Golf N’ Stuff from The Karate Kid was also on CHiPs

Aug 01, 2018

The Karate Kid was released in 1984 and it shined a light on the Golf N’ Stuff Family Fun Center in Norwalk, CA. It is where Alli and Daniel have their first date and figures so heavily into the Karate Kid mythos that it is revised as a date location for Cobra Kai.

Three years before the Karate Kid would shoot at Golf N’ Stuff, the TV show CHiPs shot the episode, “The Killer Indy” there. In that episode a biker gang/club is racing on the streets and causes an accident. Coincidently, new CHP officer Steve McLeish thinks that the gang is trying to do street version of an endurance motorcycle race called, “Indy.” Which Steve’s brother, Toro, and he were considered to be the best at it. The leader of the gang wants Toro to come out of retirement and show that he doesn’t have the “stuff” anymore to race.

While this is going on, Grossman is trying to figure out where to take his two young nieces when they come to visit. This is where Golf N’ Stuff plays into the episode. He and Jon meet there at the start of the episode and we get a nice 15 second video tour of the place. Jon seems unimpressed, especially with the water slide. That is, until a way too young woman gets water on him and they have a sort of flirty moment.

In the end Grossie’s nieces show up, but we get some typical CHiPs misdirection on that front. We are led to believe that they are much older attractive women. This isn’t true though. Those are just Grossman’s neighbors who have agreed to help entertain his young nieces.

The episode ends on the famous waterslide. With members of the CHP all riding the slide and standing around the shallow pool smiling at each other. Then Grossman and his neighbors climb out of the pool and walk away together. This give Grossman the opportunity to “get the girl,” which is not a position he is often in during the show. To telegraph the situation he gives a knowing wink to everyone.

It is a great later-season episode of CHiPs, despite not having the much more charismatic Ponch in it. Estrada was fighting for some money surrounding the show’s syndication the times. McLeish is a bit wooden in his first appearance, but the crazy plot and the visit to Golf n’ Stuff more than makes up for that.

The episode is not posted on YouTube anymore, but if you have Amazon Prime, the complete series is available through their streaming video service.

In the meantime, here is a gallery of shots from the Golf N’ Stuff Family Fun Center.