Feature
A MINI GOLF RESURGENCE IN AUSTRALIA IS UNDERWAY
Professional Miniature Golf ( or as many call “ putt putt ) has been played in Australia from the early seventies , but the game has received a boost in popularity over the past twenty years , with the first ever Australian Open Mini-Golf Championship being held last year .
It ’ s interesting to see some of the innovations made in traditional sports in answer to modern societies need for faster information and more immediate feedback and results . We only have to note the changes to our most traditional game , cricket , over the years , as it first provided the 50 over format to the traditional five-day test matches , and now we have the really popular 20-20 format .
Golf too is certainly looking for new innovations to attract more players , in particular the younger generation , and the resurgence of Miniature Golf might just be the answer the sport needs .
The World Minigolf Sport Federation ( WMF ) is the umbrella organisation of Minigolf sports associations worldwide , and is developing and growing as a competitive sport , while also helping to promote the benefits of the game as a fun and accessible leisure activity . The WMF organises World Championships , which are played every two years and Youth World / Open European Championships , which are each played every year .
Last year , the inaugural Australian Championship was a testament to the sports cumulative popularity in the country , with live crosses to Channel 7 ’ s Sunrise Program and a first place payout of $ 3,500 .
Gone are the days of rebounded shots off bricks , windmills and fibreglass characters , now replaced by very cool design of the terrain , brilliant landscaping and the feel of a real golf course . Like great design on a regular course , the players should be faced with a daring line to the flag and be rewarded when hitting a good shot .
The Wembley Golf Course in Perth have taken this process to the next level and are running competition play and tournament mini golf . This competitive edge is also utilised during corporate functions , which are proving to be an enormous success . Often the chosen corporate game on the mini golf layout is a modified Ambrose event which allows the golfers to be sent out in groups of six , and ultimately gets more players through the course at one time .
Wembley Golf Course General Manager Matthew Day said the addition of a minigolf course had presented the venue with a new audience , and subsequently a profitable revenue stream .
“ Mini golf was part of our vision to add new revenue streams to the golf course ,” Day said . “ It has brought many new faces to Wembley who would have never had any reason or inclination to go to a golf course .”
Bringing clients to the course in a corporate environment , playing mini golf and wrapping it up in under two hours is a massive incentive . It also does not alienate the players in the group who are novice golfers . Corporate functions and miniature golf has enormous potential .
In response to the boosted interest in the sport , three new miniature golf facilities were added to the Australian market in 2016 , all built by the team at Miniature Golf Creations ( MGC ).
These courses include :
- The KDV Sport facility at Carrara Gardens on the Gold Coast
- The Wembley Golf Course in Perth - The City Golf Club in Toowoomba
While still using a putter over carefully designed synthetic grass playing surfaces , the design team at MGC imparts real golf playing strategies into their designs to not only keep young children interested but to also ensure there is a challenge for seasoned golfers .
20 The Golf Marketing Professionals www . golfindustrycentral . com . au