By Dave Allen
According to statistics from the National Golf Foundation (NGF), there were more off-course golf participants (32.6 million) than on-course partakers (28.1 million) in the United States in 2024. This continued a post-Covid shift toward more off-course golf activities, with indoor golf simulator and virtual driving ranges and entertainment venues such as Topgolf and Drive Shack leading the way.
Other businesses seeking a game-changing amenity are jumping in as well, seeing how golf is one of the fastest-growing leisure activities in America. Per the NGF, 47.2 million Americans age 6 and older played golf both on and off the course in 2024.
“In time, I think we’re going to see as many installations away from the course as we do on the course,” says Aqua Greens’ owner Matt Gault, whose company specializes in the manufacturing and installation of floating golf greens and related accessories in the aqua range market. “People with luxury ranches and vacation getaways, equestrian centers, wineries and campgrounds, all you need is a pond. It’s a low-cost amenity and it’s generally pretty popular.”
Over the past year, Gault has received inquiries from a major equipment manufacturing company, a sports management team with a winery, and a concert pavilion. Each was investigating the possibility of putting a floating golf green on their property to entertain their clientele, customers and, in the case of the concert venue, its musicians backstage.
Gault has also fielded calls from several real estate developers looking for an attractive amenity to lure potential buyers and leasers in an increasingly competitive market. One luxury, multi-family residential community, The Cottages at Cypress Cay just north of Tampa, had Gault build and install two floating greens in August 2023 while they were still under construction (photo, above). From the moment they opened their doors in December of ’23, the two chipping greens have been a hit with tenants.
“It’s probably one of our most-used amenities aside from the pool,” says Alyssa Kulisan, property manager for The Cottages at Cypress Cay. “I see more people using the golfing area than I do the gym. I think it’s something that sets us apart from the other rental communities in the area. Every time I give a tour people are like, ‘What’s that?’ They think it’s cool. We have some residents that come out and use it three or four times a week.”
The amenity was so popular that back in March, Kulisan had to order another 25-dozen floater balls to keep up with demand. But that’s nothing compared to the volume of balls needed at the Lakefront at Keystone, an 830,000 square-foot, amenity-rich office development in Indianapolis. Among the amenities there is a 600-square-foot, hourglass-shaped island green located 50 yards offshore in an outdoor entertainment area known as The Shore (below, top left). Since Gault and his team installed the custom-built green in early April 2024, more than 31,000 balls have been hit, according to Stephanie Schroeder, Certified Property Manager for the Lakefront at Keystone’s on-site management team, Rubenstein Partners. That’s despite being closed from mid-November of last year through mid-April of this year.
“Just recently I had to order another 6,000 balls from Matt,” Schroeder says. “The green is getting a ton of use. We were optimistic it would be an attraction that people would enjoy, but I don’t think anyone on our team would’ve guessed so many balls would be hit by this time a year in. It’s been a great addition out here. Not only does it look awesome on the lake, but it’s kind of its own attraction out here.”
The original idea behind The Shore, which also includes a putting green, beach volleyball court, two pickleball courts, paddleboarding and kayaking, was to entice more workers to come back to the office after Covid, instead of working from home full-time. With the help of the floating green, which is infilled with more than 4,000 pounds of sand to hold and reward good shots, it’s mission accomplished.
“The hybrid schedule is here to stay, but we’re seeing more physical occupancy at the park this year compared to last,” says Schroeder, “especially Tuesday through Thursday.”
Schroeder says she sees a lot of people utilizing the chipping green around lunchtime. A number of businesses are also using it as a fun activity for corporate events. It’s expected to be a part of the park’s summer programming and adult camps, as well.
In addition to the Lutz residential property and Lakefront at Keystone, Aqua Greens has built and installed several other off-course floating greens over the years, most notably a 20 x 35-foot long green the shape of a spade (below, top right) at Bally’s Quad Cities Casino & Hotel in Rock Island, Ill., and a guitar-shaped green with sand bunkers (bottom) at, of all places, a car dealership (Capital Auto Group) in Salem, Ore. The green is one of several amenities, including a dog park, on the dealership’s huge campus.
Whether you’re trying to make your residential community or workplace more attractive, or simply trying to entertain customers as they wait for their car to be serviced, one thing is becoming abundantly clear—you can’t have enough amenities. Why not a floating island green?
“It’s fairly low-cost to maintain, so once you own the product, there’s definitely an upside to it,” Gault says. “Also, right now, real estate is so competitive. These development companies have to compete with everyone else in their zip code to get their place occupied. They’re all building amenity centers. If they own a pond, it’s a natural to add a floating island green there because it doesn’t require any extra land and it’s a huge selling point for them.”
All You Need Is Water
For more information on how to turn your unused pond or water space into a fun golf amenity, call Aqua Greens at 1-800-884-4882.
