How much does a mini-golf course cost to build?
The first thing that you would need to consider when building a mini-golf course is how much it is going to cost. It would be ideal to create a budget so that you know exactly how much money you have available to spend. Knowing how much you are able to spend on a course will enable you to plan effectively. It may also be beneficial to split your budget into the different aspects of building a golf course. For example, materials, construction, additional features and more. This will allow you to know exactly what funds you have available to you during the entire process.
The cost of building a mini-golf course can vary drastically depending on the different aspects of the design that you are planning. The size of the course will make a difference in price, depending on whether you will be building 9 hole or 18-hole courses. The bigger the course, the longer the construction, which will add to the price. Also, any additional landscape changes are going to be more costly.
The more that you add to your course to make it unique and interesting, the higher the cost is going to be. Some additional features could include:
· Caves and tunnels.
· Water features – Waterfalls, ponds, rivers.
· Lighting effects – Backlights, LED, overhead lights, colours.
· Special effects – Motion triggers, animatronics.
· Sound – Music, animal sounds, speech.
Planning to build a mini-golf course
Getting organised and planning out your intentions are equally as important as budgeting. There are lots of different factors to consider in this planning. First, if you haven’t already, you need to source the land that you are going to be using. It is important to consider the size of the course that you are thinking of building and compare it to what is available to you. You should also consider whether the terrain is going to be an issue.
When deciding on an area to build your course, you should conduct some market research to enable you to make the right commercial decisions about your new business venture. Market research is the process of finding out information about your business’s target audience, customers, and history to determine how successful your idea would be. Take a look at the surrounding area for potential competition and make sure that the space you have chosen isn’t going to be compromised by a nearby mini-golf course that is already in place. It also might be useful to find out about the previous golf in that area, so that you can find out what they did or didn’t do well and use it to your advantage.
Gaining planning permission is also going to be an essential step that needs to be considered. If you build in a place that required planning permission, you can be served a notice that will mean you have to undo any changes to the space that you have made. To find out if you need planning permission, you should contact your local planning authority.
You also need to consider who your course is going to be aimed at and consider what your target audience would want. The traditional market for mini-golf was families, however, this has expanded into a variety of different people. Crazy golf courses have a wider market appeal than previous due to their popularity. Most mini-golf courses have a running theme that their appearance is based upon. There are many themes to choose from such as pirates, jungle, under the sea and more. Once you have chosen the theme, you can start to think about what additional features you may want to use to add to the theme.
How long does it take to build a crazy golf course?
The length of time that it takes to build a crazy golf course depends on a variety of factors such as:
· Sourcing materials.
· Getting planning permission.
· The design processes.
· Design meetings – Imagination to reality.
· The building processes.
· Risk assessments.
Completing all of the above steps is going to be time-consuming, but worth the effort. It is important to be thorough to make sure that you are getting everything that you wanted from designing up until construction. The length of time it takes to build the course will depend on the size, location, terrain, and availability of materials. However, a large and elaborate course is going to take much longer than a simpler and smaller course. The build process is completely dependant on what you are looking for from your mini-golf course.
Is building a golf course going to be profitable?
As with any potential business ideas, a carefully thought-out plan is essential to ensuring that the final product is going to be both marketable and profitable. Typically, mini-golf courses are known to be successful due to their broader appeal to a variety of different people. Mini-golf is an activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities, meaning that it attracts a wide range of people. This type of business doesn’t require a lot of staff and often has a high return on investment. For outdoor mini-golf courses, the only real obstacle is the weather. Though some courses remain open, others operate seasonally. By only opening seasonally when the weather is nicer, it can mean that you are able to utilise the busier periods when the most customers will be visiting. However, courses in areas where the weather is outdoor friendly all year round can stay open through the winter months without a problem. This all depends on the location where you choose to start your business.
What materials are used to build a golf course?
Many different materials can be used to build a mini-golf course. Usually, a combination of man-made and natural materials is the place to start. The most popular material for building a structure is typically wood. A common type of wood that is used structurally is timber, which is known for its great quality and ability to last for a long time. Materials like artificial grass and AstroTurf can be used for flooring and there are lots of other options to choose from.
The most environmentally friendly way to create a golf course is to use recycled and natural materials. It is possible to use sustainable building materials such as timber, upcycled materials, and even tree stumps. Many different types of wood can be used to make structures and recycled aggregates can be useful for creating pathways. Green compost can also be recycled and used from gardens or parks.
When it comes to materials used for golf courses, you aren’t limited in choice. There is a huge variety of materials to choose from, depending on what approach you choose to take when sourcing the materials. There are many sustainable and long-lasting options to choose from.
What insurance is needed to run a mini-golf course?
Mini golf courses face different challenges and risks that need to be covered by insurance. An example of some of these potential risks are:
· Damage to the property.
· Bodily harm and injury.
· Damage to equipment.
· Business interruption.
All businesses should be covered by insurance to ensure that should something unexpected happen, they will be able to claim through their insurance rather than having to spend sometimes hundreds of thousands of pounds in fees. For example, if a guest were to accidentally trip or fall on one of your courses and injure themselves, they could try and sue. Insurance such as public liability insurance would protect you by covering different types of costs like legal fees and compensation. Whilst it is not legally required to have public liability insurance, it would be very beneficial in the event that any accident occurs. Having a sufficient insurance policy is the only way to plan to make sure you can prevent an unfortunate accident devastating your business’s funds.
Public liability insurance can cover you if somebody is injured on your property and even for any accidental damage that they may cause. You can also get cover for professional indemnity. This means that your insurance would cover any legal expenses incurred in your defence or if you are alleged to have given out inadequate advice or services to someone. Without this insurance, the company and/or its directors can be held responsible.
A type of insurance that is a legal requirement, is ‘Employer’s liability’. This type of insurance will cover you if an employee is injured or becomes ill because of the work that they have carried out for your company. This covers builders, staff, and any other people employed by you. To create and run a golf course, there would be a lot of employees involved, which only increases these risks, and so having employer’s liability is not only a legal requirement but also very important. You can be fined £2500 for every day that you operate without this insurance.
You may also need to obtain licenses or permits to operate. For example, a public surveillance license in order to use CCTV on your premises, or a license to play music.
https://www.gov.uk/employers-liability-insurance
https://www.gov.uk/licence-finder