My hometown of Muncie features a variety of great old signs. One of my favorites is a mile south of town on US-35. It marks the site of the old Ayco Golf & Recreation Center.
Ayco got its start as the Nayco Par-3 Golf Course in 1962. Designed for players who wanted to work on their short game, the facility was the first of its kind in the area1. Muncie businessman William Nay founded the course, and operated it alongside his Nayco Distributors warehouse until he died in 19702.
The golf course deteriorated after Nay passed, but Daniel McEvoy stepped up to run the business until a massive fire wiped it out in 19813. Still, under McEvoys, Ayco Golf & Recreation Center opened in October 19854. In addition to the 9-hole golf course, it featured 18 holes of mini golf, horseshoe pits, a croquet field, a shuffleboard deck, a sand volleyball course, and other entertainment5.
The golf course was purchased by its current owner around 2013. The facility was soon renamed Trailside Golf and Foot Golf shortly after6. I didn’t know foot golf was a thing! What have I been missing out on?
Sources Cited
1 Par Three Golf Course to Open (1962, June 29). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 17.
2 Cleland, T. (1985, August 14). Hooks ’N’ Slices. The Muncie Evening Press. p. 11.
3 Jackson, W. (1981, July 8). Blaze Destroys Area Warehouse. The Muncie Star. p. 1.
4 AYCO Golf & Recreation Center Grand Opening (1985, October 11). The Muncie Star. p. 19.
5 (See footnote 4).
6 Shuey, M. (2015, June 21). FootGolf. The Muncie Star Press. Pp. B1-B2.
