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.
