Ace In The Hole
Mini-golf course captures a new audience to increase revenue
By Gail Loskill
Photos: Cedar Rapids Parks And Recreation Department
Faced with the same challenges of other municipal-golf programs, the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, took a creative approach. What resulted was a facility that provides recreational opportunities for individuals with disabilities and the entire community.
In the past, the city struggled to operate four 18-hole, municipally owned courses, in a community of 130,000, without a loss. The system operated as an enterprise, meaning it needed to break even each year. With one of the courses saddled with high maintenance costs due to flooding, the city reviewed every facet of the golf system, reduced staff members, and operated as lean as possible.
The Most Attractive Option
It still was not enough, so golf staff members brainstormed, and Dave Roe, Golf Operations Superintendent, wondered if placing a miniature-golf course next to one of the 18-hole courses would add a new market to draw revenue from and expose younger generations to traditional golf. “We were considering all options. Mini-golf seemed like it might be something that would work,” Roe says.
Staff members did research, reviewed how well other miniature-golf courses operated, determined the feasibility and market potential of opening a new course, estimated how the course would affect the overall profitability of the golf division, and developed a business plan for operations. The city had two privately owned miniature-golf courses in operation, one at each end of the community, approximately a 20-minute drive apart.
Early projections showed that a miniature-golf course could help make golf-course operations profitable. Maintenance costs were low, and staffing was negligible, since the existing clubhouse staff could absorb the customer needs for mini-golf. Additional staffing was limited to a few seasonal members to extend hours of operation to 11:00 p.m.
Staff members quickly determined that the location would be key and settled on Twin Pines Golf Course, near the center of the community and easily accessed by the interstate on one side and a highway on the other. The course was located on a street with two high schools—one at each end of a three-mile stretch of road—providing the potential of several thousand students driving by the course daily. Twin Pines had historically served beginning golfers and families, so it seemed like a perfect fit. By moving the practice chipping area, a miniature-golf course could share the same parking lot, patio, and clubhouse, creating operating efficiencies. It could overlook the beautiful 18-hole course, serving as a giant advertisement for mini-golfers to take the next step to traditional play.
Design Details
A key factor in any new facility constructed within the Cedar Rapids municipality is accessibility. The city has prioritized and invested in making sure all buildings are accessible, with an emphasis on including people with disabilities and aging populations. Cedar Rapids has spent $30 million since 2016 updating buildings, street corners, and parks with everything from sidewalks to signage for people with visual impairments. Without debate, golf staff members knew all 18 holes of the course must be playable by anyone.
Input from city council led to a design that focused on natural elements. Native plants with educational signage were included. The name Mini Pines—an extension of the adjacent Twin Pines Golf Course—was a perfect fit. It offered the opportunity to plant 14 varieties of miniature pine trees throughout the course. Construction followed Cedar Rapids’ historic derecho in August 2020, which destroyed 670,000 trees throughout the city. Focusing on the addition of trees planted as part of the facility was significant to the community.
A waterfall feature with four holes interacting with water was a priority in design, in addition to holes that would make the course challenging or fun for all ability levels. Costs included $25,000 for design and $600,000 for construction. Because the course operates as an enterprise, funding for construction was provided through the city as a loan, with an anticipated pay-off in 10 years.
Staff members reached out to Metro High School, an alternative school in the area, and invited teachers and students to help create some elements for the course; this not only kept costs low, but also forged a partnership with the school. The partnership produced a miniature “Tree of Five Seasons” (iconic to Cedar Rapids), logo input, and signage, which were created by students who also learned wood- and metal-working skills. “Metro is excited to add even more elements to the course in the future. We look forward to continuing this partnership,” Roe says.
Construction To Completion
Due to bidding policies for construction projects, design and construction were bid separately to allow for the greatest number of companies to bid. COST of Wisconsin, Inc. won the design bid and worked with staff to choose the best hole designs and work out the changes required for accessible play. The company indicated that most courses it had worked on would have a few accessible holes, but the Cedar Rapids course was among only a handful where someone in a wheelchair could play all 18 holes. Harris Miniature Golf Courses, Inc. constructed the course between September and November 2020.
Mini Pines had a soft opening in May 2021, with a grand opening following in June. While the course operates Sunday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., people were waiting on many days to get on the course even earlier. It has been overwhelmingly supported by the community, averaging 300 players a day for the months of June through August. As many as 650 people played the course in one day. Mini Pines is budgeted to produce $175,000 a year in profit. The course was close to meeting that number in just three months. Mini Pines continues to be open into November, as long as Twin Pines is open, but hours are reduced as traffic slows.
The most positive comments have come from disabled individuals, who have praised the city for thinking of them when designing the course. The accessible design has also made the course easy to play for senior citizens who bring their grandchildren, and families who have a child in a stroller. They can maneuver through every hole on the course with ease.
Minor Adjustments
While the development of the course has been overwhelmingly positive, a few obstacles did occur. Working with separate design and construction companies presented challenges and lengthened the construction period. Because of the pandemic, supply-chain issues caused delays in items like umbrellas for the patio. A review of the first three months determined that more shade areas are required, and places for people to put drinks and scorecards are needed. Additionally, netting added after Mini Pines opened made sure that golf balls did not reach the miniature-golf course.
Roe recommends choosing a location that works well for both traditional golf and mini-golf. Analyzing the traffic of golfers in the clubhouse and the golf carts on the course to make sure neither operation affects the other negatively is important. After a few weeks of operation, mini-golf putters and balls were moved to a different location in the clubhouse to reduce congestion and improve flow. Roe also recommends fencing to keep small children off the main golf course. “At first, we weren’t sure how our traditional golfers would feel about sharing space with mini-golf. It has gone more smoothly than we imagined, and we can see our young mini-golfers watching golfers go in and out. We are hoping this will grow the golf community in Cedar Rapids.”
Gail Loskill is the Parks and Rec Communications Specialist for Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Reach her at (319) 286-5742, or g.loskill@cedar-rapids.org.