Are you looking to start the mini golf course building process? Follow these steps to ensure your business is a success!
Know that Mini Golf is a Business
The first step to starting your mini golf course building process is to understand that miniature golf can be a profitable, cash business. With low overhead, reusable inventory, and a small number of employees required to run it, mini golf courses are fun to own and easy to operate.
The miniature golf industry is a $1 billion market with more than 130 million golfers per year. On top of that, miniature golf courses have demonstrated that they can increase the revenue of an existing business by 20%-50%. So how do you really get started? Consult with Harris! With over 800 courses built nationwide, the professionals at Harris are here to guide you through the initial feasibility process to get your miniature golf course business up and running.
Site Selection for Your Mini Golf Course
Step 2 is to choose a site with a minimum of 10,000 square feet. A typical 18-hole course takes up to 15,000-20,000 square feet; then it’s necessary to account for the clubhouse and parking. Consider all of this when choosing where you want to build your mini golf course. If you’re not sure how to go about it, check in with Harris. We know from personal experience which locations are best suited for mini golf.
Rough Site Layout for the Course
Once you have decided on where you want to build your mini golf course, the next step is to get a topographical drawing of the site. This will allow designers to utilize the existing topography to best lay out a 9-,18-, or 36- hole mini golf course.
Course Design
Here is where the fun really begins. There are so many ways to design a fun, engaging, challenging, and accessible mini golf course. Visit the Harris headquarters in Scranton, PA to check out several courses that we have built. From beautifully landscaped gardens to themed miniature golf courses, we do it all.
Understanding the ins and outs of your mini golf course design is crucial to long term success. The Harris design team will collaborate with you to transform your rough course design into a feature-rich layout all while staying within your project budget.
Financing Your Mini Golf Course
Every good business requires secure financing. Make sure you are creditworthy and seek financing through local lending institutions. Also consider exploring loans through the Small Business Administration or negotiating lease agreements when necessary. Harris can provide detailed designed documents and full-color renderings to help boost your credibility when presenting to prospective lenders.
Secure Permits and Approvals for Your Mini Golf Course
Become as educated as possible on your local zoning requirements to make sure that you understand everything that is needed to get your mini golf course project approved. It may also be worthwhile to hire a local engineering firm to provide a drawing of the final site layout, as this could be a major help with the approval process. When you work with Harris, we’ll provide you with a full-color rendering, lighting, plan, and detailed drawing for the local review and approval process. Then if something needs to be modified to meet municipal requirements, we’ll use our state-of-the-art CAD system to develop new drawings.
Pre-Construction
The pre-construction process of building a mini golf course involves a meeting to make sure that everyone knows their role. This meeting will bring everyone together to review all aspects of your project, ensure that everyone understands their responsibilities, and act as a kick-start for the construction process.
Construction of the Mini Golf Course
The best mini golf course designers/developers will keep you involved in the construction project. Harris meets with our clients on a regular basis to make sure that everyone’s expectations are being met every step of the way. We encourage clients to visit the construction site periodically and confer with the Harris crew during this time. Your input is always welcome during construction. As always, our goal is a 110% satisfaction guarantee.
Staffing & Operating Your Mini Golf Course Business
Set your mini golf course business up for success by hiring the best staff. Set up your website and social media channels, and put together a marketing plan and budget for your course launch and ongoing promotion. Also make sure to set up your operational budget and payroll system. The team here are Harris will help transition you from the construction phase into operations. We’ll even provide you with an initial supply of clubs and floating balls to help you get started. Additionally, Harris offers every client a Maintenance & Operations Manual with step-by-step instructions on how to keep your course beautiful throughout the season and how to winterize it after the season ends.
Grand Opening
It’s time to party plan! Plan a grand opening celebration with advertising. Blitz the media market to get the word out about the big day. Mini golf course businesses that work with Harris will get our Marketing & Promotion Guide that acts as a roadmap on how to market and promote your course. Our own knowledge combined with the expertise of over 100 existing Harris course owners will set you up for total success.
For more information or to get started, feel free to contact us today!
