Delmar business sees more foot traffic after building mini golf course
DELMAR, Iowa (KWQC) -The Ice Cream Derby in Delmar, Iowa is now seeing more foot traffic since they added Derby Adventure Golf, an 18-hole mini golf course.
The owner Scott Derby says he got the idea because he and his family like to golf and thought the mini golf course would be a different way to bring new excitement to the area.
The course is 6,200 sq. ft. and includes an 84-foot ship and a 48-foot slide.
Derby says he worked in construction since he was about 15 years old, so he was able to design and build the course himself but also had some outside help from friends and community members. If someone else had done the work, Derby says he would have had to pay out at least $250,000.
Since opening on Sept. 2, Derby says the community has given a positive response.
“It’s still new and exciting right now. So we don’t know what the future holds. But everybody that comes through is just amazing. Everybody’s very complimenting us and just very excited that we’re here in a small town. Not normally, you wouldn’t normally find something like this in a small town,” said Derby.
In addition, Derby says since opening the course, they had about 1,100 customers stop by just to golf gaining nearly $10,000 in revenue.
“I don’t think one person that ever came here said that we could fit it in this area in this space. So it’s it’s an achievement, just getting 18 holes in this small of a space and, and making it look cool. And having fun,” said Derby.
The Ice Cream Derby opened in the winter of 2021 with the goal of selling ice cream. Derby says at the time, it was difficult and they only made enough to survive.
Now that times are different, The Ice Cream Derby says they plan to make the golf course better by adding lights and doing other improvements. However, by summer, Derby says they hope to stop spending money and focus on earning.
The Ice Cream Derby says they are open Wednesday - Sunday from 10 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. Adults golf for $7.50, children golf for $6.50 and anyone under four is free.
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