Zellar Consulting, LLC

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Planning A Successful Miniature Golf Waterfall System

By Paul L. Zellar

One thing that will make a statement about the quality of your miniature golf facility is the action and realism of its waterfall system. A thundering waterfall facing the road frontage is sure to attract the attention of potential guests driving by. If it is done poorly the rest of your facility may be seen as second rate as well. Here are a few tips on how to make your system visually effective and economical.

Walk around the perimeter of your site and evaluate which direction a waterfall will draw the most attention from nearby roadways, intersections, high traffic businesses, etc. This will require the waterfall with the highest flow rate and elevation. Next locate a waterfall directed at the common area of the park to attract guests from outdoor seating areas or other attractions. Guests need to be excited about playing near water features from inside the park. Position caves or other structures to support these waterfalls at a high enough elevation so that the desired visibility is achieved.

The main lagoon must be large enough to act as the main reservoir for the entire water system. This means that a pump and piping system must pump from this lagoon to the uppermost point of the waterfalls and that the water must return through a series of streams and pools to recirculate back to supply the pump. The main lagoon is generally three feet deep and is located at the lowest part of the miniature golf course.

The most efficient pump for miniature golf water is a vertical turbine. It consists of a pump with an impeller on a shaft submerged below the water level and driven by an electric motor mounted on top with a coupled drive shaft for a direct drive. Pump and motor are mounted on top of a precast concrete manhole structure on the side of the lagoon for a "wet well". A PVC pipe (12" to 18" OD) is coupled to the discharge flange of the pump and runs underground to the bowl at the top of the cave or other structure to supply the waterfalls. No check valves are required for this system as it is self-priming. A themed enclosure is built to conceal the pump and motor as it is more than six feet high above the water level of the lagoon.

The amount of water flowing over the waterfalls depends on the effect desired. If you need a thundering torrent that guests will have to shout to each other to be heard when standing nearby, at least 2,000 gallons per minute (gpm) will be required. A nice calm garden effect waterfall will require only about 500 gpm. We experimented with flows as much as 7,000 gpm on some Mountasia facilities to get the spectacular effects of rushing waterfalls and whitewater streams, as the cost of the pump system does not significantly increase with larger flows. We found, however, that the construction costs significantly increased because of the larger height of the banks of the streams and waterfalls to contain such a large flow. A skillful designer can get the full waterfall action effects with less water by making shelves and splash pools to spread the flow and create more visible white water action. Water that flows smoothly as over a dam is nearly invisible from a distance, even though it may be a high volume flow.

Many miniature golf waterfalls look like a large lump of concrete with water coming out of the top of it. This looks out of place with the landscaping and theming of the rest of the facility. A natural waterfall has pockets of plants growing in islands in the middle of it or along its banks. Soften that ugly concrete with some planters with flowers, hanging vines, palm trees, or ornamental grasses. Mix some natural rock that has moss growing on it with the carved and painted concrete rockwork. If your waterfall is big enough, make one section calmer with stair-stepping pools overflowing into each other and around planters while another section has more action with a larger vertical drop splashing on boulders or shallow pools at the bottom. Visiting real waterfalls and photographing effects can give you ideas to copy.

Much can be done inside a cave when water is flowing over the top of it. The easiest feature to add is a window waterfall where guests can see the waterfall from behind through a window in the side of the cave. There is always quite a bit of spray inside the cave and the carpet may stay wet from it. Another common effect is a small waterfall trickling down an interior wall with a small stream flowing next to the golf hole in the cave. This is done with a gravity pipe through the top of the cave to supply it and a buried pipe leading to a stream for an outlet.

Depending on the topography of your site, streams can be very active or calm and peaceful. Many sites are too flat to get enough fall to make active streams. Save the fall for water movement where guests have the most visibility, such as where a bridge crosses or a golf hole is played on the bank. Widening the stream slows water down as does deepening the flow. Make a border of carved or natural rock so that landscape mulch and clippings do not wash into the streams easily. If there is not much land available a miniature golf hole can bridge over a stream to avoid building a bridge between holes. Once again, do not make the stream a smooth boring flow, as in a flume. Create rapids, ripples, and pools with some well placed rocks to make the most of the flow.

Plan some miniature golf holes with water flowing across or around them at strategic places. Supply the flow with small open streams branching off waterfalls or main streams or with buried gravity pipes. Remember that guests wading in streams after lost balls are not having fun. Everyone loves playing the trick water holes, such as the one where the ball seems to be lost in the nearby stream only to appear from the border near the cup.

Many facilities are now making the miniature golf lagoon into a bumper boat lagoon with a dock for the boats and filter system to keep the water clean. There are specific factors to consider when doing this, such as:

There is considerably more volume of water to filter than a normal bumper boat lagoon, since the same water is circulated through all the other water features. This may require you to install a larger filter system or electric boats.

