A grand re-opening was held Sept. 23 to celebrate the renovated and upgraded PGN Tee Time Mini-Golf as ownership marks a new phase of the Hickory Hills business.
Matina Halikias, who is the granddaughter of the original owner Steven Gianakas, now serves as the project manager of the facility and is excited about the venture that includes a new 36-hole miniature golf course that is now referred to as the Zombie Country Club
The renovated course features waterfalls, some ghoulish figures along the way, rivers, mountains, and a moat. PGN Tee-Time, 8125 W. 95th St., is next door to the Hickory Hills Golf Course, which Steven Gianakas opened in 1971. PGN opened in 1991, and is named after his three children: Peter, George, and Antonia, who is also known as Nancy.
Gianakas introduced the mini-golf course to go along with an arcade that featured a variety of games, and a bar for adults. The Hickory Hills Country Club includes an 18-hole course and a 9-hole course.
Gianakas died in 2014 at the age of 79. His son George died the previous year at the age of 47.
The golf course and mini golf were a presence dating back from the early 1970s into the 2000s. But the property was in need of an upgrade, Halikias said. Her first idea was to renovate the old games area that featured circus-like images. That portion of the property is now a full-service bar with plenty of amenities.
“We started renovating the bar last November,” Halikias said. “We had to knock out a wall to make it bigger. We finished the bar in January. But after that we decided, let’s not stop there. We just started adding more.”
Mike Nix, who serves as the regional general manager of PGN Tee Time and the Hickory Hills Golf Course, has led the renovation that includes many technological advancements.
Nix and Halikias began sharing ideas that eventually led to a makeover for the mini-golf and bar.
“This was a really great place for many years, but times have changed,” said Nix, who also owns the Green Garden Country Club in Frankfort. “You need more than an arcade because kids today are used to looking at big screens. If we were going to continue, we had to upgrade. We had to look at the future.”
Nix said the renovation has developed into a destination for golf and sports entertainment. He added that in the full bar area there are four full simulators that feature 68 championship golf courses available for all ages. Participants can play interactive golf with an authentic appeal, Nix said.
“It’s just like being on the course and the putting is authentic,” Nix said. “When you make a long putt and look up at the screen, it is just like it is really on a green.”
The simulators also offer a variety of interactive sports games, including baseball, football, soccer, hockey, zombie dodgeball, carnival games, and other activities.
And just outside the full bar in back is a 24-bay Toptracer driving range.
The Toptracer driving range is an advanced ball-tracking technology used at golf driving ranges that turns standard practice into an interactive, data-driven experience.
A large group of people attended the re-opening that included a tour of the renovated building, along with food and refreshments. Hickory Hills Mayor Mike Howley, local community leaders, officials, relatives of the original owner, and members of the Hills Chamber of Commerce attended the event.
Taking part in the ribbon cutting were Matina Halikias, along with her mother, Antonia Nancy Gianakas Halikias, and her grandmother, Matina Gianakas.
“This is very emotional to me, and this project is not a replacement but a continuation,” said Antonia. “I think dad and George would have really liked what is happening.”
Nix said the renovation had been considered for several years. The Toptracer driving range was introduced about three years ago and has been a huge success, he said. This will provide interactive golf entertainment all year round despite the weather, he added.
The upgrades are just an extension of what Steven Gianakas introduced years ago, according to Nix and Matina Halikias. They both reiterated the heart of the success of the golf course, and PGN Tee Time is that it is a family-oriented business.
“This is really a labor of love,” Nix added.
