NOTES REGARDING PLANNING
The more exact the planning, the quicker and more precise the realization. As supporting document you will require a surveyor’s plan, scale 1:100, which shall contain all locally prevailing facts: (neighborhood, connections for water, sewage, electricity, existing built-ins, plantation, watercourse, etc.). Furthermore, existing heights (in normal altitudes in 5-m-grids, greater unevenness in 2-m-grids) must be clearly depicted on the surveyor’s plan.
This document is required for the issuance of a general building permit by the appropriate authorities. This construction file let’s you benefit from lessons learned. How you then design your building project is completely up to you.
The design has to first establish the optimal location of the entrance (with cashier’s/ticket office, toilets, kiosk, etc.) This is where every game starts and ends. Construction of the fairways in the sequence 1-18 has to result in a closed thoroughfare without fairways crossing each other. The following basic rules should be strictly adhered for detailed planning:
– The location of the entrance and cashier’s/ticket office shall be chosen so that players are unable to change from fairway 18 to fairway 1. Entrance and exit may not cross each other.
– Each fairway shall follow the previous fairway smoothly. Depending on the shape of the area and the lot, the direction of the thoroughfare will change. It must, however, be avoided that a player is forced to go back in order to continue with the game on the next fairway. In unleveled areas, the fairways will be located according to the lines of the layers. This way, expensive bearing walls respectively digging can be avoided.
– The distance between the end circle and the fairways that follows next should be approximately 2 – 3 m. If the size of the area allows it, especially if expected traffic is high, two of each of the fairways number 4, 15 and 18 and possibly 8 shall be planned, to be located side-by-side of each other, to avoid hold-ups.
The final set-up of the fairways should be in such a manner that the fairways are, to the greatest extent possible, evenly spread throughout the miniature golf course and allow for connecting walkways that are of sufficient width. Attention must be paid that – looking at it from moving direction – the ways are wider on the left side of the fairways and smaller on the right side. This is due to the superior number of right-hand players, who always play from the left side of the fairway. Benches near fairways number 3, number 4, number 8, number 15 and number 18 have proven to be welcome. Here less skilled players often need the highest number of tries allowed according to the rules. The players behind them like to use this time for a little rest.
Experience has also proven that it is extremely advantageous if an area with tables and chairs is available for guests waiting to play on the periphery of the thoroughfare. Also, a small playground for pre-school! children would be very profitable.
Furthermore, the provision of an opportunity to also play table tennis has proven to be an encouragement during the past years. On top of that, one or two bocce tracks are available in southern Europe.
Always keep in mind that you want to treat your guests to something special and that you want to create a place to relax as well as a place for recreation.