When the pump system is turned off at night the water level in the main lagoon will rise by about six to ten inches from the waterfalls and streams draining down. The skimmers then are submerged and not filtering the gas and oil from the surface.

The main lagoon is often used as a stormwater detention pond, meaning most of the facility drains into it. This has the potential for silt and debris to wind up on the bottom and will be churned up by the propellers of the boats. In order to get the calculated detention volume the sides of the lagoon are often raised as well, meaning that the dock may be under water in a storm event.

A bumper boat lagoon is considered to be similar to a swimming pool by regulatory agencies, since guests are actually on the water and being splashed during the ride. Otherwise it is considered as an ornamental water system and is held to a lesser standard.

In general, your main lagoon is a major feature of your facility and the miniature golf holes should be placed as close as possible to the bank, as guests really enjoy playing next to water. Many regulatory agencies are now requiring a childproof fence around lagoons for safety. This can be accomplished with a wooden rail fence with the black netting covering it. This will also prevent your expensive golf balls from rolling into the water.

Often there will be places where a smaller lagoon is desirable, such as near outdoor seating areas or below major waterfalls. These lagoons can be much shallower, as they are only ornamental and not the main reservoir for the pumping system. Make sure they do not drain back to the main lagoon when the pump is turned off at night, as this will require the pump to fill it back up in the morning and will cause considerable delay in getting the entire system circulating again. It will also cause a very large fluctuation in water level at the main lagoon. The smaller pools in the waterfalls and streams should drain empty as much as possible at shutdown for ease of maintenance and repairs.

Miniature golf is primarily an evening activity with most of the busiest times after the evening meal during the week and starting later on weekend evenings. The beautiful water effects you have created will be wasted unless they are adequately lighted. Most miniature golf facilities are brightly illuminated from overhead fixtures on poles since guests must be able to see their small golf ball rolling on dark carpet more than 30 feet away. Many facilities use small colored fixtures to accent the waterfalls and streams, but these are washed out by the strong overhead lights. The best method for lighting a waterfall is to position one of the overhead poles near it to light it from above and add some large ground mounted floodlights at the bottom shining up to fill in the shadows. Remember that the major water action occurs at the bottom of vertical drops where the water splashes around as it slaps onto rocks and into shallow pools. The overhead lights tend to make these areas in dark shadows.

Design your water system so that it is realistic and highly visible, as it can be your best draw for drive-by visibility. It must be designed before the miniature golf holes are added to the plan. Use it to vary the mood in different areas of the facility and remember that guests love to be around moving water.

ADA PROPOSED REQUIREMENTS FOR MINIATURE GOLF

ADAAG is specifying that all miniature golf holes be accessible and connected by accessible routes, with the exception of elevated holes.

· The attraction of miniature golf is playing through obstacles on the golf holes, thus allowing smaller (miniature) holes to be entertaining. When the design of these holes is changed to take away these obstacles (which include carpeted up and down slopes, humps, depressions, shelves, plateaus, etc.) the nature of the game is changed, as it becomes less challenging and fun to play. New and renovated facilities that comply with these regulations will have a difficult task to compete with existing facilities that have the more difficult and fun miniature golf holes.

· Miniature golf should not be held to the same standard of 100% compliance as full sized golf, since miniature golf is a much more intense land use with 36 holes typically being built on less than an acre of land. Most facilities are built in increments of 18 holes with intertwining or adjoining 18 hole loops. I know of one facility in Florida that has 90 holes of miniature golf, it is unreasonable to require that they all be compliant when 18 holes is the standard round of miniature golf.

· It should be adequate for disabled guests to play nine accesible holes out of 36 to experience playing miniature golf, as long as the nine holes are representative of the various golf holes of the entire facility. I have been designing facilities this way and have had no complaints from disabled guests.

· Even with the 50% exception for elevated holes this will still be a hardship for the "Adventure Golf" style courses that are being built on severe topography. The real estate required for the additional ramps, sidewalks, and earthworks for the elevated holes will increase by 25% to 30%. I have designed 54 hole facilities with an elaborate waterfall/stream/lagoon system and three elevated caves on 1.6 acres. This rule will make this type of vertical construction too expensive to fit within most development budgets.

· I propose that elevated holes should be defined as holes with one of the following properties:

1. Any hole that has more than two feet of grade change from any other hole within a ten foot horizontal distance from its perimeter.

2. Multi-tiered holes with more than two feet vertical difference between levels that must be accessed through connecting walkways.

3. Continuous holes with the tee end more than three feet higher than the cup end exceeding the 1:20 slope requirement.

· The proposed rules require accessible walkways to connect the tee areas of all accessible holes. Since 50% of "elevated" holes are not required to be accessible, there will probably be additional accessible walkways required to be constructed for disabled guests to bypass these inaccessible holes. This will add to the cost of compliance for developers and renovators in both real estate and hard construction.

