Subpar Miniature Golf

What Subpar Miniature Golf does

Subpar Miniature Golf is a privately held indoor entertainment operator founded in 2013 that runs two themed 19-hole miniature golf venues in the San Francisco Bay Area: one at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco and one on Park Street in Alameda. Each location layers multiple entertainment formats onto the core golf product — a ticket-earning arcade, a laser maze attraction, and pool tables — together with food and beverage service that is delivered through embedded partner vendors (Ace Mulligan's at Alameda; Tea Square Boba at San Francisco) rather than operated in-house. The company monetizes walk-in play, a premium nighttime Glow Golf product on Friday and Saturday evenings, and a structured set of group offerings including Room & Golf/Arcade Parties, Full Facility Rentals (up to 300 guests at the Alameda site), and weekday Field Trip packages priced at $10-$15 per student.

The business is operated as a physical retail entertainment concept with no proprietary technology or digital product. Its technology footprint is limited to commodity third-party platforms: Square for online tee-time reservations, Toasttab for digital gift cards redeemable at both locations, Honeybook for event inquiry intake, and Google Maps for wayfinding. Customer acquisition is direct-to-consumer via the company website, email newsletters, and location-specific social channels; there are no third-party reseller, wholesale, or e-commerce distribution channels. Pricing is a flat unit-economics model ($13-$19 per golf round depending on age and location, with no subscription or membership disclosed) and the company reports 11-50 employees across both venues.

Revenue mechanics span four streams: golf admissions (one-time ticket), arcade and entertainment usage (card-based credits), event and party bookings (reserved block rentals), and food/beverage through partner vendors (transaction-fee economics). The customer base is anonymous walk-in retail consumers, families, private event bookers, and educational/youth groups, with no named enterprise or institutional accounts disclosed. No funding rounds, M&A activity, or ownership disclosures are present in the source data, and the company has not been reported as pursuing geographic expansion beyond its two existing Bay Area sites.

Name

Subpar Miniature Golf

Legal name

Subpar Miniature Golf

Website

https://subparminigolf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Subpar Miniature Golf operates two indoor 19-hole themed miniature golf venues in the San Francisco Bay Area (Ghirardelli Square and Alameda), adding arcade, laser maze, pool tables, partner-operated food and beverage, and private event and field trip programming for families, groups, and walk-in retail consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indoor Entertainment and Family Entertainment Centers

NAICS

Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Mini Golf & Attractions Centers (Mini Golf, Go-Karts, Laser Tag Complexes) (THAJAEAK)

Keywords

• Indoor miniature golf
• Arcade entertainment
• Family entertainment center
• Private party venue
• Field trip programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Alameda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Miniature Golf Admissions: Revenue from 19-hole miniature golf rounds and Glow Golf (UV-lit nighttime golf) sessions at both San Francisco and Alameda locations. Standard pricing varies by location and age group; Glow Golf commands premium pricing.
2. Food and Beverage Sales: Revenue from food and drink offerings sourced through partner vendors: Ace Mulligan's at Alameda location and Tea Square Boba at San Francisco location. Includes beer, wine, soft drinks, snacks, pizza, party platters, and specialty boba drinks.
3. Arcade and Entertainment: Revenue from arcade card purchases and arcade play. Customers buy arcade cards with credits to play games and win tickets for prizes. Pool table usage also generates revenue.
4. Event and Party Bookings: Revenue from Room & Golf Parties, Room & Arcade Parties, Full Facility Rentals, and Field Trips. Includes private party room reservations, reserved golf rounds, arcade cards, and catering/food orders for events.
5. Gift Cards: Digital eGift cards sold through Toasttab platform, redeemable at both locations for golf rounds, arcade cards, and food/drink purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Subpar Miniature Golf operates two themed indoor miniature golf entertainment venues in the San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square and Alameda). The core product is 19-hole miniature golf with courses depicting local landmarks, supplemented by Glow Golf nighttime UV play, an arcade with prize tickets, a laser maze, and pool tables. The company also hosts private events (birthday parties, corporate gatherings, field trips) and full facility rentals, with food and beverage provided by on-site partner brands (Ace Mulligan's and Tea Square Boba).

