This is a busy period for Peter Hoffman. On the fifth attempt, he finally manages to sit down to our interview. Since 1998 he has owned City Golf Europe, the European market leader in Adventure Golf and first in Scandinavia to introduce mini golf 65 years ago. He and his colleagues know everything that’s worth knowing about Adventure Golf.
Increased sales
City Golf Europe’s biggest customer group is campsites, representing roughly 80% of sales. The remaining 20% is shared between hotels and amusement parks. There are several reasons for the market’s rising investment in Adventure Golf. For example, it increases sales and raises a campsite’s status. But the most important reason is profitability.
“An average of 20,000 games are played per season, and at some facilities the figure is almost 40,000. The Madame Tussauds theme park in the UK has over 55,000 players per season! We expect our customers’ investment to pay off in less than three years. A game of Adventure Golf takes 1 to 1½ hours. During that time the customer stays at the facility, resulting in add-on sales of drinks, ice cream and food.”
“People are naturally competitive. If a family stays for a few days, they often play more than once to give the loser a chance to win. And most holidaymakers treat themselves to refreshments during the game. Adventure Golf is ideal for families because there are usually two alternative holes so that children can keep up with their parents using the same number of shots.”
Municipal collaboration
One advantage is that the customer can decide the golf course’s level of difficulty, its appearance and its theme. You might choose a Wild West theme, an Asian theme or a jungle theme. But a good Adventure Golf course will cost you.=
“A classic Nature course costs just over SEK 1 million if you want something worthwhile. Some customers spent up to SEK 4–5 million depending on their projected visitor and player numbers. One way to help finance an Adventure Golf course is to collaborate with the municipality or other players. Are there landmarks in the area that might attract visitors, such as a windmill, a museum or a famous bridge?”
“An Adventure Golf course can be a way of marketing local sights. For example, when the campsite Bergafjärdens Camping installed an Adventure Golf course this spring, a copy of the recently opened Sundsvallsfjärden bridge was included as a feature on the course.”
Selling profit
Hoffman advises against installing sound and smoke effects because of increased maintenance costs.
“We want our courses to make a profit after the first year, and also after the seventh year. We sell profit to our customers, and it works.”
Tips for customers investing in golf installations
- Review your economy, available space and number of guests. What suits you best?
- Ask for help. Consult our experts. You don’t start paying until the project planning phase.
- Mini golf is significantly cheaper than Adventure Golf and may be more suitable if you have a smaller facility. Small, maintenance-free courses start from SEK 70,000.
- Calculate potential add-on sales: How much more ice cream, soft drinks and food can you sell?
- Calculate three to five weeks from the idea to the finished plan and an installation time of six to eight weeks for an Adventure Golf course.
- A prefabricated mini golf course can be installed by the buyer in one to two days.
- Don’t forget about marketing!
TEXT SVEA: Helena Bäckhed
>> See whole article here (Swedish text)
