Mini Golf Course Design Important Ideas
A mini golf course can be a great asset to any amusement park or leisure park. These attractions are a welcome alternative to fast rides and offer a chance for families to bond. With the right approach, these courses can bring in more revenue and repeat business.
Guests stay longer, become more immersed in the theme of the park and enjoy some friendly competition. This may then encourage them to go on to buy more food or souvenirs. The best way to ensure that guests want to play a full round of golf and come back for a rematch is simple. All you need to do is create the best possible mini golf course design for your park.
Things To Consider When Building A Mini Golf Course.
1) The Theme
The theme is the perhaps the most important thing to consider when designing mini golf courses. Each hole needs to be playable, but you also need to entice your guests onto the course in the first place. The easiest approach is to create a brief based around the theme of the park.
That way you already have existing landscaping ideas, characters and designs to use as inspiration. Many mini golf course design specialists will talk about curb appeal. This is the way that a park looks from the roadside.
The greater the appeal, the better the chance of families driving the past and wanting to come inside. A fun theme with great visual appeal with immediately show tourists that they can enjoy a unique activity here. This curb appeal is also enhanced by the following.
2) Landscaping
Once you have a theme determined, and you have a series of challenging, interesting holes in mind, you need to figure out how they all fit together in the space. Space them out too much and you need a big plot of land to work with.
Squeeze them together too much and players find it hard to concentrate on the current hole. Each hole needs to be its part of the course. This means creating an immersive environment for that crucial birdie shot, while still tying it in with the theme.
Appropriate vegetation can be used across the whole course to screen certain areas and add to the aesthetic appeal. Rocks and cliff faces – whether real or artificial – also provide a sense of privacy and another interesting element to the course.
Different textures and materials are important too. Have you considered adding rough turf around the course to enhance the idea of a real golf course? Would send help to enhance the theme and add some interesting hazards?
3) Elevation
This idea of adding rock faces and screening to a hole brings up the issue of elevation. Elevated areas of the course can help to add another dimension to the experience. Players may need to climb a difficult slope to reach the final holes and the rewards on the other side.
Raised areas can also add distance between the holes on courses that are short of surface area. Also, these elevated areas make the course more visible to passing tourists, adding to this idea of curb appeal.
4) Lighting
Lighting may not seem like the most important aspect of an outdoor course, but it can make a difference. Lighting is also important if your park ever stays open late for special occasions. Primary illumination can be offered through floodlighting above the course.
This means that players can still see the balls and holes and have a clear path from one hole to the next. Strip LED lighting in the ways offers a more subtle approach and provides the option of different color choices. Lighting can also be included in props or behind water features to enhance the overall experience.
5) Water Features
Water features are a must on any well-designed mini golf course. They can enhance a theme, add to the general landscape and give players the feeling of being on a real golf course. Little lakes and streams as water hazards create the feel of a miniaturized golf course.
Courses with elevated holes and inclined can benefit from a waterfall. If water is a part of the theme in any way – a bay for a pirate ship or an ornate fountain for royalty – make the most of it. A commercial pump between 5-15hp should be able to shift enough water for a dramatic look.
6) Other Moving Parts
The stereotypical image of the mini golf course often contains animatronics and moving parts that add to the challenge of the hole. Simpsons fans, for example, can’t think of mini golf without picturing that windmill or an angry gorilla waving its arms.
These sorts of mechanics don’t have to be used on every hole, but they can be added at the key location to capture the imagination of players. Kids will love seeing moving models of the park’s mascot watching over the game.
Parks going for a more retro, kitsch vibe can recreate some traditional mini golf course designs – like the windmill. Alternatively, adding a character to the final hole can provide a fiendish challenge, like the final boss stage of a video game. This is a very good idea for anyone looking to add more of a story and adventure to the course.
7) Solar Power Generators
The biggest concern when talking about all these moving parts, big lighting rigs and motors is the cost. Mini golf courses can be pretty expensive to run with all of these elements to consider. A lot of this comes down to the energy required to keep these fuel-hungry elements going.
One simple, cost-effective solution is to look into the prospect of solar power generators. Solar power systems can harness the energy of the sun and use that to power all these elements across the day. These generators can be pretty easy to use with the right panels and connections; they can cut electricity bills, and they are much greener.
Creating The Ideal Design For Your Independent Mini Golf Course
There is a lot to consider when creating the ideal mini golf course design. This is seen from the basic layout and curb appeal to the precise materials being used and solar power generators. It takes a lot of careful planning and expert advice to turn these ideas into a beautiful, playable course.
Work with experts to discuss practicalities of themes and landscaping ideas. Consider the pros and cons of water features, elevation and moving parts. Finally, figure out the most cost-effective solutions for the ideal, profitable course.