Two sun-seekers now run the Villette Park facility

Reto Wüthrich and Adrian Schmid started their first season at the Villette Park in Cham in March of this year. Weather permitting, they can be found at their place of work every day, although they will both try to escape the winter.

It's a busy day on a sunny Thursday, shortly after midday, in the snack bar at the mini-golf facility in Cham, and the next guests are already arriving for an afternoon coffee or a round of mini-golf. The clatter of crockery can be heard from the kitchen, and the final tidying up after the lunch rush is underway. Reto Wüthrich sits at one of the tables and takes a deep breath. "There was a lot of activity today at lunchtime," he says happily. Together with Adrian Schmid, he has been running the ‘Beizli’ (bar / mini-restaurant) from this season.

"We celebrated the opening on 13 March - in the snow," recalls Reto Wüthrich. Nevertheless, the start was a success. "We were able to gain a lot of experience in the first few weeks and months," he continues. The two see the first year as an "apprenticeship year", "Although I’m the one who’s more of an apprentice," he adds and smiles.

The two are not lacking in experience, however. Adrian Schmid will be known to many people in Cham. He was the leaseholder of the lido (Strandbad) in Cham for 16 years, and has run the campsite in Unterägeri and the natural swimming pool (Naturbad) in Maschwanden (ZH), among other things. "This is exactly his thing," says Reto Wüthrich. As a trained chef, he was able to assess what he was getting himself into with this new task. Even though he hadn’t worked in his original profession in the meantime.

They seek the warmth In winter
"We've known each other for a long time and, if things go well, we want to run the Beizli for a longer period," says Reto Wüthrich. The fact that this is a seasonal job – with the mini-golf course in operation from March to October - suits them well, as they both prefer the warm weather and are planning to escape from the dreary winter months.

"Adrian has been doing this for a long time. I will also go abroad for several months for the first time," says Reto Wüthrich. He is very happy about this opportunity. In any case, leasing the Beizli makes both of them very happy.

Reto Wüthrich (left) and Adrian Schmid are the new managers of the mini-golf facility at the Villette Park in Cham
The new tenants pose in front of the mini-golf pub            Photos: Matthias Jurt

For more than 20 years, the facility had been in the hands of Hanspeter Iten, before it was taken over three years ago by Severina Remund, who had also worked with Hanspeter Iten. "We saw that the lease was put out to tender," elaborates Reto Wüthrich. Even before that, the two men had considered doing business together. "Adrian no longer wanted to take over a facility on his own" So they didn't hesitate for long. They contacted the minigolf club that owns the facility and quickly got the nod.

If the weather cooperates, the two can now be found daily on the facility in Villette Park, which is open from 11 am to 8 pm from March to the end of May and from the beginning of September to October,  and from 9 am to 10 pm from July to August. The Beizli can also be rented for aperitifs, and will soon offer lunch menus that will change every week.

The 18-hole miniature golf course is embedded in the idyllic Villette Park. Wooden footbridges lead over small rivulets and ponds, while large trees provide shade. It can be reached in three minutes from Cham railway station in the direction of the lake - a small idyll on which Adrian Schmid and Reto Wüthrich are now gently making their mark.

Note
For more information on the mini-golf course in Cham, go to: www.minigolf-cham.ch.
If the weather is uncertain, you can contact the leaseholders on 041 780 02 59.