No. 6 hole proves challenging thanks to artifacts

Golfers putted around pieces of history at the No. 6 hole inside the Convention and Visitors Bureau during Sunday's Downtown Golf Tournament.

The hole was created by Tim Roth, set designer for the River City Players and husband of Betty Roth, who is an administrative assistant at the CVB.

The 8-par hole was a bit challenging for golfers as they putted around orange stools from the old Wimpy's restaurant at Kingshighway and Cape Rock Drive. Cement lion heads from the old telephone company on Broadway and part of an iron gate that once surrounded the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse in Jackson served as roadblocks for golfers.

Roth, who designed the hole on Saturday, has been collecting souvenirs from old buildings since he was a teenager.

"I always tried to get a piece of something when buildings were torn down. I don't know why I keep that stuff around," he said.

The Cape Girardeau resident used part of his collection of bricks from 30 different buildings as a guard rail for the hole. Other items on the hole included a chunk of concrete from the Marquette Hotel and part of the Old Appleton Mill that was destroyed by flooding.

"I don't know what the fascination is with this stuff," Roth said.

A majority of Roth's old souvenirs are scattered throughout his house and serve as decorations in his mother's flower bed.

"You just never know when you're going to need this stuff," he said. "I guess it served its purpose this weekend."

The hole proved to be somewhat difficult for Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones, who forgot to keep track of his strokes. However, Jones laughed it off and said he thoroughly enjoyed the tournament.