Is there anyone out there that can help me out with information on putting in a pro shop in Michigan? What are the legalities on it? What licenses and such do I need in order to sell products such as discs, clothing, snacks, etc? Are there any licenses or anything needed in order to have a pay for play course on my own property not in town?

If anyone has any ideas on the best way to build the course and/or pro shop, feel free to post them. I would love some constructive criticism on pros and cons.

The thread about "if money wasn't an object" is a great thread to read and gave me a ton of ideas, but I would like some more ideas about improvements to a disc golf course. There aren't many threads about this same idea about improving a pro shop though, so if you have any ideas about improvements to pro shops feel free to post those also.

I work for a local gov't in VA and it's basically the same everywhere - if you are going to have an establishment open to the public and generating traffic, you need to get approval from the local gov't. Certainly, the rules vary from state to state and from county to county, but this is the basic rule.

First, you need to see how your property is zoned and if a golf course is an activity that is allowed in that zoning. From there, it's going to be a case of going through the hoops of approval from the local gov't. This usually involves what is called a site plan and it costs $$$ to have an engineer or surveyor draw it up. You may end up having to get the property re-zoned, which is another time and money expenditure.

It may seem stupid at times, but the process is there to prevent people from putting a glue factory next to a diner or an auto repair garage next to your house.

You'll likely need a business license for the pro shop. The snacks would probably depend on whether or not you are cooking or are just selling pre-packaged stuff from a machine. If you are cooking on site, you'll be looking at a health department license and all that goes with it. You may also be required to provide rest rooms if you are serving food.

I'd look into the zoning first and the allowable uses for that zoning. A local commercial real estate broker should be able to help as well.