Putt-Putt franchise
2026 filing · April 28, 2026Fewer locations
Putt-Putt at a glance
A recreation center built around Putt-Putt miniature golf; larger formats add video and prize games and other attractions. At the end of 2025 there were 25 Putt-Putt locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- Putt-Putt, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Chapel Hill, North Carolina
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $420K–$975K
- A Level One miniature golf center, excluding building and land
- Franchise fee
- $20,000
- $30,000 or $50,000 for Level Two or Level Three
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross receipts, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross receipts
- Agreement length
- 20 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 25
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 25
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- −4
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 12
- Most in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia
From Putt-Putt, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Putt-Putt among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Putt-Putt | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $697,500 | Costs more than 75% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $20,000 | Lower than 89% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 25 | More than 53% of franchises |
How much a Putt-Putt franchise costs
Opening a Level One miniature golf center, excluding building and land costs an estimated $420,000 to $975,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are miniature golf course ($175,000 to $550,000) and additional funds – 3 months ($100,000 to $150,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $20,000 | ||
| Miniature Golf Course | $175,000 | $550,000 | |
| Concessions | $35,000 | $65,000 | |
| Design Costs | $15,000 | $50,000 | |
| Site Evaluation | $0 | $5,000 | |
| Point of Sale Hardware and Software, Office Computers and Equipment, and General Supplies | $50,000 | $75,000 | |
| Initial Training | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Insurance | $20,000 | $50,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $100,000 | $150,000 | |
| Total | $420,000 | $975,000 | |
Source: Putt-Putt, LLC, 2026 filing, page 12
Putt-Putt franchise fee
The franchise fee is $20,000, $30,000 or $50,000 for Level Two or Level Three. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Putt-Putt, LLC, 2026 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross receipts, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross receipts. |
| Transfer Fee | Transfer Fee then-being charged by us (currently no more than $10,000) |
| Local Advertising Requirement | Up to 5% of your Gross Receipts |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Putt-Putt, LLC, 2026 filing, page 10
Other fees as filed, from page 10. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Putt-Putt does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Putt-Putt, LLC, 2026 filing, page 36
SBA loans to Putt-Putt franchisees
Lenders approved 37 SBA-backed loans for Putt-Putt franchisees from 1991 to 2023, $22.3M in all: 29 7(a) loans and 8 504 loans. Of the 35 that have ended, 25 were paid in full and 10 were charged off (28.6%). The other 2 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Putt-Putt | Typical sports brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / −14% | +10% / +45% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 14% | 2.6% / 7.1% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical sports brand is the median of the 48 brands in sports franchises with three years of counts.
How Putt-Putt compares
Of the 120 sports franchises on this site, Putt-Putt is the 81st cheapest to open and the 46th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Putt-Putt | Typical sports brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $420K | $227K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $975K | $442K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $20K | $50K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 7% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| US locations | 25 | 15 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 77 of 120 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 120 brands in sports franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 29 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 25 (−4) | 0 | 0 | −4 |
| 2025 | 25 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: golf simulator franchises, home-based franchises and franchise failure rates.
Source: Putt-Putt, LLC, 2026 filing, page 37
Where Putt-Putt locations are
At the end of 2025, Putt-Putt had franchised locations in 12 states. The most are in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
- North Carolina5
- Tennessee4
- Virginia3
- Florida2
- Indiana2
- Kentucky2
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 5 |
| Tennessee | 4 |
| Virginia | 3 |
| Florida | 2 |
| Indiana | 2 |
| Kentucky | 2 |
| Texas | 2 |
| California | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 |
| Louisiana | 1 |
All 12 states
| Ohio | 1 |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 1 |
Source: Putt-Putt, LLC, 2026 filing, page 38
Who owns Putt-Putt?
Putt-Putt franchises are sold by Putt-Putt, LLC.
From Putt-Putt, LLC’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Putt-Putt, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Putt-Putt filings
The figures on this page come from Putt-Putt, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued April 28, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 28, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other sports franchises
All sports franchises
Putt-Putt is also on these lists: entertainment franchises.