Product overview

Subpar Miniature Golf operates two entertainment venues (Alameda and San Francisco Ghirardelli Square) offering miniature golf as the core product alongside arcade gaming, laser maze, and pool tables. The company provides food and beverage through two sub-brands: Ace Mulligan's (Alameda) and Tea Square Boba (SF). Additional revenue streams include event hosting services (Room & Golf Parties, Arcade Parties, Facility Rentals, Field Trips), glow golf nighttime experiences, and gift cards. The San Francisco location offers Golf Side, Arcade Side, and combined rental options, while Alameda provides full facility rentals for up to 300 guests.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ace Mulligan's: Food and drink partner at Subpar Alameda location, offering snacks, beer, wine, and soft drinks.
• Tea Square Boba

Products and services

• Standard Miniature Golf

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 30% busier on rainy days

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Ace Mulligan'scoreOthersFood and beverage partner at the Alameda location. Provides snacks, beer, wine, soft drinks, pizza, party platters, and other food items that can be enjoyed in the dining area or patio. Customers can visit Ace Mulligan's even without playing golf.
• Tea Square BobacoreOthersFood and beverage partner at the San Francisco Ghirardelli Square location. Provides snacks, boba drinks, beer, wine, soft drinks, party platters, and other refreshments enjoyed on the patio. Open to patio visitors regardless of golf play.
• SquaresupportingTechnology or IntegrationProvides online booking and reservation platform for both Subpar locations. Customers book golf times through square.site links. Handles payment processing for reservations including gift card reservation bookings.
• ToasttabsupportingTechnology or IntegrationThird-party gift card platform used to sell and distribute digital eGift cards for both Subpar locations. Gift cards are redeemable at both SF and Alameda venues.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Puttshack: Tech-enabled indoor mini golf chain with patented ball-tracking and a multi-attraction food-and-drink venue model; directly comparable concept to Subpar's themed mini golf plus F&B and event-rental positioning.
• Urban Putt: San Francisco-based indoor mini golf venue with themed courses, full bar, and kitchen — the closest geographic and concept peer to Subpar's SF location, competing for the same Bay Area customer base.
• Monster Mini Golf: Chain of indoor glow-in-the-dark miniature golf venues with arcade components; comparable themed indoor mini golf + arcade product bundle, though typically operating in suburban retail parks rather than urban tourist districts.
• Swingers (Crazy Golf Club): Indoor 'crazy golf' venues with cocktails, food, and themed courses across NYC, London, and DC; a near-direct concept peer competing for adult group/corporate event bookings alongside family entertainment.
• Glow Fore: Indoor UV-lit glow mini golf concept that overlaps directly with Subpar's Glow Golf evening offering and themed indoor mini golf positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Lucky Strike Entertainment: Bowling-and-entertainment venue operator (formerly Bowlero) running full-service entertainment centers with F&B and group events; competing for Bay Area private-event and group-outing spend.
• Dave & Buster's: National eat-and-play entertainment chain combining arcade gaming with food and drinks; broader incumbent competing with Subpar for share of group entertainment and party spend.
• Round1: Multi-attraction family entertainment centers offering bowling, arcade, karaoke, and billiards; competes with Subpar's arcade, laser maze, and pool table offerings for walk-in and party demand.
• Chuck E. Cheese: Long-established family entertainment center with arcade games, rides, and food; competes for Subpar's family and birthday-party customer base at a national scale.
• Topgolf: Golf-based entertainment venue combining tech-driven golf gameplay with food, drinks, and group events; broader incumbent in golf entertainment competing for corporate and group leisure dollars.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/subpar-miniature-golf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Subpar Miniature Golf