Putt Zone Fun Center--Paul Elliott

Introduction

The Putt Zone Fun Center is a commercial recreation business in Champaign, Illinois. Although you may not guess from the name, the Putt Zone offers more than just a miniature golf course. Besides having two 18-hole mini golf courses, the Putt Zone also has a trampoline basketball court and a batting cage with various speed levels. There is also a sheltered pavilion area with picnic tables available for group functions such as birthday parties. The Putt Zone Fun Center has been serving the Champaign community for forty seven years.

Background Information

As you can see from the picture, the Putt Zone Fun Center is located on Dennison Drive, just off of Prospect Avenue. Right now (school hours), it is open Monday-Thursday from 3 pm-10pm, 3 pm-11pm on Fridays, 11am-11pm on Saturdays, and 11am-10pm on Sundays (open April-October). Prices are pretty reasonable with mini-golf costing $5.00/game, batting cages costing $1.50/18 pitches, and the trampoline basketball court costing $6.00/8 minute session.

Current Trends

Like the pictures above show, the Putt Zone’s sheltered pavilion is available for birthday parties. This exemplifies how a business like the Putt Zone is catering to the public. In the past, commercial recreation businesses like the Putt Zone may have been able to get away with just providing one service (mini-golfing). But nowadays, this isn’t the case. They have to maximize their profit by bringing in people for birthdays and other get-togethers. Although the Putt Zone enjoys hosting birthdays and group outings, the main reasoning for attracting groups is to get people to see their services. The Putt Zone is counting on the people attending the party to find enjoyment using the mini-golf courses, trampoline basketball court, and batting cages with the hope that they will get “hooked” and come back in the future. So in a way, hosting group outings is a form of advertising for the Putt Zone.

This picture is taken of the “clubhouse” of the Putt Zone. Essentially, the clubhouse for a mini-golf course is where you pay for use of the course and pick up your putter and colored ball. The clubhouse at the Putt Zone also sells candy and drinks, along with tickets for the batting cages and trampoline basketball. At upper scale mini-golf courses there may be a larger clubhouse capable of seating those eating indoors, but at the Putt Zone all the seating is outdoors on picnic tables.

Employment Opportunities

At the Putt Zone Fun Center, and in the mini-golf industry in general, there are various forms of employment. Most mini-golf courses are individually owned and operated. The owners have to design the course, set prices, and make sure everything runs smoothly. Another form of employment would be the individuals who work in the "clubhouse," where they would be selling tickets and refreshments. That would be the entry level job and a way to get one's "foot in the door." Those working in the clubhouse would also be responsible for any problems customers may have while they're using the Putt Zone's services and would have to work a little maintenance (watering grass and flowers, garbage cans). In my opinion, the entry level job (clubhouse worker) would be a great job during college, although I wouldn't want to pursue a career at that position. Working in the clubhouse would also give you insight into how a commercial recreation business works and operates so that someday you may be able to start your own.

Main Benefit

The Putt Zone Fun Center is a great place of leisure available to all those who enjoy mini-golf, trampoline basketball, or baseball/softball. They want to provide the best possible experience to their customers. The best benefit they offer to their community is the opportunity to host birthday/celebratory gatherings. The Putt Zone Fun Center does a great job of catering to large group gatherings by offering excellent group discounts and deals.

Synopsis

From my experiences at the Putt Zone Fun Center, I would highly recommend the use of their facilities and services. Their staff was courteous and easy to communicate with, and I had a blast. I actually got a "buy one game get one free" coupon for putting a whole in one, which shows how they care about their customers. With that being said, I wouldn't want a career in the mini-golf industry. Like I said earlier, the mini-golf industry provides good temporary employment to high school and college students, but doesn't have a whole lot of options for a career, besides owning your own. One of the biggest problems that businesses like the Putt Zone Fun Center face is drawing customers back on a consistent basis. To build a consistent and stable business, you must have a variety of services available and a caring staff. I think the Putt Zone has both, so go and enjoy!