Golf
Books and taxes for mini golf courses.
Per-round admission, a birthday party package, arcade tokens, and an ice cream counter that gets busiest on the same hot afternoons. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
July came in at $17,600. Six birthday party bookings this month were kept apart from walk-up admission so you can see which one is actually growing.
- Square terminal payoutAdmission tickets
- Birthday party depositsParty packages
- Arcade token machine cashArcade tokens
- Restaurant Depot ice cream orderConcessions
- Artificial turf patch repairCourse upkeep
Why your books are different
A mini golf course's books go wrong around tickets and treats.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your course sells admission, birthday packages, arcade tokens, and ice cream, often through one register on a busy Saturday. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell if the party business is worth the staff time it takes, or if concessions carry more of the month than admission does.
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1
Birthday party deposits land weeks before the party
A family books a Saturday party package in May for a June date and pays a deposit up front. Counted as May income, the deposit inflates a slow month and June, when the party actually happens, looks like it earned less.
What we doKeeps party deposits tagged to the event date, so revenue lands in the month the party is actually held. -
2
Arcade token cash gets mixed with admission
A family pays for a round of mini golf and buys a cup of tokens at the same counter, and the register can total both as one sale. Blended together, you cannot tell whether the arcade machines are worth the floor space.
What we doKeeps arcade token sales in their own line, separate from admission, so each shows its real contribution. -
3
Concessions look like they break even when they do not
Ice cream, snacks, and drinks get bought in bulk from a wholesale club or restaurant supplier, and one big stock-up order can make a slow concessions month look like a loss when it is really just timing.
What we doKeeps concessions inventory in its own category and tells you when a big order is why a month looks thin. -
4
Artificial turf and obstacle repairs get lumped with general upkeep
Windmill blades, turf patches, and broken obstacles need regular repair, and lumped into general expenses it is hard to tell if course upkeep is creeping up year over year.
What we doKeeps course upkeep in its own line so repair costs are visible against admission revenue. -
5
A course resurfacing gets filed as a repair
A full artificial turf replacement or a rebuilt hole feature is a bigger project than a patch job, and it is a capital improvement that should be depreciated, not written off all at once.
What we doFlags large resurfacing or rebuild projects the month they happen and gets the accountant's read on how to depreciate them.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a mini golf course.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Admission ticketsPer-round pricing for walk-up players, adults and kids.
- Birthday party packagesKept apart from admission and tracked against the party date.
- Arcade tokensToken or card sales for arcade games on site.
- ConcessionsIce cream, snacks, and drinks sold at the counter.
- Group and school bookingsCamps, schools, and larger groups booked in advance.
Money out
- Course upkeepTurf patches, obstacle repairs, and windmill parts.
- Concessions inventoryIce cream, candy, and drinks bought wholesale.
- Arcade machine maintenanceRepairs and parts for arcade games and token machines.
- Payroll for counter and course staffKept apart so labor is clear against admission and party revenue.
- Property and liability insuranceCoverage for the course, arcade, and party area.
- Point-of-sale software feesWhat the register or ticketing system keeps on each sale.
What we watch for you
- Rounds played
The core volume number. Admission, arcade, and concessions all move with it.
- Party bookings
How many parties are booked against last year, since they are steady, planned income.
- Concessions cost percentage
Food and drink cost against actual concessions sales.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a surprise.
Ask Gus
Things mini golf owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Not yet. I keep deposits tagged to the party date, so the money shows up as income in August when the party actually happens, not when the deposit landed.
Yes. I split token sales from admission in the books, so you can see if the arcade is really pulling its weight.
That is a bigger project than a patch job, so I flagged it as a capital improvement. The accountant will look at the total cost and set the right schedule.
The tax side
The tax side of a mini golf course.
Most of what trips up a mini golf business is timing and labels: a deposit counted too early, a turf job filed as a repair, or seasonal staff paid the wrong way.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Course resurfacing and equipmentA full turf resurfacing or rebuilt obstacle can usually be depreciated rather than expensed all at once, while smaller equipment like a register or ticket kiosk can often be written off in the year you buy it.
- Seasonal staff classificationA summer counter or course attendant who works your hours and uses your equipment is usually an employee, not a contractor, even for a few months a year.
- Self-employment taxAn owner-operator running the course as a sole proprietor or single-member LLC pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, on the Social Security wage base up to $184,500.
- Contractor 1099sAn outside repair contractor paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
Deductions mini golf courses miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Artificial turf patches
- Windmill and obstacle parts
- Concessions inventory
- Arcade machine repairs
- Staff uniforms
- Point-of-sale software fees
- Party supplies and decorations
- Signage and course lighting
- Credit card processing fees
- Liability insurance
- Landscaping around the course
- Ticket booth or kiosk equipment
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A mini golf year, kept every month.
Business swings hard with the weather and the school calendar. Your taxes come on a fixed schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before spring break and the start of the busy season bring in walk-ups and school groups.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at peak season, what you will owe, and whether party bookings are ahead of last summer.
- October
Before the slowdown
Gus looks at any resurfacing or equipment worth doing before the course quiets down for the season.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for mini golf courses. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions mini golf owners ask first.
Can Gus keep birthday party income separate from daily admission?
Yes. Party revenue gets tagged to the event date and kept apart from walk-up admission, so you can see whether the party business is actually worth the staff time it takes.
We sell arcade tokens at the same counter as admission. Does that confuse the books?
No. Gus splits token sales from admission even when they are rung up together, so each shows its own real number.
How does Gus handle a big ice cream and candy order that skews a month?
Concessions inventory stays in its own category, and Gus flags it when a bulk order is the reason a month's concessions number looks off.
Our course is only open seasonally. Does that change anything?
No. Gus works with whatever months you are open and keeps the off-season quiet, without treating it as a problem when there is nothing to book.
Our books have never really been organized. Can Gus start from here?
Yes. Send whatever bank statements and register reports you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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We keep books for the business next door too.
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- Long-term & monthly RV parks
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever