Mini Golf Course Renovations with High Tech Upgrades to Attract Young People

• September 16, 2025
• Mini Golf,
• Georgie

Mini golf is no longer only for kids and families. Its growing popularity is attracting a broader demographic, including teenagers and young adults looking for accessible, fun, and social experiences.This audience is looking for activities, so it’s important to make yours an attractive option. 

Let’s explore some high-tech renovations and how they can help elevate your mini golf business.

Is it Possible to Attract a Younger Customer Base with Mini Golf Tech Upgrades?

Are Young People a Strong Customer Base for Mini Golf Businesses?

As teens and young adults become more interested in finding activities that are affordable, allow them to socialise, and offer social-media backdrops, mini golf is rising in popularity amongst this demographic. Why?

• Accessibility:Mini golf is competitive but generally easy and affordable. This makes it an appealing activity.
• Socialising:The fun of the game, along with the photo opportunities and the conversational nature of the gameplay, makes mini golf great for friend outings and dates.
• Family Appeal: Parents and grandparents often use mini golf as an activity for teenagers.

What Makes an ‘Instagrammable’ Experience?

Social media is a great way to get free word-of-mouth marketing. A great way to access this is through photo opportunities that players can take part in. When they share the photos, friends and family see the course and are encouraged to visit.

How can your upgrades capitalise on this?

• Themed Experiences: Create clear themes that appeal to younger audiences, such as pop-culture courses.
• Enhanced Lighting: Utilise LED lighting and colour-changing effects to create a vibrant and attractive atmosphere that enhances both the course’s aesthetics and the player’s experience.
• Social Media Integration: Encourage social sharing of scores and experiences, and collaborate with influencers to promote the venue to younger demographics.
• On-Site Amenities: Offer a mix of food and beverage options, comfortable seating areas, and a modern, trendy environment to make the venue a social destination.

How Do You Install Digital Scoreboards?

This is a great modern tech upgrade for your course that can be pretty simple up to very complex, depending on your goals. Smart scoring can be automated with real-time leaderboards, often integrated with a mobile app, to foster competition and engagement. You might even develop a dedicated app for scoring, social sharing, and unlocking achievements, enhancing the player experience and building loyalty.

You can use app-based or QR code systems that require no physical installation beyond displaying a code, or automated scoring systems that require hardware like sensors and integrated scoreboards, which may involve retrofitting or new construction. The best method depends on whether you want a low-tech, mobile solution using smartphones or a fully automated, integrated experience.

This works by having customers scan a QR code at your venue with their smartphone. This opens a digital scorecard where they can enter scores directly on their device.

This option is cost-effective as it reduces costs associated with printing physical scorecards. It provides a convenient and modern way for customers to track scores, and even allows you to collect better data, giving you insights into player preferences and trends.

Automated Scoring Systems 

These systems use integrated hardware like sensors within the course to automatically count strokes. They can include digital scoreboards, interactive lights, sounds, and even live leaderboards. This involves installing physical components such as sensors at the scoring holes and integrated scoreboards.These systems can be retrofitted to an existing course or installed as part of a new course.

Being fully automated, this eliminates the need for customers or staff to manually enter scores. With interactive elements like lights, sounds, and special effects, you gain a competitive edge, with a more engaging and memorable experience for customers.

Are Motion-Activated Features a Functional Addition?

Motion-activated features are a great addition to mini golf, boosting engagement, providing a fun challenge, and attracting customers through unique experiences. These features may include responsive lighting and sound effects that react to player actions or successful holes, or more. This creates a more dynamic and immersive environment.

What are the benefits of these additions?

• Increased Engagement & Novelty: Motion-activated obstacles add an interactive layer that traditional obstacles lack, creating a more memorable experience.
• Attracts More Customers: The innovative nature of these features can be a significant draw for new and returning customers, generating positive word-of-mouth for the facility.
• Modern Appeal: These technological additions keep mini golf courses competitive and appealing to modern audiences looking for more than a simple course.
• Thematic Integration: Motion-activated elements can be seamlessly integrated into a course’s overall theme, such as moving parts in a “haunted” or “galaxy” theme.

Can Augmented Reality (AR) Enhance Gameplay?

Augmented Reality (AR) integrates virtual elements onto physical courses, increasing replayability, adding themed games, and creating interactive experiences that respond to players’ shots. Technologies like computer vision, spatial tracking, and physical ball tracking allow virtual content to interact with real-world balls, offering dynamic visual enhancements and new ways to play without costly physical renovations.

How does AR enhance mini golf?

• Virtual Themes: Instead of physical decorations, AR can overlay virtual themes onto the existing mini golf course, transforming its look and feel.
• Interactive Gameplay: Virtual elements can react to a player’s shots.
• New Games and Experiences: AR allows a single physical course to host multiple themed games and experiences, giving players more choice and reasons to return.
• Reduces Renovation Costs: Businesses can update their mini golf courses with AR, providing a fresh look and feel without the expense of physical construction and renovation.

Contact Us

Are you excited to bring in a younger audience with new tech upgrades to your mini golf course? At Mini Golf Creations, we help budding mini golf course owners worldwide design and build their dream businesses.

Find out more about our mini golf construction, mini golf course design,  mini golf turf, mini golf renovation, pop up mini golf, and our mini golf revenue calculator.  Get in touch with us today to learn more.