At Home on the Range, Paul Changes His Course

Golf Facility Owner Wants to Sell to Chase Dream

For a $200 entry fee and the investment of a few hours writing a 200-word essay, anyone can have a one in 7,500 chance to own the facility less than two miles from Rosecroft Raceway.

Current owner Mike Paul wants out. It's not that he doesn't enjoy owning the GolfZilla Driving Range, a 16-acre facility he bought and re-named five years ago, or the people who frequent his seemingly thriving business. He's a 46-year-old dreamer and former Washington lawyer who also happens to own a scratch golf handicap. He believes that over the next three years, he can raise his own game to a level that would allow him to make a run at playing the senior Champions Tour when he turns 50.

Owning and operating a driving range that's open seven days a week, usually from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., doesn't really allow him the time he needs to practice. He's the only full-time employee and can barely eke out 90 minutes a day in brief spurts to hit balls -- many of them over the back netting 230 yards away -- off his own faux grass mats. He's done it all at GolfZilla, from repairing golf clubs to mowing the grass to getting on the tractor for tedious ball picking work. He's got six part-time employees, including three PGA instructors for lessons, and sells new and used clubs from a well-stocked, if modest, shop.

"I'm making a decent living off of it," Paul said the other day, sitting at a picnic table near his classic miniature golf course, complete with a windmill hole and a clown-face finish (a hole-in-one in the clown's nose earns a free game). "Honestly, I absolutely love it. But I also love to play golf. I can't run this place, spend time with my wife and my son, and play and practice the amount of time I'd need to get really good. Something's got to give."

Paul's contest started on April 1 and will run until June 30, with the possibility of extending it 90 days if there is enough initial response. If not, he'll also refund the entry money, minus a $5 handling fee. The essay must begin with, "I would like to own and operate GolfZilla Driving Range because . . . . ," with rules and regulations available on his Web site, www.GolfZilla.com. Three of his close friends, including his next door neighbor in Upper Marlboro, have agreed to serve as the essay contest judges.

So far, he's had about 230 entries, a long way to go to make his ultimate goal of 7,500. Most of the essays submitted include variations on three themes -- it would be a dream come true; I hate my job, I hate where I live. The math is easy. At $200 per entry and a minimum of 7,500 contestants, there's potential to make $1.5 million on the sale. If he gets close to 7,500 essays, he said he would still consider going ahead and picking a winner. If not, he'll sell the place the old-fashioned way, through a real estate broker or maybe even a classified ad.

Everyone who knows him says Paul can definitely play golf, though he gave up the game for almost 15 years despite playing to a 4-handicap as a junior on the golf team at Mission Bay High School in San Diego.

"I had two pros in San Diego who said they wanted to work with me," Paul said. "But my parents were splitting up, and it was a tough time. I just stopped playing."

Now he's a member at Marlton Golf Club in the same Prince George's County community where he lives and was the 2002 club champion on the narrow, 6,200-yard course that plays to a par 71. His best round there, or anywhere has been a 69, though he said he knows that with a little work on his game, he'll be able to go much lower. But now, he can only play about 25 times a year, with most of his swinging being done at home on the range, or the putting strip down in his basement.

Bryan Huus, Marlton's general manager and a PGA of America golf professional, confirmed Paul's handicap ranges from scratch to the 2 now listed in the club's computer "and he probably hasn't even played out here for two months.

"He's a very good player," Huus said. "Playing senior golf is another story. Not everyone can do it. A lot of people bust their rear ends to get to a low handicap and they can generally do it on pure athletic ability. He doesn't play here much, but the fact he still carries a two, I would think he's got a shot at it if he really works on his game. He's got a little length off the tee. I certainly wouldn't put it past him, to be honest."

The range has been in its current location since 1961, and the original owners took great care on the miniature golf course, using Italian stone masons to create the sideboards and build a lovely fountain. The facility is located in an intriguing area, with low income Section A housing up on a bluff to the left out the parking lot, and upscale $300,000 homes a few blocks to the right. The previous owner was plagued by break-ins; Paul has installed a security system and has a man living full time in a two-bedroom apartment above his storage area less than 50 yards from the main building. Over his five-year tenure, he's only had one robbery, when a thief got away with a drill, but nothing else.

Paul estimated that about 85 percent of his clientele is African American, and he counts among his regulars Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. and former D.C. chief of police Isaac Fullwood. Paul sells a full line of new and used clubs in the 1,500 square-foot main building and spends his idle hours repairing clubs in his own small shop. He estimated an average of 20,000 golf balls a day are launched, and the tees are jammed on most nights and weekends from spring to late fall.

"I like coming here," said frequent customer Maurice Wright, who owns his own trucking business and used to slip over to hit balls during his lunch breaks when he worked selling cars at a nearby dealership. "Mike has always been one of those entrepreneurs, and a really good guy. I know he's an avid golfer. I've never played with him, but I've seen him hit on the range. People I know who have played with him just come back here shaking their heads. He loves the sport, and if this is what he wants to do, more power to him."

This is exactly what Paul wants to do. He said his wife of five years, Teresa, is fully supportive of his quest to play golf professionally, if only because she believes it will allow them more time to be together with their 13-month-old son Justin.

"I guess you could say I'm not your normal guy," Paul said. "I've always done things a little strange, gone my own way and done pretty well. I just thought this would be a nice way to give someone else an opportunity.

"I think it's realistic to think about playing professionally; I really do. I've never put the time in to figure out how good I can be. I'm healthy. I'm long off the tee, and I have a pretty good short game. The pros spend eight hours a day on all aspects of their game. One way or the other, I'm going to do this. I'm committed to giving it a shot. I've got to try. I think I'm good enough. And there's only one way to find out."