Putterfingers’ long-time friend and mini golf supremo Richard Gottfried has been busy. This is nothing new. He is, after all, half of the couple who regularly hit the news with their project to play every single crazy golf course in the country. With wife Emily he has played hundreds of minigolf courses and tirelessly blogged about them ever since 2006. As new courses pop up the Gottfrieds feel compelled to visit and play them, so their task is never done. The current tally is hovering around the 1,000 mark. Read about the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour here!
Richard is a marketing expert whose publications include The Minigolfer’s Guide to Marketing, a unique book that blends marketing and minigolf. It applies marketing techniques to minigolf and vice versa and is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the two subjects. He operates as a consultant in minigolf marketing by applying his deep knowledge of aspects of minigolf including course operators, pop-ups, competitions, equipment, national associations, international federations, clubs, suppliers, designers, builders and technology providers.
Among Richard’s latest efforts to promote mini golf is an article in the Interfun Expo Guide for UK Operators (page 13) which provides tips on how best to treat and communicate with customers in the light of COVID-19. With people emerging from government restrictions, he predicts a big uptick in demand for leisure activities like mini golf, even going so far as to say that demand will outstrip supply for a while. He encourages operators to go the extra mile to make customers feel welcome and secure upon their return to the mini golf course and to add as much warmth, goodwill and credibility as possible.
One example of how to achieve this is Cornwall Football Golf – admittedly not a crazy golf venue but operating along very similar lines. They have chosen Putterfingers to supply some additional signage to communicate with customers and make them feel welcome and cared for. Here are the boards they chose – call Putterfingers if you would like to discuss something similar to brighten up your mini golf course.
In the meantime, we wish Richard and Emily Gottfried all the best in their quest for minigolf completeness and we are cheering them on all the way!
