You opened your mini golf course with such excitement!
The course is beautifully designed. The theming is immersive. Families who visit love it.
But on a random Wednesday afternoon, you look out at empty holes and wonder where everyone is. Your competitor across town seems busy all the time. Same concept. Similar prices. So what’s the difference?
Marketing. Strategic, consistent marketing.
The global mini golf market is projected to grow at 5.2% annually through 2028, yet many courses struggle to capture their share of family entertainment spending.
The challenge isn’t building a great course. It’s ensuring families know you exist, choose you over alternatives, and come back regularly.
We’re Phantom Digital, and when we partnered with Viking Quest Adventure Golf in Wirral, we implemented strategic digital marketing to transform their online presence. The result? A substantial increase in website traffic with a significant rise in organic visits, improved search rankings for key entertainment and family attraction related terms, and boosted visitor engagement.
(You can check out the full case study of Viking Quest Adventure Golf here.)
Interested in working with us? Book a free call here.
Let’s break down the eight strategies that we used to fill a mini golf course:
Strategy 1: Build a Website That Converts Browsers Into Visitors
Your website isn’t just information. It’s your most powerful booking tool, working 24/7 to convince families to choose your course over the cinema, bowling, or staying home.
Mini golf websites must balance fun, visual appeal with practical information. Families need to quickly understand what you offer, how much it costs, and how to book. If they can’t find this in 30 seconds, they’ll look elsewhere.
When we redesigned the website for Viking Quest Adventure Golf, we created a vibrant, responsive site that captured the essence of their Viking themed experience. The new design was optimised for both desktop and mobile users, ensuring a seamless and engaging experience.
Your website essentials:
- High quality photos and videos showcasing your course
- Clear pricing (no hidden fees or confusing structures)
- Simple online booking system
- Mobile optimisation (most family decisions happen on phones)
- Special offers prominently displayed
- Party packages and group information
- Weather policy clearly stated
Research shows that 75% of consumers judge a business’s credibility based on website design. Your course might be amazing, but if your website looks dated or works poorly on mobile, families won’t trust you with their day out.
Our Website Design services for entertainment venues focus on creating experiences that turn curious browsers into confirmed bookings.
Strategy 2: Dominate Local Search With SEO
When a family searches “things to do near me” or “mini golf in [your area]” on a rainy Saturday morning, you need to appear first.
76% of people who search for something nearby visit a business within 24 hours. If you’re not ranking in the top three local results, you’re invisible to families actively looking for entertainment.
For Viking Quest Adventure Golf, we implemented a robust SEO strategy targeting relevant keywords.
The improved search engine rankings for key entertainment and family attraction related terms directly contributed to their substantial traffic increase.
Your local SEO checklist:
- Optimised Google Business Profile with regular updates
- Location specific keywords throughout your website
- Customer reviews actively collected and responded to
- Local business directory listings
- Content about local events and attractions
- Photos and posts showing current course conditions
Update your Google Business Profile weekly. Share photos of happy families. Post about special events. Respond to every review within 48 hours. These simple actions dramatically improve your local visibility.
Our SEO services helped Viking Quest elevate their search engine visibility and attract more organic traffic. The same strategic approach can work for your mini golf course.
Strategy 3: Leverage Social Media to Build Community
Social media isn’t just posting pretty pictures. It’s about building a community of families who choose your course repeatedly and recommend you to friends.
Instagram and Facebook are where families discover entertainment options. A friend tags your venue. A local parent group shares a recommendation. A video shows kids having an amazing time. This social proof is marketing gold.
When we managed social media marketing for Viking Quest Adventure Golf, we focused on building brand awareness and fostering community engagement through interactive and visually appealing content. The result was boosted visitor engagement because families felt connected to the venue before they even visited.
Effective social media for mini golf includes:
- User generated content from happy families
- Behind the scenes glimpses of course maintenance and theming
- Special offer announcements
- Birthday party highlights (with parent permission)
- Seasonal event promotions
- Quick response to comments and messages
Post consistently. Three times per week minimum. Engage authentically. Don’t just broadcast. Have conversations. The courses that win at social media treat it as community building, not advertising.
Strategy 4: Target Families With Paid Advertising
Organic marketing builds long term success, but paid advertising delivers immediate results when you need to fill specific time slots or promote events.
Facebook and Instagram ads allow incredibly precise targeting. Families within 10 miles. Parents of children aged 5 to 12. People interested in family activities. You’re not shouting into the void. You’re speaking directly to your ideal customers.
Effective mini golf advertising campaigns:
- Promote weekday discounts during school holidays
- Target birthday party packages to parents
- Retarget website visitors who didn’t book
- Boost posts featuring happy families
- Seasonal campaigns for half term and summer holidays
Start with £300 per month and test what works. A well targeted ad campaign can generate bookings worth 5x to 10x the ad spend. Track everything. Scale what works. Pause what doesn’t.
The key is matching the right message to the right audience at the right time. Weekday afternoon discount? Target stay at home parents. Weekend family fun? Target working parents Thursday evening when they’re planning the weekend.
Strategy 5: Create Irresistible Party Packages
Birthday parties are the lifeblood of mini golf courses. One party booking can generate £200 to £500 in revenue, and happy party guests often return as regular visitors.
