TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY PARK activities such as pitch-and-putt are being kicked into touch at Highlands End Holiday Park in Bridport, Dorset, by its marketing chief James Loveridge.
He says that since swapping the park’s pitch-and-putt course for an 18-hole Footgolf course in May 2024, more than 15,000 people have visited to enjoy the challenge.
That represents a 20-fold increase in the revenue generated by the once popular pitch-and-putt course.
“Traditional games such as pitch-and-putt have been on the wane for a number of years, while new sports like Footgolf have caught the public’s imagination,” said James.
“I decided to research how we could convert the existing pitch-and-putt fields into a Footgolf course, and found it didn’t require a great deal of investment or re-development work.
“I designed the course and obstacles myself, and sourced local suppliers for various features on the course, such as ramps, tunnels, hoops, loops, nets and local landmark-themed signs.
“Footgolf is a very family-friendly activity, and brings youngsters and adults together in a way that pitch-and-putt doesn’t – and with the ‘crazy’ element we’ve added with our range of obstacles, it is frankly a lot more fun.
“We’ve been staggered at just how quickly the course drew in additional visitors, not just from Highlands End but also other nearby holiday parks and other visitors to the region.
“As well as representing a growing profit centre for the business, it also introduces many more local residents and holidaymakers to the facilities the park provides, as well as other areas of the business like holiday accommodation and holiday home sales.
“There is, I believe, a strong argument for re-thinking some of the attractions our industry has long provided – and Footgolf is a perfect illustration of this,” added James.
In the most recent Dorset Tourism Awards, Highlands End was named among the county’s top three parks in the Holiday Park of The Year and the Regenerative Tourism categories.
For more information about Dorset Foot Golf, visit www.dorsetfootgolf.co.uk
