Highlands End Holiday Park in Dorset has hailed the success of its new foot golf course and recommended other parks to consider creating one.
The park, near Bridport, launched Dorset Foot Golf in May 2024 and it was an instant hit with thousands of customers flooding in.
Marketing chief, James Loveridge, had the idea after visiting other foot golf facilities and enjoying his experience.
He said: “Our pitch and putt was just not very well used so I’ve been pushing for it for a few years.
“We converted it into an 18 hole foot golf course and have had more than 15,000 visitors since opening.
“It brings in 20 times the revenue of the pitch n putt course and has been attracting people staying at other holiday parks and other accommodations in the area, to the park, as well as lots of local residents such as football clubs and other sports teams or groups.”
Family appeal
James said he was always confident that the conversion would pay off.
The park management has created it with a range of features similar to ‘crazy golf’ to boost the appeal to families and children.
Data shows 45% of the users so far have been kids.
He said: “I knew it was a growing sport and thought our site would be perfect for it.
“I think pitch and putt is much harder to play for most people.
“Footgolf has much wider appeal and it’s definitely easier for children to do.
“The idea was to get visitors up here to see our facilities and the views, and also keep our customers on site. Hopefully this has an impact on future bookings too.
“We have been getting a lot of players from other holiday parks and a decent amount from the local community as we leafletted the area, which did help get the word out.
“We’ve also got listings out on Visit Dorset website and some paid for Facebook posts advertising it.”
The stats
- 10,807 people played in 2025 – around 55% adults, 45% children
- 15,700 people played since opening in May 2024
- May to November 2025 revenue up 64% over 2024 – growing in popularity and awareness
- Previous 9 hole Pitch ’n’ Putt was used by around 1,000 people per year. The Foot Golf course takes around 15x the revenue.
- Charges £10/£6 for adults/children, more than double the fees for pitch n putt
The design and build process
Dorset Foot Golf, as the course is named, did not require a huge investment.
It has been designed in a more playful way than most foot golf courses, which are more akin to traditional golf.
James explained: “There’s not been a huge amount to do to convert the pitch n putt.
“I designed the course myself and came up with the idea for obstacles and we’ve used our own maintenance team and a range of local tradespeople to design and manufacture the various features on the course, such as ramps, tunnels, hoops, loops, nets and local landmark themed signs.
“The only thing that’s come from a national footgolf supplier is the holes and the flagpoles.
“The capital cost was fairly low, just a few thousand pounds, and the labour.
“The running costs are also minimal as we manage it from our on-site shop. Customers book online and collect their score card and football from the store.
“We might staff it next summer to improve customer service but there’s not been any issues at all running it this way.”
Advice to other parks
“It’s definitely something parks can do quite easily if they’ve got the land,” said James.
“My main advice, or if I was to do ours again, is that I would make it a bit smaller.
“Ours is on seven acres and I think I could have done it on half that. A lot of our holes are 100 yards long, so if I was doing it again I’d make a lot of them shorter so it’s a bit easier for children.
“The other issue to consider is how flat the site is – if it’s too slopey the ball can run away if the grass is short or there’s not enough grass.”
All images courtesy Dorset Foot Golf
