You get one signature. The moment your installer leaves, three things move at once: responsibility for the equipment, the clock on every warranty, and the trigger on your final payment. This page is a mini golf handover checklist built for that exact moment - 14 acceptance points, each written as a measurement, a pass criterion with a source, and the name of the person who signs it.
The buyer walks onto the floor with three documents in hand: a site survey record, three supplier quotes, and a stack of code and permit triggers pulled from the city. What nobody hands you is a rule for the day the crates are open. So acceptance degrades into a walk-around that ends with "it all looks installed" and a signature nobody can unpack later.
That signature is not ceremonial. It is the instrument that transfers three things at the same moment: custody of the equipment, the start date of every warranty, and the condition on which your final payment is released. Three separate families of published handover material describe parts of that moment - residential walkthrough sheets, general construction as-built and snag procedures, and public procurement rules for paying on equipment acceptance - and none of them contain the play geometry of a miniature golf course alongside scoring, lighting, training, spares and warranty start in one sign-off. That gap is why this checklist exists as its own page.
In the build sequence we publish for an indoor course, this is the stage 5 day this checklist belongs to in an indoor mini golf course build: installation and opening. Everything before it is paper. The site survey fixes the readings, the site survey record your hole readings are checked against is the first gate, and the supplier quote comparison line where retention and final payment were actually agreed is the second. Both gates are documents. This third gate is the one where cash and liability move.
Three boundaries hold for the whole page. The mini golf safety checks that become your weekly cadence belong to operations safety, starting the day after you sign. The mini golf spare parts and wear items prices this page deliberately does not print belong to the spare parts list. Permits, inspections and the electrical queue belong to the pre-construction page. This checklist covers installation day only, and after you sign it hands those three routines across untouched.
| Gate | What has to be true before you pass it | Who signs | Where money moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Site survey | Hole positions, floor area and clearances are measured and written down before any crate ships | Buyer project manager + surveyor | No money moves; it fixes the baseline the others are read against |
| 2. Quote comparison | Retention rate, release dates, defect period and warranty start are written into the bid you accept | Buyer finance + supplier sales | Price is locked, including the final payment condition |
| 3. Installation handover | All 14 points below pass, the snag list is dated and signed, and the document pack is received | Buyer project manager + supplier install lead | Retention is released, the warranty clock starts, final payment becomes due |
| 4. Operations handover | Daily, weekly and annual routines are accepted as a running cadence | Buyer operations lead | No release; it is the routine that protects the warranty you just started |
Read the four rows as one sentence: only row 3 has both a physical test and a payment consequence, which is why it cannot be delegated to whoever happens to be holding the tape measure that morning.
Each row is written the same way on purpose. The middle column is a pass criterion with its source attached, so the argument ends at the number rather than at whoever speaks loudest. The last column exists because without a named signer the whole table collapses back into a self-inspection sheet that the supplier is never obliged to accept.
| Point | What to test | Pass criterion (source) | Who signs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Hole dimensions and alignment | Re-measure the outer footprint of each module and the alignment of hole to hole against the survey record | Gate Challenge prints 2.4 x 4.5 x 1.0 m and 10.8 sq m of floor, single holes run 12-48 sq m (our published buying guide; course build page) | Buyer project manager + supplier install lead |
| 2. Turf and seam quality | Pull at the joints, walk the edge, look for lifted tape and patching | No lifted edge, no exposed adhesive; the repair kit is on site (EUR 29.04) and surface evidence is kept for both the 5 year fading and 5 year wear terms separately (spare parts page) | Buyer operations + supplier |
| 3. Ball return flow | Three test putts per hole, mark every stall point | No dead spot, no stuck ball, and the 3-5 minute round loop is not broken (course build page, citing the 18-hole guide) | Buyer operations |
| 4. Cup height and fixings | Measure the cup rim height and check the fixings around it | Cup to your supplier drawing; external reference 4.25 in diameter and 4.5 in deep with a 5 year cup warranty (Pro Putt Systems, 2020-04, backyard DIY context); our own spare list carries a 4 in cup at USD 9.95 (spare parts page) | Buyer + supplier |
| 5. Scoring and display test | One scoring putt per hole, then watch the leaderboard take the entry | Sensor line holds 18 games per hour (safety page); 250 LED balls and charging positions are counted in (spare parts page); the 12 month electronics clock is set in point 12 (buying guide) | Buyer IT/operations + supplier commissioning |