· Removable curbs where the accessible route intersects the border of a hole, although better than gaps in the border, may not be a practical solution. Since miniature golf courses are largely unsupervised, these removable curbs may be a source of mischief for teenage guests, especially when called out by signage or scorecard diagrams. They may also be too heavy for disabled guests to lift from their wheelchairs.

I have had very good results with building a solid border around the entire hole, and requiring disabled guests to enter and exit at the tee end of the hole. An accessible sidewalk must be built on one side of the exterior of the hole to allow disabled guests to get to the next golf hole. This is the simplest solution, but it does require the sidewalk.

· A maximum depression of 1:4 for 4 inches should be allowed in addition to the proposed rise of 1:4 for 4 inches.

· Instead of the 60 inch by 60 inch level tee area I would prefer to specify that the tee area must contain a 60 inch diameter circle, which is the approved wheelchair turning radius.

· The proposed rules require that all level areas within an accessible hole be located within 27 inches of an accessible route with a slope not to exceed 1:20. How is "level area" defined? There should be a size limitation, such as 50 square feet, or small shelves or plateaus may require accessible routes. This rule may also require accessible sidewalks on both sides of accessible golf holes in some cases where there are too many hazards built into the playing surface of the hole. The 1:20 should be changed to 1:12, since the handrail requirement is being waived.

· Standard miniature golf carpet is made of polypropylene and will be damaged from wheelchair wear. This will result in more frequent replacement of carpet or the use of more expensive carpet.

· It will be very expensive to make an existing facility comply with these regulations when renovating, as miniature golf is such an intensive land use with very little space between holes and water features. It may become more cost effective to remove the miniature golf holes and start over with new ones that are compliant than to modify the existing ones.

· These regulations will discourage new development of miniature golf facilities since there will be higher development costs combined with a probable reduced revenue from less interesting (and fun) holes to play.

Miniature Golf Site Due Diligence Evaluation

by Paul L. Zellar

There are many due diligence land mines to avoid when considering a new miniature golf site. It pays to do your due diligence homework before committing to spending major dollars on developing your site. The following is a due diligence formula that has worked well for me for many miniature golf projects in some very difficult locations.

Location, Location, Location

Location is always the major factor determining whether your facility will be a success or failure. Analyze such factors as traffic count and traffic patterns, drive-by visibility, demographics, distance from competition, commercial and residential development in the immediate area, and major highway improvements planned for the next five years. There may be a parcel that is an ideal location, but has never been developed because the land is an irregular shape that is difficult for most conventional commercial uses. The advantage of a miniature golf development is that, since it is basically a landscaping project, it can make use of all manner of odd shapes and bends in boundaries. The ideal parcel shape is always rectangular, but miniature golf can be built on triangles, doglegs, "T" shapes, etc.

 Existing Features

Walk the entire site and look for natural features to be considered in design and budget such as large specimen trees, rock outcroppings, wetlands, sinkholes, creeks, etc. There may be federal, state, county, or city regulations protecting these features from being disturbed by developers. Miniature golf is the most flexible form of outdoor amusement there is, and can be designed around these obstacles if there is enough land available at a price that does not break your budget.

Is the topography suitable for drive-by visibility? The best condition is for the land to slope up from the road frontage. If the land is too low to be seen from the road, an expensive fill process may be required to raise even a portion of the frontage to an acceptable grade. Visualize how your parking lot and clubhouse will be situated in relation to the miniature golf course and road grade.

Next evaluate any man-made features on the property such as billboards, overhead power lines, underground pipelines, buildings, cemeteries, trash piles, foundations, septic tanks, wells, etc. There may be covenants or easements protecting them from developers.

  Boundary and Topographic Surveys

Order a boundary and topographic survey from a reputable licensed surveyor and specify that all improvements and natural features are shown. Specify that the contour intervals are adequate for use in designing drainage. Make sure that his survey extends to 50 feet beyond the property lines to show adjacent improvements and drainage slopes. Make sure all adjoining paving, curbs, sidewalks, driveways, etc. are shown on the survey. Specify that all property corners are clearly marked and monumented when the boundary survey is performed. If there is a lender involved at this early stage of the project, request that they give the surveyor their survey specifications, if they have them. When possible, hire a surveyor that can give his drawing in an Autocad or similar computer file format, as the survey is the base information of the site plan and grading plan by your civil engineer.

 Zoning

It pays to make a trip to the city or county zoning office to introduce yourself and ask about whether this use is allowed on this property and if an approval process is required such as for a rezoning or specific use permit. They will be able to tell you if there will be opposition from local homeowners’ groups and how difficult they can be. Remember that nearly all zoning actions require public hearings, and this is a very political process. Ask for a copy of the schedule for each month’s application submittal deadline, and which public hearings your action would be considered at. This is normally a 60 to 90 day process from application submittal date.

