A look at the retail entertainment and minigolf boom.
Minigolf is a big part of the retailtainment boom, with courses opening as standalone entertainment activities, or as part of large shoppingtainment leisure offerings in malls, high streets and retail parks.
Some of these retailtainment activities are permanent, while others are pop-ups catering to a mix of audiences, from children and families, to adults looking for competitive socialising fun.
Miniature Golf has grown in popularity in the last decade and has moved from only being a traditional outdoor seaside summer activity to become a year-round game that can be played indoors, outdoors and at pretty much any time of the day.
A number of high streets, retail parks and shopping malls are now home to minigolf courses, with more new venues planned to open.
Minigolf is also a popular addition to boost footfall, create awareness and attract people to a location. Businesses also use portable and temporary minigolf layouts for product launches and promotions.
New minigolf courses in the UK
In 2020 we found out about a lot of new minigolf courses opening in the UK and already this year we've heard about four new locations in planning and development.
We know of 91 new miniature golf courses opening, in planning or under construction since the pandemic hit the UK.
Check out the new courses page for more information.
There are plans for a new Adventure Golf course at the Concourse Shopping Centre in Skelmersdale, Lancashire.
ReplyDeleteThere are a large number of new minigolf retailtainment businesses and venues in planning and opening up this year, including some pop-up events:
ReplyDeleteThe Cornhill Cove seaside-style pop-up will be returning to Lincoln city centre this summer.
An event is planned to take place in Salisbury, Wiltshire this summer and it'll feature a pop-up minigolf course.
There will be a mini golf course at the new Flip Out centre in Croydon.
The Printworks at Withy Grove in Manchester will be the location of a new Boom: Battle Bar.
Puttshack will be opening a new indoor minigolf venue at The Oracle shopping centre in Reading, Berkshire.
Construction is underway on a new Boom: Battle Bar site in Wandsworth, London.
There are plans for a new Boom: Battle Bar at Goodman's Fields in Aldgate, London.
A Boom: Battle Bar is opening in the seaside town of Eastbourne.
There are plans for a new Boom: Battle Bar in Aberdeen.
The Lakeside Shopping Centre in West Thurrock, Essex will be home to a new Boom: Battle Bar.
A new Gravity Active Entertainment centre is opening in Wandsworth, London.
A new Boom: Battle Bar with crazy golf and other indoor games is proposed to open in Glasgow.
A new Boom: Battle Bar with crazy golf and other indoor games is planned to open in Oxford this year.
Last month I took a look back at the CLUB GOLF pop-up minigolf course at Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross, London and the minigolf course at O'Leary's bar and entertainment centre at the Mall of Scandinavia in Solna.
ReplyDeleteHere's a look at the new Aces Minigolf course at Dobbies Garden Centre in Gloucester.
ReplyDeleteAces Minigolf Gloucester opens to the public on Friday 9th July.
A new Gutterball Alley venue with tenpin bowling and crazy golf is opening at the St Enoch Centre in Glasgow in August 2021.
ReplyDeleteIt will be the second Gutterball location from the team behind Lane7 and follows the first site in North Shields.
We've played minigolf at the adult-oriented Lane7 venue in Newcastle. Gutterball Alleys are family entertainment centres and the North Shields Gutterball is home to tenpin bowling, guttergolf minigolf, pool, arcades, ping pong and indoor baseball batting cages.
Par 'n' Bar, a cities of the world themed indoor mini-golf course, is opening at the Swan Centre in Rugby, Warwickshire.
ReplyDeleteA new mini golf course has opened as part of an Airtastic entertainment centre in Newtownabbey, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It's in a former Toys R Us unit.
ReplyDeletePutt Noodle Crazy Golf is planned for the Castle Quarter in Norwich, Norfolk.
ReplyDeleteThere's a free-to-play crazy golf course at the centre:mk's Summer Fair in Milton Keynes.
ReplyDeleteThere's a pop up crazy golf course set up at the Touchwood shopping and entertainment centre in Solihull town centre for the summer.
ReplyDeleteThere's a pop up crazy golf course at the DL1 Leisure Park in Darlington during August.
ReplyDeleteThere's a free-to-play pop up minigolf course in Kirkwall, Orkney running until the 9th August.
ReplyDeleteHere's look at the Puttshack indoor miniature golf venue at Lakeside shopping centre in Grays, Essex. Many thanks to my friend and minigolf rival Simon Brown for sending me some photos from his recent visit.
ReplyDeleteA mini-golf course is opening as part of the new Urban Playground at the Arndale centre in Manchester.
ReplyDeleteZingers Adventure Golf is opening at The Bridge Shopping Centre in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
ReplyDeleteA new indoor crazy golf course called Looney Golf is opening on North Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
ReplyDeleteWork is underway on the new Putt Noodle indoor crazy golf venue at The Castle Quarter in Norwich, Norfolk.
ReplyDeletePutt Noodle will be home to three 9-hole courses.
The location for the new minigolf centre is a former New Look shop unit.
The Castle Quarter shopping and entertainment centre is also home to a Boom: Battle Bar (the first one in fact). We played the 'Crazier Golf' course there last month.
A new Boom: Battle Bar could be opening at the Buttermarket shopping centre in Ipswich, Suffolk.
ReplyDeleteA new motorsport-themed Crazy Golf course has opened in Edmonton, North London.
ReplyDeleteA new motorsport-themed Crazy Golf course is opening in Leicester in November.
ReplyDeleteThe Tidal Bay Crazy Adventure Golf course at the Wyevale Garden Centre in Sherfield on Loddon, Hampshire has closed down (October 2021).
ReplyDeleteThe former Debenhams shop unit at the West Orchards Shopping Centre in Coventry is set to become a tenpin bowling and adventure golf venue.
ReplyDeletePuttstars Minigolf is opening a venue at the New Mersey Shopping Park in Speke, Liverpool in 2022.
ReplyDeleteA new Boom: Battle Bar will open at the Buttermarket in Ipswich, Suffolk next year.
ReplyDeleteA new prison-themed adventure golf course is opening at Prison Island in Maidstone, Kent.
ReplyDeleteThe new Putt Noodle indoor crazy golf and Asian food venue at the Castle Quarter shopping and entertainment centre in Norwich is planned to open this month.
ReplyDeleteWe were a little too early when we swung by on a trip to Norwich last weekend.
A new Plonk Golf minigolf course is opening at Borough Market in Southwark, London.
ReplyDeleteThe new Lane7 venue at St James Quarter in Edinburgh will soon be home to a mini golf course.
ReplyDeleteA new Puttstars Mini Golf venue is planned to open at the Queensgate shopping centre in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.
ReplyDeleteA new Birdies Crazy Golf venue is opening in Angel, London.
ReplyDeleteThe new Par 59 mini golf venue in Cardiff, Wales is opening on Friday 18th March 2022.
ReplyDeletePutters Crazy Golf at the Urban Playground in the Manchester Arndale Centre is opening this month (February 2022).
ReplyDeleteThere are plans for a new indoor mini-golf course to open as part of an entertainment centre in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
ReplyDeleteThe venue is proposed to open in the former BHS store in the town centre.