| 6. Blacklight and LED effect test | Walk the floor with the lights on and mark every dark patch | No dark patch; LED strips logged by model at 50,000 h L70 (spare parts page); the 12 times a year, 30 minutes deep clean window is already in the calendar (safety page) | Buyer |
| 7. Safety padding and barriers | Shake, pull, and check the fixings and gaps | Wall and impact padding handed over as interior finish documents (permits page, interior finish section); carpet Class II critical radiant flux with its tag (permits page); reachable holes 50 percent and continuous, 48 x 60 in starting clearance, 36 in route (permits page / buying guide) | Buyer safety lead |
| 8. Electrical certification | Collect certificates, read the nameplate, check the circuit | 100 W at 220 V and 50 Hz matches the nameplate (buying guide); listing number and its installation instructions are on file (buying guide, citing the federal listing rule); Class 2 exemption condition C means no fire-rated penetration; inspection within 3 working days and 1 working day after energising, permit void after 1 year (permits page) | Buyer electrical contractor + supplier |
| 9. As-built documentation | Count the document pack item by item | Final as-built drawings, O&M manual, asset register, equipment list and independent commissioning report must all arrive before retention is released (University of Melbourne completion handover checklist); our own catalogue scan found only 2 of 18 pages printing a spec table (first party scan, 2026-09-21) | Buyer project manager |
| 10. Training sign-off | Have staff run the floor themselves, then sign | Training is signed off in three classes: operator, technical, documentation (PFSCM capital equipment roadmap, 2022-10-12); one supervisor running the whole floor under automatic scoring is verified on site (course build page); roadmap step ten, real players testing every hole, is complete (step ten of the mini golf equipment buying roadmap) | Buyer venue manager + supplier trainer |
| 11. Spare parts inventory handover | Count the three shelf tiers into a bin card | Volume, repair and critical parts delivered and entered on the bin card (spare parts page + PFSCM); this table prints no prices - prices and shelf ratios stay on the spare parts page | Buyer storekeeper + supplier |
| 12. Warranty start date | Fix the start date and the three clocks in writing | Signature or administrative timestamp starts the warranty (US House of Representatives installation and acceptance notice, rev. 2016-08-18); surface 5 years, fabricated parts 1 year, electronics 12 months (buying guide) | Both parties |
| 13. Snag list procedure | List the defects on the spot and sign them on the spot | The defect document must state when remediation happens, list owner-only objections separately, and carry both signatures (QBCC handover); dated, photographed, signed by both parties (Huynchi, 2026-08-22); never sign an unreserved acceptance (Draymere) | Both parties |
| 14. Retention and final payment trigger | Re-read the payment clause you are signing into | FOB shipping point, damage transfers on bill of lading signature, 15 percent restocking on custom orders (buying guide); retention reference NI 3 percent falling to 1.5 percent at completion, JCT 3 percent, Washington DES retainage with a 45 day lien period (construction and public-procurement practice, not equipment supplier terms - see section 5) | Buyer finance + supplier |
Two rows deserve a second reading before you print the sheet. Point 8 decides which day you can legally open, because listed equipment has to be installed and used according to the instructions in its listing, and the certificate is what proves it. Point 14 is the row where an argument about a hundred dollars of turf turns into an argument about the last tranche of your budget.
The first four points are the ones a tape can settle. The only legitimate disagreement is whether a reading is right, not whether the floor feels right, which is why these four rows are written as measurements rather than impressions.
One borrowed habit from real golf helps here: USGA recommends a green rootzone depth of 12 in with a 1 in tolerance, and that is a true putting green, not a modular course. It is quoted only to make the transferable point - acceptance documents write a tolerance, they do not write the word level.
| Geometry point | Read what | Measure with | How a dispute is settled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Footprint and alignment | Outer footprint, hole spacing, clear route | Laser or tape against the survey record | The survey record wins; anything outside it is a variation, not an opinion |
| Seams and surface | Lift, exposed adhesive, patch edges, infill depth | Visual plus a straight edge across joints | Photograph on the day; fading and wear are two different warranty terms |
| Ball return | Stall points, dead spots, loop time | Three timed putts per hole | Any stall is a defect entry with a date, not a judgement call |
| Cup | Rim height, fixing, diameter | Rim gauge plus the supplier drawing | Drawing first, external references second, no claim of a universal rule |
Points five to nine are not looked at, they are run and collected. A module can work perfectly and still fail these rows, because the test here is whether the evidence exists: a scoreboard that took the entry, a certificate with a listing number, a document pack with a signature on it. Missing evidence is an unpassed point regardless of how the equipment behaved that morning.
