TOWN councillors are hoping a £10,000 revamp of the mini-golf course will attract even more visitors.
The services committee agreed that proposals for a refresh should include a lucky hole at the end of the game. Players would hit the ball up a ramp into the shed before it drops down an arcade-style wall and into a “winner” or “loser” pocket.
This will “add excitement, give opportunities to win freebies and ensure the ball is not taken by the players” .
Other changes include “extra decor” on the Egglestone Abbey, Witham and bridge holes. The total cost would be between £9,240 to £10,800 and the work carried out by Urban Crazy, which installed the course in 2014.
Town clerk Martin Clark said the mini-golf course paid for itself with profits being ploughed back into maintenance, staff and improvements.
In a review of the 2021 season, the town council reported the course had seen the highest average number of daily visitors since it was built – 78. This beat the previous high of 58 in 2014.
The season started on July 17 – later than usual due to Covid-19.
Overall rounds were recorded at 5,323. This was still higher than in 2018 and 2019 but not previous years.
The town council’s report said: “The usage of the course is dependent on the weather. For 2021, there were 68 operating days. The course did not experience any particular bad weather days and there was a mix up of attendants shifts on two occasions with a closure for one half-shift.”
The course made a profit of £6,788, excluding VAT. This was the highest since 2014.
Suggestions from town councillors in June that the authority considers outsourcing the mini-golf course have not been discussed since and were not included in the report.
