the business along Guffey Road opened last Saturday. The Kerber family, along with members of the Norwin Chamber of Commerce, local officials and representatives of state legislators, took part in a ribbon-cutting Friday afternoon.

"I'm very well satisfied, extremely satisfied," owner Tom Kerber Sr. said, looking over the course designed by New Jersey-based Harris Miniature Golf Courses Inc. "The people come in here in the evening. It's jam packed. They're lined up to play. We haven't really promoted this yet and it's just unbelievable. It's interesting with all the water and stuff to take a look at it. It's very up-scale. You can see landscaping. There's 250-some trees and bushes in this little bit of property."

The course is built to Americans with Disabilities Act standards with half the course being handicap accessible. There also are picnic tables on the hill overlooking the course so people who do not wish to play can watch their family and friends participate.

Patrons can make their way down a handicap-accessible ramp, with green rails on each side, to what looks like a barn. There they are greeted with a smile by a staffer and can select clubs and multi-colored balls.

Township resident Ryan Hornick was playing Friday with his nephew Brayden Updike, 6, of Charlotte.

"It looks beautiful," Hornick said. "I think it'd be fun to come here, get some ice cream and play a couple rounds of mini golf."

"It's nice. It's brand new, got a lot of water on it," township resident Rob Dye said after playing a round with his 10-year-old son Joe. "It's a nice course."

"A lot of hills," Joe said. "I like Hole 17."

Schuchert's Landscaping of Irwin did the construction. Crews are still moving some dirt around with heavy machinery to make room for more vegetation.

Kerber Sr.'s wife Ellen said several local companies contributed to the course.

The idea for the project came from Kerber's son Tom Kerber Jr., and is a way to preserve the land in the wake of rising taxes and multiple offers to purchase it.

The son said the course turned out better than he hoped.

"My first plan was to put something in to tie in with our hayride season," Kerber Jr. said. "I just was going for a real small 9-hole gimmicky course with barrels of hay and straw, something like that. (Dad) said like he always says, 'If you're going to do something do it right. Do it first class.'

"We started looking at different types, bigger, better golf courses than what was first planned. The idea was there, but it was better to go with a much nicer course than what's first envisioned. This can be opened six months a year while the first thought was four or five weeks during hayride season."

Designing started between late February and early March. Township officials approved the project in May and construction began in June.

The course features plush greens, three fountains, a small bridge, some stone obstacles and lights for night golfing. What is not on the course are large windmills, fake animals and other extravagant barriers to increase hole difficulty.

"We wanted a peaceful evening," Kerber Jr. said about course play. "It's not like it's challenging."

The Kerbers opted to make the last hole, No. 18, the easiest on the course.

Kerber Jr. said that move was made so players would have the best chance to get a hole-in-one at the end and leave with a positive feeling.

He also noted the course can be modified for hayride season and other special events.

Kerber's Dairy parcel is approximately 64 acres. The original dairy store was built in 1965 to sell milk and other dairy products from the cows kept on the property, as well as groceries. This use is permitted in an R-2 zoning district as an agricultural farm. A new dairy store was built in 1985 and expanded in 1991.

The business has continued to evolve, and includes a small animal enclosure and playground to entertain children, and hayrides and pumpkin picking are offered in the fall.

Hours of operation for miniature golf are noon to 9:30 p.m. daily.

Costs vary. A round Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. is $6, after 5 p.m. and on weekends and holidays it is $7. Children ages 2 and younger play for free.

Children's birthday parties also can be booked there with golf and ice cream, costing $8.50 per child.

The course, along with the entire farm, is a non-smoking area.

More information is available online at www.kerbers.com .

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