Scoring and display: the sensor line holds 18 games an hour, the LED ball pool and its charging positions are counted in rather than assumed, and every hole takes one scoring putt that must appear on the leaderboard. Blacklight and LED: the floor is walked with the lights on and every dark patch is marked, LED strips are logged by model at 50,000 h L70, and the 12 times a year, 30 minutes deep-clean window is already booked before you sign.
Safety padding and interior finish: wall and impact padding must arrive with its interior finish documents, and carpet with its Class II critical radiant flux tag tested in the assembled state. A one-piece obstacle module such as the Golf Parkour is delivered as interior finish, which is exactly why its padding and surface test documents are requested before it is bolted down. Acceptance means holding the test document, not accepting a verbal assurance that the material is compliant.
Electrical: read the nameplate against the sheet - 100 W at 220 V and 50 Hz per module - then confirm the listing number and that its installation instructions are in the file, because federal rules bind the listing to the way the equipment is installed. Add the Class 2 exemption condition about not crossing a fire-rated assembly, then the inspection window set out on the permits and codes page where these inspection windows come from: 3 working days for the filing, 1 working day after energising, and a permit that expires without refund after a single year. This row decides your opening date more directly than any other line on the sheet.
As-built: the Melbourne completion handover list - final as-built drawings, O&M manual, asset register, equipment list and an independent commissioning report - is the documented precondition for releasing retention. Our own first party scan of 18 catalogue pages on 2026-09-21 found only two pages printing a full specification table, and a live re-check on 2026-10-04 found one of those two no longer displaying it. Say that plainly: the specification sheet is the starting point for as-built, one page still carries it, and everything else you should ask us for by name.
| Evidence row | What you do | What you keep | Cost of not having it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoring and display | One scoring putt per hole plus a leaderboard check | Screen photo or export of the entry | You cannot prove the system was live when you signed |
| Lighting effect | Full floor walk with lights on | Model numbers plus a dark-patch map | Dark patches become a dispute instead of a punch item |
| Interior finish | Read the padding and carpet test documents | The certificate itself, not a summary | A fire or finish inspection lands on you, not the supplier |
| Electrical | Nameplate, listing number, inspection filing | Certificate, permit, installation instructions | The permit clock runs out and opening slips |
| As-built pack | Count five documents item by item | Signed receipt for each | Retention cannot be released and you have no baseline for claims |
Assumption. One equipment purchase contract, a contract value used as the base, a 12 month defect period, and rate references taken from published construction and public procurement practice rather than from any equipment supplier terms and rather than from us.
Formula. Retention equals contract value multiplied by the retention rate. Amount still held equals contract value minus retention. Release happens at practical completion for the first half and at the end of the defect period for the rest. The lien period starts the day final acceptance is published.
Result. Under construction and public-procurement practice (not equipment supplier terms): the Northern Ireland government standard procedure runs 3 percent during works, dropping to 1.5 percent at completion, with the balance released at the end of the defect period and that period capped at 12 months, and a typical defects date of 26 or 52 weeks. JCT generally carries 3 percent with half released at practical completion and the remainder after the repair or defect period, whichever is later. Scottish Futures Trust put the ceiling at 5 percent during works and 2.5 percent during the defect period, and NEC3 and NEC4 option X16 release half at completion with the rest after the defects certificate. Washington State DES runs a written notice of punch completion, a site re-inspection, approval of final as-built drawings, payment of the invoice and retainage, then closes the contract with the 45 day lien period beginning.
| Reference | Held during works | Held at completion | When the rest comes back | Character of the source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NI DfP PGN 05/16 (2016-12-22) | 3 percent | 1.5 percent | End of defect period, capped at 12 months | Construction and public-procurement practice, not equipment supplier terms |
| JCT family (via CICV Practice Note 7) | 3 percent total | Half released | After repair or defect period, whichever is later | Construction and public-procurement practice, not equipment supplier terms |
| NEC3 / NEC4 X16 | Percentage set by the X16 option | Half released at completion | After the defects certificate | Construction and public-procurement practice, not equipment supplier terms |
| Scottish Futures Trust (parliamentary evidence) | Up to 5 percent | 2.5 percent in the defect period | End of the defect period | Construction and public-procurement practice, not equipment supplier terms |
| Washington State DES final acceptance | Retainage held | Retainage paid after re-inspection | 45 day lien period begins on final acceptance | Construction and public-procurement practice, not equipment supplier terms |
Limitation. Every figure in this section is a construction or public procurement convention. None of it is an equipment supplier term, none of it is ours, and none of it is a payment term we offer. The only equipment-side lines published by us are FOB shipping point, damage transferring once the bill of lading is signed, and a 15 percent restocking fee on custom items. Your contract is the one you sign.
