A look at how minigolf will be played after lockdown.

With social distancing in place for the foreseeable future the way we access goods, services and experiences will continue to be quite different to pre-pandemic times.

Minigolf was among the fun leisure experiences that were previously very easy to pay to access, pick-up and play.

In recent times some of the newer more 'wet led' indoor miniature golf courses such as Swingers, Junkyard Golf, Ghetto Golf, Lane7, Caddies, Puttshack, Birdies, Caddyshackers, House of Holes, BCK YRD GOLF, Teezers, Fore Play Crazy Golf, Puttstars etc. have required or encouraged online bookings and payment online and in advance, although most still 'hold back' a set number of tee-off times for walk in customers.

Many of these new style of competitive socialising courses are 18+ venues are more of a bar with a minigolf-attached, rather than the traditional minigolf course with snack & drink kiosk found at the seaside or in public parks. As these venues will have capacity limits for people inside the venue the online booking tool is essential in managing peak times, as well as being a great way to promote the business through digital channels.

Quite a few of the newer Adventure Golf courses, both indoor and outdoor, have also been created with a strong online element to the business, with online bookings seen as the norm for a lot of players, as it is to be a 'walk up' player as was traditionally the way to participate.

Interestingly those new indoor courses could be better equipped to handle business through the next phases of the easing of lockdown restrictions, as they already have the infrastructure in terms of websites, booking functions and mobile apps to ensure courses are not overwhelmed and that queues are properly managed.

Check out my full blog post at 'The next normal rules of minigolf' for more on virtual queuing, marketing promotions, minigolf tournaments, mobile apps, examples from around the world, 'Experience minus' & 'Experience plus' and the next and new norms.

Richard Gottfried is the Curator of the Crazy Golf Museum and author of The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing. He blogs about minigolf at The Ham and Egger Files.

The views expressed in this blog are solely the views of the writer and do not represent the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF), Minigolfnews.com or any other organization that the writer may be associated with unless expressly stated in the blog.