Venue where fun is par for the course
WITH pro golfers and social media influencers among its wide range of customers, Holey Moley Surfers Paradise has a lot to celebrate at its first birthday next month.
The three-in-one karaoke, escape room and putt-putt venue will kick-off celebrations in March by giving away $10,000 cash in the Holey Moley Masters competition.
Holey Moley joined the existing Strike Bowling establishment at Surfers Paradise last year, with the two brands owned by the same company, Funlab. Venue manager Wayne Robson said he welcomed the addition of a puttputt venue with open arms.
“I’d worked at Strike for four years and needed a new challenge,” he said.
“Strike was 11 years old and needed revitalisation so when we learned Holey Moley would be joining us, it was a big win.”
The Arundel local said the franchise’s popularity at its eleven other Australian locations ensured the success of the Gold Coast branch.
“From day one it was explosive, we’ve seen a 70 per cent increase in customers which has boosted staff morale.”
Mr Robson said he secured the addition of Holey Moley in January and opened doors in March which put him under “an extremely tight schedule”.
“We shut Monday to Friday during the day to complete a five-week fit-out and had minimal issues overall,” he said.
“There was a significant cost involved but it was money well spent.”
The secret to a successful new business opening is “communication”, according to Mr Robson.
“You’ve got to be open and honest with suppliers, contractors, neighbours and centre management,” he said.
“You need the right timings for deliveries and a team that’s trained properly.
“We made sure our staff had no questions going into the first day, talked to customers to get feedback and sent a two-man team into the street to spread the word.”
Mr Robson said Holey Moley’s bar was a welcome surprise for customers.
“People come for a simple game of putt-putt but when they notice the bar, I’ve seen people look at their partner and say ‘let’s get day drunk and play golf!’”
“Sugar Caddy is our signature cocktail, people actually love its candy kebab more than the drink itself.”
Mr Robson said in his line of work “there’s a lot of playing around”.
“I play games with my customers and give them vouchers if they can beat my score,” he said. “I work nine-hour days but it doesn’t feel like that because the fun’s just infectious.”