A LICK of paint, a spring clean and the introduction of a card payment system all aim to give Barnard Castle’s mini-golf course a boost this summer.
Visitor numbers to the Scar Top attraction dipped last year, with just 4,787 rounds played compared to 5,471 in 2017 and 7,040 in 2016.
The town council, which operates the course, has now begun preparations for the coming season, which will run from Saturday, April 6, to Sunday, November 3.
Members of the council’s services committee were told leaves will be removed and the felt surface given a power wash prior to the opening day.
In addition the outside of the kiosk, which doubles as a mini-tourist information point, will be redecorated.
A team of five attendants is being recruited to staff the course.
Councillors were told three of last year’s team were returning and interviews for the other two positions were being held last week. The nine-hole course will be open every weekend and on bank holidays throughout the season as well as full weeks during the school holidays.
Opening times during the low season – April 6 to May 24 and September 2 to November 3 – will be 10.30am to 4.30pm. Peak season times are 10am to 6pm. Ticket prices remain the same as last year – £3 for a single round, £9 for a group of four and £15 for a loyalty tickets of seven rounds.
Councillors queried the level of use late in the afternoon and wondered whether it was cost effective to keep the course should stay open until 6pm.
Deputy clerk Jane Woodward said the 6pm closing time coincided with that of the adjacent castle.
Clerk Michael King added that anecdotal evidence suggested that while there was a lull between 4.30pm and 5.30pm, there was a bit of a rush during the last half hour.
He added that more detailed records of when people used the course could be kept during the coming season.
Committee members were told the best offer available for a card payment system was one which charged a 1.75 per cent transaction fee.
Mr King said for this to work, the council would have to buy a mobile phone with the Android operating system along with a sim-only data package. He said the operating cost would be in the region of £100.
At an earlier meeting, councillors had decided to introduce a card payment system after hearing potential customers were put off by the insistence of cash only.
The mini-golf course was redeveloped in 2013 and is themed A Journey Through Teesdale. Dale sculptor Phil Townsend designed and created six carved stone features which adorn the course depicting the Market Cross, The Bowes Museum, Egglestone Abbey, the County Bridge and the castle.
