This Camden County borough could soon see a new 18-hole mini golf course
The outdoor course would require the demolition of a vacant warehouse that was once accessory to Barrington's 1940s airport. Mini golf could open by next spring.
Families could tee off on a new 18-hole miniature golf course in Barrington next year on a property that once stored airplanes.
Barrington Borough’s Planning Board unanimously approved site plans for Royal Greens Mini Golf, owned by Tavistock Borough resident and entrepreneur Marc Rubino, on Sept. 28. Rubino said the golf course could cost about $2 million.
“It’ll be open early spring,” Rubino said. “If nothing plays in our favor, it’ll open early summer. I want it to open tomorrow.”
While mini golf is a South Jersey staple, especially down the Shore, Royal Greens would be the only golf course in the Camden County borough, said Carol Fultano, secretary for Barrington’s Planning Board. Building the outdoor course at 60 E. Gloucester Pike will require demolition of a warehouse that most recently housed The Kids Castle, a daycare center, which closed in 2019.
In the 1940s, the property was part of Barrington’s former airport and served as a machine shop for Merrill Engineering Company, before the construction of the New Jersey Turnpike subdivided the property.
With the warehouse vacant for years, Rubino said it makes sense to tear it down.
“You’d have to invest more in that building than it would cost to build a new building,” he said. “[It] doesn’t really have a use. It’s a shame.”
Rubino, owner of investment firm Kings Ventures, purchased the property for $600,000 in September 2025, days after he bought a gym, Royal Fitness, next door. The gym will stay open next to the planned mini golf course.
Rubino’s history with mini golf didn’t begin in Barrington. He owned Markie’s Mini Golf in Phoenixville in the early 2000s, and he used to help his friend Brian Whelan, owner of Pleasant Valley Miniature Golf in Voorhees, with projects at the course when they were young.
The proposed course, designed by Harris Miniature Golf Courses in Scranton, would be about 25,000 square feet and ADA compliant, and feature 36 parking spots, bathrooms, and a concession stand selling grab-and-go ice cream and refreshments. Rubino said he wants the course, garden-themed, to feel like a “miniature country club.”
The course will have a practice area and a “free game” hole, in addition to the 18 standard holes. Rubino said Will Pollack, a partner at Royal Fitness, will help operate the business, which will have about 10 employees.
Before he can break ground on the new course, the Planning Board has a second reading of its site plan approval on Oct. 26, Fultano said. Then, Rubino can submit applications for building permits.
The course has already been fully designed, but Rubino said he’s still waiting for the demolition permit for the warehouse. And if this winter is particularly cold, Rubino said his team might have to wait until spring to pour concrete.
As an outdoor course, golfing would be seasonal. The property would be open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., March through October. Rubino said a round of mini golf will cost $12 for adults and $10 for children, with discounts available for groups and birthday parties.
When the course opens, Rubino, a father of two, said Royal Greens will give South Jersey families something to do with their kids in an area that needs it.
“It’s a great community project,” Rubino said. “My goal is to keep it for a long time.”
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