Golf Course Menu Design

What Makes a Golf Course Menu Unique?

From the decor surrounding your guests to the style of dishes you choose to serve, it’s important that your restaurant has an identity, and your menu should be no different. Golf courses are unique in their setting, providing guests with gorgeous scenery as well as a semi-casual atmosphere—so why not keep this theme with your golf course menu? Unlike other restaurants or pubs, you have the luxury of theming your’s around this classic game, so take this opportunity and build your menu to match the excitement and energy of the sport itself.

What Separates a Golf Course Menu from a Standard Restaurant Menu?

With a golf course restaurant, you have the luxury of cultivating guests before they even think about visiting your restaurant.

“The golfers should be your built-in clientele,” says Dave Jarrett, Owner of Mt. View Golf Course and the Leaderboard Lounge.

A golf course menu can utilize the game’s jargon and familiar logos like a golf tee or a bag of clubs without feeling forced, unlike some menus you’d find at a typical sports bar that are reliant on their sports references. “There are thousands of pubs, but limited golf course pubs,” adds Jarrett.

What Should be Included on your Golf Course Menu?

There are many themes and designs a golf course menu can employ to maintain the golf theme. One consideration is to highlight your own course on the menu, such as making the front of your menu a picturesque photo of the course’s signature hole or your favorite course backdrop. Throughout the menu, try to subtly include different figures or characters to keep the golf theme, such as a silhouette of a famous golfer or perhaps a large golf ball in the background of your text.

Once you’ve found the space on your menu to ingrain the golf identity, try to keep the rest of your menu simple, sticking to a clean look such as a double-collum format with a rustic theme, keeping the focus on your food, the center of your marketing.

Additional Menus

It’s nice to consider multiple menus when operating a golf course restaurant. First, you want to consider an “On Course” menu, one that’s accessible to golfers who are on the course or making the turn. This can be anything from a simple beverage menu to a lunch menu that features cold-cut sandwiches or hot off the grill refreshments. Consider making these menus in a takeout style so that golfers can grab one after visiting the pro shop, making it easy to grab a quick bite on the go. Feel free to include the logos of familiar breweries/distilleries that are offered as an incentive for your guests to support local businesses.

For the restaurant itself, it’s best not to overwhelm guests with too many options. So, instead of presenting them with a tedious and overthought book styled menu, break it into categories, instead. Have a small tabletop cocktail menu waiting for your guests at each table, with some fun in-house golf-themed mixes, such as a “Par-garita”. The font should match the theme of the overall golf experience—semi-casual.

This same approach should be executed with both your dessert and possible Happy Hour Menu, too, whether they are included on a sidebar of the main menu or come as a separate half-page menu.