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March 21, 2024

At Torza’s Golf in Cromwell, miniature golf is out, pickleball is in

HBJ PHOTO | DAVID KRECHEVSKY Torza's Golf in Cromwell is seeking approval to replace its miniature golf course and batting cages with pickleball courts.
By David Krechevsky

Torza’s Golf & Putt Putt wants to replace its “putt putt” with pickleball.

The facility at 150 Sebethe Drive in Cromwell, a staple in town for three decades, has featured a driving range, batting cages and a miniature golf course over that time.

Owner Jodi Lynn Torza Forali, though, has filed an application for a site plan modification seeking to remove the batting cages and mini golf and replace them with pickleball courts and more parking.

The application was on the agenda for the Cromwell Planning and Zoning Commission’s meeting Tuesday, but was not scheduled for a public hearing due to the commission’s request for additional information.

Forali, who bought the facility from her father three years ago, said the proposed changes are a sign of the times.

“The batting cages are very, very old and would have to be replaced, and I never made much money on them,” she said. “Same with the miniature golf. I never really made a lot of profit on that either.”

The interest in pickleball, however, continues to expand. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, pickleball in 2023 was the fastest-growing sport in the United States for a third year in a row. 

Forali said she already has created two courts on the property, but hopes to eventually have four. 

“Where the mini golf is, I’m planning to put in a court,” she said. She has already begun some preliminary work removing the miniature golf course.

Taking out the miniature golf course also will allow her to add parking. “It will probably give us about 20 more spaces,” she said.

That will be helpful, because Torza’s facility shares the parking lot with a restaurant that was recently purchased and renamed The Oliver Cromwell, or the OC. The restaurant is now open longer and plans to serve lunch as well as dinner, Forali said.

While the main feature of the facility is its 25 golf driving-range bays that offer shot tracking, including 19 bays that are covered and heated, the site also offers a grass hitting area for nonmembers, which Forali wants to expand.

“We get everybody who is not a member using those grass tiers,” Forali said. “It gets beat up real quick. The grass is hard to maintain. So I’m hoping if I add a bigger grass-tiered area it won’t get beat up quite as quickly.”

She added that she does not expect the changes to affect her current staffing level, which includes 20 part-time employees.

The proposal is expected to be back on the agenda for the Planning & Zoning Commission’s regular meeting next month.

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