Stacey Eulberg takes a swing at the ball, to the accompaniment of her teammates encouraging shouts of, “You can do it, Stacey,” and with a solid “thwack,” the club connects. The ball lands firmly on the green and everyone cheers.
This is not the Charles Schwab Cup; it’s a Nelson Staffing team-building exercise at Maxwell Fun Center’s miniature golf course. The company’s accounting department uses the center for periodic events designed to be morale boosters. “We have about 25 people and we split them up into groups. Each team starts at the same time at different holes,” said Eulberg. “We pair up people that don’t ordinarily work together, and this is a great way to have fun and get to know each other.”
Maxwell Fun Center is located in the Maxwell Village Shopping Center. Established in 1989, it has welcomed thousands of families and visitors since that time. The 18-hole course starts at a mini-replica of the historic Mission Barracks and flows through a giant wine barrel to a shot that propels your ball through the doors of “City Hall” and out the other side. The sheltered course stretches all the way around the building and behind the Lucky’s supermarket.
Manager Karen Lindsay-Blazevich has a degree in commercial recreation and specialized in event planning for non-profit associations. “I used to drive up I-5 past a dilapidated miniature golf course and think how great it would be to spruce it up and make it a fun place again,” said Blazevich. Years later, having moved to Sonoma, she happened upon the Maxwell Fun Center and it fanned the flame of her earlier dream of running a mini golf course. The timing was right and she was hired as the manager of the golf course and the indoor arcade.
Blazevich instituted seasonal themes and events like Father’s Day specials and other custom group activities. The turf has been completely re-done and outdoor seating areas updated. Upbeat, crowd-pleasing tunes waft out over the course, adding a bit of a retro feel; indoors, the arcade room is a cheerful and sparkling clean area. There’s a snack bar with hot dogs, cold drinks, chips and popcorn. The air is filled with the clang, screech and bong of video and arcade machines, the players intent on mastering their favorite game or winning the redemption prizes.
“Families come here and have a great time together,” said Blazevich. “But when you get a group of adults, like a family reunion, or a team building exercise, you really see the kid come out in them. It takes them back to when they were younger and really frees them to enjoy the experience again as an adult.” Maxwell Fun Center has played host to a variety of groups, including corporations like Hewlett-Packard, local wineries, church and youth organizations, school gatherings, family reunions and birthday parties.
Maxwell has flexible hours for events, and can accommodate day or evening schedules, depending on the time of year – and the center is open year-round. The facility is available to groups of up to 100 for tournaments, and larger groups for parties. The course can be rented separately or with the arcade section, and the staff will set up the tournament play, help people keep score and can arrange catering and cleanup.
For Stacey Eulberg, Maxwell Fun Center has added an extra dimension to the Nelson team-building experience. “These kinds of non-traditional activities have allowed us to establish a more spontaneous level of interaction and to accomplish our goals of creating better communication within our department – and we all have a blast doing it!”
Maxwell Fun Center is open daily at 19171 Hwy. 12 in the Maxwell Village Shopping Center, Sonoma. Hours vary with the season, please call for times. 707.996.2616
Admission $5.75 ($3 juniors, $4 senior). Group rates available.
