How best describes what Amusement Construction has done for over 50 years in the miniature golf business?
Innovation and Success.
While one of our first courses has continued to make money for over 50 years (Sir Goony Golf in Chattanooga, TN, founded in 1960), it is what we did then, not what we do now. However, it does illustrate how our core goals for our miniature golf course designs continue to be successful even today. Those goals are:
FUN + ATMOSPHERE + PLAYABILITY = LONG TERM SUCCESS
One of our best skills is fitting these goals into a budget that match your demographic. We pride ourselves in designing a course to fit the goals and budget to be successful at your location. While overspending can be disastrous, underspending can be equally as debilitating.
CASE STUDY: We built a new course for a customer in 1989 using our concepts to replace the course he had built in 1960. The old course had never grossed more than $25,000 and he hoped the new course would gross $100,000. The new course did over $250,000 the first year! This shows how miniature golf at the same location can do dramatically different gross revenues based on its design and construction. Amusement Construction can help you avoid unreached potential from an under-performing attraction.
While we do this for all of the attractions we build, it is especially true of our Championship Miniature Golf Designs. We chose the name CHAMPIONSHIP MINIATURE GOLF because it shows our focus on the quality of the game. While pretty decorations and landscaping can get a customer to stop and play, the way the course plays will bring them back again and again!
With our designs, FUN is the starting place. A first time putter or an avid golfer each has their own needs for making their game fun. With our experience and the Championship Miniature Golf design we help meet their very different needs. Every hole is unique. Whether you use only 18 holes or five courses at one location, your customers will not see the same hole twice.
Our experience allows us to know where the different types of players are more likely to end up, so we design ways to make each hole interesting for them. First, we use a special red “PENALTY CUP” on nearly half of the holes on a course to help beginner golfers have an enjoyable experience. Whether they are 5 or 50, no player constantly wants to putt the maximum (6 strokes a hole) and not be able to get the ball in the cup. These strategically placed penalty cups are larger than normal (5”) and give the less skillful players another (and closer) option to putt out, rather than trying to get to the standard cup. This innovation lets the good putters show their putting skills while the beginner golfers have an enjoyable game and stay competitive. These unique cups become a simple and intuitive way for everyone to enjoy the challenging Championship Courses! It also allows the whole family to compete while learning the game so they will come back again and again.
Next, we focus on ATMOSPHERE. Great hole designs will keep them coming back, but your course also needs to be interesting enough to bring them in the first time. In most cases we start with water features throughout the course. Waterfalls and fountains create noise that helps mask the sounds of the city. Instead of traffic, your players hear the sounds of water splashing over a waterfall and down a stream. Immediately you have a more pleasant atmosphere in which to play. To make better use of the water, we design one or two holes to interact with the water itself. In these “water holes” the ball can fall into the water and disappear only to be placed on a lower and less advantageous area of the hole. Young children often putt directly into the water just for the fun of watching it be pushed down the stream. This interaction between the water theme and the play of the hole is just one example of how we intertwine the game with the expensive features you purchase for your course. It not only gives them more value, it also pulls the customer into your course’s unique enviroment which makes the game more enjoyable.
For those who are in very competitive or large markets, we can go beyond this basic course to create an even more amazing atmosphere. Using themes, digital audio, and even simple animation, we can help you create a themed adventure! The fully themed courses not only help drive in more customers, it also allows you to charge more for the game! For instance, today people want a better experience and demand more for their money. While movies are still movies, stadium seating has helped theaters increase ticket prices from $5 -$6 to $10-$15 dollars. This is a huge increase in their profit margins. Our theming will do the same for your course. It changes your miniature golf course from being just “a” course to “THE” COURSE! An example of our imagination and innovation can be seen in the Fire Fountain course we did for a farm themed miniature golf course for Grand Country. A highly competitive tourist market, the Fire Fountain is a show stopping addition that places this course ahead of their competition. Kids just have to play that course where the fountain rises and falls with the music!
From 6,000 to 1,000,000+ people markets, Amusement Construction can create a course that will meet your budget and exceed your revenue expectations! Contact our experts to find out what we can do for you!