The snag procedure that releases the money. A defect document has to state when remediation will happen, list owner-only objections separately, and carry both signatures. Notice rhythm matters as much as the form: two to three weeks advance warning, at least five written working days, and a pre-handover walk about a week out. Dated, photographed and signed by both parties is the standard, and the honest advice is that an unreserved acceptance is the one signature you should never give.
The warranty start you are also signing. An administrative timestamp starts the warranty clock, which means the same signature starts three different clocks at once: the surface terms, the fabricated parts term and the shortest of them, the electronics term. Construction has published its money clocks clearly and the equipment side has not, and a buyer only gets a workable sheet by putting the two together.
This page deliberately refuses four things, in the same spirit as the rest of our published guides. It does not restate the ten point operations safety cadence, it does not print spare parts prices or shelf ratios, it does not reproduce the permit and inspection queue, and it does not give you an installation duration - we checked, and not one maker of permanent modular courses publishes days on site, so the only honest answer is the question you should ask your supplier: how many days, how many people, and what must be ready before they arrive.
What it does answer are the five questions a buyer actually has. Should you sign at all? Yes, because that signature transfers responsibility, starts the clocks and releases payment. How do you sequence it? Survey, then quote, then this handover. What does it cost? No total is printed here; money appears only as rates and clocks, and totals belong to the cost pages. Which equipment? Points 1, 5 and 6 decide which evidence you are asking for, and the models below are the ones built to be checked that way. What next? Send these 14 points to your supplier and ask for a layout.
What this page refuses to certify. An installation day walkthrough is a one-day snapshot. It proves the floor runs, the documents arrived and the payment conditions were met, and it cannot prove long-term durability. Surface fading and surface wear are two different clocks, electronics is the shortest clock on the sheet, no maker publishes cycle life for a module, and no supplier publishes ball loss rates. So the pass judgements on points 2, 5 and 6 cover the state of the equipment on delivery day only. From the day after you sign, the mini golf safety checks that become your weekly cadence and the mini golf spare parts and wear items prices this page deliberately does not print have to be running, or this signature certifies nothing about the year ahead. All rates and clocks here are cited public practice, not our commitments, and your contract governs.
The three models below are the ones we would put in front of an inspector on day one: a themed module, the Dream Castle Hole, for the lighting and deep-clean rows, a curved-lane module for the geometry and electrical rows, and a one-piece obstacle module for the interior finish documents. Take the 14 points, ask us for a free layout of your floor, and get the quote annotated line by line before anything ships.
Fourteen points in four columns: the point, what is tested, the pass criterion with its source, and the name of the signer. The signature transfers responsibility for the equipment, starts the surface, fabricated and electronics warranty clocks at once, and triggers the condition on which the final payment is released.
A snag list is the dated defect document you both sign on the day, stating when remediation happens and listing owner-only objections separately. On the money side, published construction and public-procurement practice (not equipment supplier terms) puts retention at 3 percent falling to 1.5 percent at completion in the Northern Ireland government procedure, 3 percent under JCT with half at practical completion, up to 5 percent then 2.5 percent in Scottish Futures Trust figures, and a 45 day lien period in Washington State after final acceptance.
We could not find a single maker of permanent modular courses that publishes days on site, and we looked at every catalogue page on 2026-09-21. What is published elsewhere is not comparable: a worked twelve week example has an installation segment inside it, and portable rental events publish a set-up figure measured in minutes for a different class of product. So ask the supplier directly for days on site, crew size, and what must be ready beforehand.
Surface finish carries a 5 year term, fabricated parts 1 year, and electronics 12 months, all starting from the signature or administrative timestamp on the acceptance notice. Consumables are frequently outside the standard warranty, which is why the spares row and the warranty row are signed on the same day but as two separate items.
From the buyer: project manager, operations lead, safety lead, electrical contractor and finance. From the supplier: install lead, commissioning engineer and trainer. Training is signed in three classes - operator, technical and documentation - and the spares count is a separate signature line, so both belong to the same day rather than to a follow-up visit.
It does not cover the weekly operations safety cadence, spare parts prices, permit and inspection sequencing, or any claim about long-term durability. Cycle life and ball loss rates are not published by anyone in this category, so the snapshot you sign on day one must be followed by the running routines, or it certifies nothing about the months after it.
Get a free 3D layout of your floor with the handover rows mapped onto it, or ask for a quote annotated line by line with installation, commissioning, training, spares and retention written in. If you already have a date, send the sheet the day before and we will walk it with you.
