WESTFIELD – After a soft opening at the beginning of July and a summer of extreme temperatures and rain, Mr. Whipy’s Golf Acres is finding its rhythm.

The 45-acre family recreational facility at 317 Union St. currently features a 275-yard driving range, miniature golf course, miniature “Indy-style” go-kart track and an ice cream hut with hard and soft ice cream and “razzle.” Hours are 9 a.m to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, with Go-Karts open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday to Sunday. They are closed Mondays.

“The driving range has been really busy,” said owner Anthony Witman of Witman Properties, who bought Golf Acres in April, and was recently walking the grounds with his 10-month old daughter Lily on his shoulders and property manager Paul Hentnick of Westfield.

Hentnick said the go-karts are a big draw with the older kids. Twelve newly purchased J&J Amusements F-22 go-karts arrived at the end of June to run on the track, which has been closed since 2018 but was still in pretty good shape, according to Witman.

Hentnick said you have to be 10-years-old and 54 inches tall to drive the go karts. There are some two-seater go-karts which a parent can drive with a 4-year-old, who must be 36 inches tall to meet the height requirement.

Also popular is the mini-golf course. Just before purchasing the property, Witman put out an alert for “Berry” the Bear, a 6-foot resin statue, and the 12-foot “Geoffrey” the Giraffe that had both gone missing from the course. A good samaritan found Geoffrey on a quad trail in Holyoke and returned him, but Berry is still missing.

Hentnick, who used to go to Golf Acres and play mini-golf and drive the go-karts as a kid, remembers the Bear from his youth, and said he was a fixture on the course. Although not replaceable, the course now features the newly painted and refreshed Giraffe, “Stormy” the Stallion, and new attractions, “Unida” the Unicorn, and “Puff” the Magic Dragon.

Not yet open is the batting cage, which Hentnick said was in the worst shape on the campus, but which they are working on fixing up and replacing the electrical features. He said they have had calls from people interested in using the batting cage.

Witman is also looking to add something for the younger kids, and is thinking about play structures and eventually farm animals, to make it more well-rounded for family fun. He also recently obtained permission from the Conservation Commission to install a one-mile walking trail around the pond behind the park for everyone to be able to enjoy its ecological beauty.

There is no entrance fee to go to the newly renamed Mr. Whipy’s Golf Acres. Driving range prices are from $5 to $10 depending on the size bucket of golf balls. Mini-golf is $7 for adults, $5 for kids ages 5 to 11 and senior citizens 65 and up. Children under 5 are free. The Go-Karts are $8 for drivers and $4 for a passenger.

Or you can just take a break from shopping on Route 20, stop by for an ice cream cone and look around,” Witman said.

Hentnick said they will probably go through October, depending on the weather. He envisions corn stalks, chrysanthemums and pumpkins decorating the snack hut, and maybe adding hot chocolate or warm cider.

Witman said over the winter they will continue to work on the walking trail and adding more features, such as a birthday party area. He said the driving range will be the first to open early next spring, when they will also plan for a formal grand opening.