Arcade-Themed Mini Golf Course Design Elevates Kingston Entertainment Venue

When Urban Fun set out to shake up Kingston’s social entertainment scene, they had a clear vision: create a venue where everyone could play. Bowling, axe throwing, AR darts, curling lanes, karaoke rooms, and an arcade all under one roof, designed for groups, families, and friends looking for high-energy fun.

With their first site in Reading already open, their second location on the outskirts of London needed something that would set it apart. That meant a mini golf course design  that would add something distinct, encourage competition, and work for every type of visitor walking through their doors. That’s what we set out to design.

Bringing Arcade Nostalgia to Life

The result? A 9-hole mini golf course design centered on gaming nostalgia. The course recreates classic arcade and party games that guests instantly recognize:

• Racing themed hole with a tyre loop-da-loop challenge running beneath an arcade racing machine
• Beer pong with oversized party cups as targets
• Pinball machine with a vertical board, pins, and colored scoring zones
• Plinko-style drop board where balls bounce through pegs
• Basketball arcade hoop shot with scoring zones
• Bowling alley lane with pins and hidden target holes
• Coin pusher game with an angled table requiring precise timing
• Ring toss arcade game with center and outer rings
• A claw machine where landing the shot gives players a real claw attempt for prizes.

Every hole transforms a game that you know into a putting challenge. The beer pong cups route your ball to different finishing positions based on where you land. The pinball board redirects your ball using pins, just like the arcade version. And finally, the claw machine rewards a good putt with an actual prize opportunity.

The mini golf themes tap into nostalgia while creating immediate engagement. Players see beer pong or a claw machine and immediately know what to do, which drives competition and gets groups playing right away.

As a multi-attraction provider we also delivered multiple custom illuminated beer pong tables as part of the project to add yet another unique element to the venue to help set it apart and take fun activities to a new level.

Complementing Urban Fun’s Multi-Attraction Model

The mini golf course was designed to work seamlessly with Urban Fun’s multi-attraction model. Families with kids use it as their starting point before exploring the arcade or curling. Friend groups treat it as a competitive warm-up, letting the energy build as they move from beer pong putts to axe-throwing. The nostalgic design gets everyone talking and competing right from the start.

Since opening in December 2025, Urban Fun has been seeing longer visits and repeat bookings. The course gives them something distinct that sets them apart in Kingston’s entertainment scene, exactly as envisioned.

When Theming and Strategy Align

Family entertainment centers and multi-attraction venues face a commercial reality: every attraction must justify its footprint. That means driving dwell time, creating repeat visit triggers, and delivering experiences guests want to share. When a mini golf course design is developed with those objectives built into the strategy, it performs.

The right theming creates shareable moments. Great gameplay keeps guests returning and smart design strengthens the venue’s identity. We start by understanding what makes your venue different, then build on it with theming and design that amplify your brand. When those elements align, mini golf stops being just another activity. It becomes the reason guests walk through the door.