Yet many courses treat party packages as an afterthought, burying information deep on their website or requiring phone calls to get pricing.
Make your party packages:
- Easy to find on your website
- Clearly priced with transparent add-ons
- Bookable online (remove friction)
- Shareable (give parents a link to send to grandparents)
- Flexible with customisation options
- Promoted heavily on social media
Create dedicated landing pages for party packages. Show photos of previous parties. Include testimonials from happy parents. Make the booking process so simple that impulse bookings happen.
Viking Quest Adventure Golf’s engaging website design included clear information about group bookings and parties, making it easy for families to understand offerings and book confidently.
The easier you make it to book a party, the more parties you’ll book. Simple as that.
Strategy 6: Build an Email List and Use It Strategically
Email marketing delivers an average ROI of £42 for every £1 spent. For mini golf courses, email is your direct line to families who’ve already shown interest.
Capture emails through:
- Online booking process
- Newsletter signup with first visit discount
- Party booking confirmations
- Competition entries
- WiFi signup at your venue
Then send strategic campaigns:
- Welcome email with first visit offer
- Birthday emails with party package reminder
- Half term and school holiday promotions
- Rainy day last minute discount offers
- Win back campaigns for families who haven’t visited in six months
For Effective Energy Group, implementing full email automation with triggered marketing campaigns achieved a 3% increase in lead conversion rates. The same automation approach works brilliantly for entertainment venues, sending the right message at the right time without manual effort.
Set up automated emails that work while you’re busy running your course. The technology exists. Use it.
Strategy 7: Encourage and Showcase Customer Reviews
93% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business. For family entertainment, reviews are particularly influential because parents want reassurance before spending money and time.
Your review strategy:
- Ask every happy family to leave a review
- Make it easy with QR codes at checkout or in confirmation emails
- Respond to every review within 48 hours
- Feature positive reviews on your website and social media
- Address negative reviews professionally and helpfully
The courses with hundreds of recent, positive reviews dominate bookings. Reviews build trust faster than any marketing message you could create.
Don’t buy fake reviews. Don’t incentivise reviews inappropriately. Just ask genuinely happy customers to share their experience. Most will, if you make it simple enough.
Viking Quest Adventure Golf’s enhanced user experience and engaging content naturally encouraged positive reviews and social sharing, creating a virtuous cycle of social proof attracting more visitors.
Strategy 8: Partner With Local Businesses and Tourism Boards
Your mini golf course doesn’t exist in isolation. You’re part of the local tourism and family entertainment ecosystem.
Strategic partnerships amplify your reach:
- Partner with local hotels for guest discount packages
- Collaborate with tourism boards for visitor guides
- Cross promote with other family attractions
- Offer corporate team building packages to local businesses
- Work with schools for end of term trips
- Connect with local parent groups and family bloggers
When Viking Quest Adventure Golf enhanced their digital presence through strategic marketing, part of that success came from positioning themselves as a must visit attraction in Wirral. This involved building relationships with local tourism infrastructure.
Create packages that add value. A hotel might offer your tickets as part of a family weekend package. A local restaurant might cross promote. These partnerships generate bookings you’d never capture alone.
Think creatively about who shares your target audience but isn’t a direct competitor. Then propose mutually beneficial arrangements.
Measuring Success and Adjusting Your Strategy
Marketing without measurement is just guessing with a budget. Track these metrics:
- Website traffic and booking conversion rate
- Google Business Profile views and direction requests
- Social media engagement and follower growth
- Email open rates and click through rates
- Review quantity and average rating
- Revenue per visitor and party booking rate
The most successful mini golf courses treat marketing as an ongoing investment, not a one time expense. Consistency compounds. One month of social media won’t transform your business. Twelve months of consistent strategic effort will.
Set up Google Analytics. Review monthly reports. Identify what’s working. Double down on successful tactics. Don’t be afraid to stop what isn’t delivering results.
Your Next Steps to Fill Your Course
You’ve got eight proven strategies. Don’t try to implement all of them simultaneously. That’s overwhelming and ineffective.
Pick two strategies to implement this month. Master them. Then add another. Within four months, you’ll have a comprehensive marketing system generating consistent bookings.
Or partner with an agency that’s already proven these strategies work for entertainment venues.
At Phantom Digital, we transformed Viking Quest Adventure Golf’s online presence through strategic website design, SEO, content marketing, and social media. The substantial increase in website traffic and boosted visitor engagement weren’t accidents. They were the result of consistent, strategic implementation.
We’ve helped businesses across Wirral and beyond, from golf centres like Moreton Hills to fitness venues like The UTS, build digital presences that drive real world results.
Your competitors are probably doing random acts of marketing. That’s your opportunity.
Book a free call with our team today. We’ll discuss your specific challenges, audit your current marketing efforts, and create a strategy to fill your course year round.
No jargon. No pressure. Just practical advice from people who’ve helped entertainment venues achieve substantial growth.
Because empty holes on a Tuesday afternoon aren’t a facilities problem. They’re a visibility problem. And visibility problems have solutions.
Written by Martin Williams — Martin has worked in SEO for 8+ years, building and selling multiple websites that attracted millions of visitors. Now the SEO Lead at Phantom Digital, he shares proven strategies for growing traffic and creating long-term online value. You can check out his author page here.
