Fresno horror-themed mini-golf course hopes to make up pandemic losses this month

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Spooky season is in full effect!

The owner of Ghost Golf, a horror-themed mini-golf course in Fresno, says he's not only been looking forward to this month, but also counting on it to help him make up for the losses he has suffered during the pandemic.

Year-round at Ghost Golf, you'll experience the thrill and Halloween vibes playing 18 holes of mini-golf.

"I always like to say that it's a dark ride, and I use mini golf as a vehicle to move people through the ride, so as you are playing each hole, skeletons will crack jokes at you, songs, there are voodoo dolls! It's a real experience," said owner Daryn Coleman.

Everything you see is created by Coleman, who says building these mechanics and thrilling art is something he's done most of his life.

"I was around 14 when I made my first haunted house," he says.

He didn't turn his hobby into a career until 2010, after he found himself jobless.

His job with AT&T was cut, so he put his passion to work and launched in the Bay Area.

Three years ago, he relocated to Fresno but says business wasn't open for long before the pandemic changed everything.

"We were starting to get our name out there, and the pandemic wiped all that out," he says.

Doors were shut 14 months until May of this year, and slowly they've been staying afloat.

"Little by little, we are getting people, but it has been a struggle to get the word out there that we are here," he says.

He says business always spikes in October and hopes that families looking to do something in the Halloween spirit will stop by.

"Yes, it's a spooky environment, but it's silly spooky!"

They're open every day of the week, and playing is $13 for children 10 years and younger and $15 for adults. Playing the arcades and shooting at the mummies is included in your pass.

You can find more information here.