It is helpful to bring a conceptual site plan or a site plan from a similar project so that the zoning staff can anticipate specific problems on this land with this use. Always find out if they will allow miniature golf holes and sidewalks to be located within building setbacks, as this can make a significant difference in the usable land for your project. Ask for a copy of the zoning ordinance that will have building setbacks, landscape buffers, height limits, parking requirements, etc. Also ask for a copy of the zoning map showing what this property and surrounding adjacent property is zoned.

While at the zoning office (often called the Community Development Department), ask if there are ordinances regulating landscaping, signage, lighting, noise, access, dumpsters, etc. It may be advisable to bring a wheelbarrow to haul all the ordinances home with you, but each can have a large impact on your project’s budget and schedule. If you are rezoning the property, make sure you use the regulations pertaining to the new zoning classification your land will be changed to.

 Drainage and Utilities

While walking through your city or county government building with your wheelbarrow, stop in to the Engineering Department and show them what you plan to build and where. They will tell you if there is a floodplain on your property and what is required for storm water retention and storm water treatment. They will be familiar with your property and how it fits with the area’s drainage scheme. This department could also require an expensive piping/treatment program that may extend beyond the property lines of your site and/or render portions of your property unusable. Ask them for copies of the storm water treatment design criteria and storm sewer maps showing pipe sizes and depths.

Next push your wheelbarrow to the Public Works Department and find out if there are sanitary sewer and potable water available to your property, and if so, if the capacity is adequate for the facility you plan to build. Often developers are required to upgrade utility mains, which serve many properties, as a condition of approval for a building permit, and could prove expensive. Other municipalities require impact fees to be paid by developers for future improvements to lines and treatment plants. Find out the rates charged for sewer and water usage, tap fees, and meter/valve requirements. Most municipalities will allow an irrigation meter that does not have sewer usage charges billed to it. This is absolutely necessary to keep operating costs down, especially if your miniature golf course has water features. Make sure your site has a fire protection line with fire hydrants in close proximity or you may be required to install this yourself to meet fire code.

 Covenants and Easements

You may think that everything is under control with your project since everything checked out at the city or county, but do not proceed with any plans until you get a Title Report. This is something that can spoil your whole day when it arrives. Schedule B of the Title Report will list the easements and covenants that your property is subject to. Unfortunately, the Title Report only lists them and describes each item in one sentence, with information as to where these instruments are recorded. Pick up the phone, call the title company, and request that they send you copies of all covenants and easements from Schedule B you think may affect your project and ship them to you as soon as possible.

Covenants are normally set up by developers for large multi stage developments and can specify many different restrictions on setbacks, landscaping, lighting, building materials, fencing, signage, parking, etc. They may set up an Architectural Review Committee that must approve all projects. The most restrictive I have found are when you plan to build on an out-parcel of a regional mall. There often are conflicts between zoning ordinances and covenants, and you must play middleman and comply with both, which means that the most restrictive requirement rules.

Easements can be equally devastating in creating conditions to be designed around. Easements can be for utilities, access, view corridors, drainage, construction slopes, etc. Some easements are temporary, and some are for things that no longer exist, all must be taken seriously, especially when there is a lender involved in financing your project.

 Environmental Audit

Always cover your liability as developer by ordering a Phase I Environmental Audit. This is an investigation by a certified company into the environmental suitability of your property. They will walk the property and look for potential sources of contamination such as oil drums or trash piles, they will research all governmental databases for incidents of reported hazardous spills that may affect your property. They will evaluate topography, drainage, and soil conditions to see if any nearby spills could have contaminated your property. If contamination is suspected they will make recommendations for further investigations.

 Geotechnical Report

Many surprises have been found below the surface of the ground once construction starts. Do not assume that because the soil looks good and feels good when you walk on it that it is good dirt to build on. A structural engineer will require borings where you plan to build your clubhouse to design the foundation. All Mountasia miniature golf facilities have caves that also require a building permit, since guests walk inside them, thus requiring a structural engineer and soil borings. It is a good idea to include some shallow hand auger borings in the parking lot area to determine how it needs to be designed to keep from breaking up. Often the same company will provide the Environmental Audit and Geotechnical Report.

 Conclusion

These due diligence actions are normally done before you go to the expense of purchasing the land and hiring engineers and architects to start on the final set of plans. There may be times when you must start the full set of plans to be done before the due diligence process is complete in order to meet a deadline, such as for a spring opening, but this is always a gamble risking expensive revisions. The main conclusion is to be careful and don’t get caught with an expensive parcel of commercial property you can not use or that is too expensive to develop to make your facility economically viable.

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