This might be one of those questions that if I have to ask, I probably already know the answer. But I'd like some input from the Pinside community on this one.

We're in the process of adding a pinball room at our golf course, so we're going to have room to add several more machines. In a previous life, I had the 1978 Bally Playboy machine. Lots of fun to play and pretty easy on the eyes. I have an opportunity to get that machine back.

So my question is this: We have a lot of kids that play golf at our course, and we promote the facility as a family-oriented, community public golf course. Is it bad judgment to have a game like this in the line-up?

Thank you in advance for your responses.

Not a chance. Golf magazines, the daily newspaper, some national magazines like Time, but that's my limit. Very good point!

Absolutely a serious question. I was hoping for some response from Pinsiders that have routed machines for a living, and have had some experience with putting machines with similar artwork at various locations.

And where would you draw the line? If Playboy is too much, either because of the graphics or the name, how about a machine like Jungle Lord? Or how about the 1978 Bally Star Trek? They couldn't have made Uhura's chest any bigger if they tried.

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We have the NGG. Been looking for Tee'd Off, just haven't found one at the right price yet. We are always interested in any type of golf-themed pins, btw.

You would think it'd be just the opposite.

From the standpoint of any kind of return, it's absolutely not worth it. We had 4 machines in the pro shop for about 4 months this summer/fall, and I doubt we brought in $500.

We put them in the pro shop for a couple of reasons:
1. We both like playing pinball;
2. We thought it would be something different;
3. We wanted to promote pinball;
4. We thought people might enjoy playing them;
5. We thought folks might drop in on a lunchbreak, grab something to eat, play some pinball, then head back to work.

All of this happened with varying degrees of success. We did have some Pinsiders drive up to play some of the machines. We did get a little bit of lunch traffic. The folks that play the golf course enjoyed playing the machines. Almost everyone talked about them. We heard lots of great stories from some of our older members about how they used to play pinball in their younger days.
But mostly, the two of us that own the course really enjoy playing them, and we had a few pretty fun after-hour all-nighters.

We're going to add on to the building and have 15-20 machines altogether (eventually). We've had several people ask about starting a league. So again, while we're not getting rich from it, we're enjoying it. The Playboy machine, like I mentioned, I used to have it, I traded it out for some kitchen remodeling several years ago, and I have a chance to get the same machine back. Since we don't have anyplace else to keep it, that was the reason for the post.

I appreciate all of the great replies, discussion and comments. Please keep them coming!

I agree with you. But again, where do you draw the line? Like I mentioned earlier, we've got a 1978 Bally Star Trek. Uhura's chest is hard to miss. We picked up a Jungle Lord that we didn't put in the shop until after we closed for the season. Tarzan and Jane are nearly nude. Are both of those a bad idea as well?

Yeah, that won't happen anytime soon. Golf course owner = broke.

Here's how we have the space set up right now. So while the games aren't out in the middle of the floor, people can't help but see them when they come into the shop.

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sorry if I've come across that way.

As I mentioned previously, I was looking for some input from people that had routed machines, and might have run into some issues putting that machine, or something similar, into an environment where they may have gotten some pushback.

I guess you could make the same argument for putting a similar machine in a bowling alley. A lot of kids bowl, and hang out in the arcade room, or at least they did when I was a kid. It's been so long since I've been to a bowling alley that I don't know if they have pins or arcade rooms anymore. I don't remember any one game in particular from when I was a teenager, but every Friday and Saturday night, there were quite a few of us that would be dropping quarters for several hours at the local bowling alley.

Was it because it was a fun game to play (which in my opinion, it is), or was it because of the name and the t & a?

By the way, I'd love to get an em pitch & bat machine. Any suggestions for a good one? I know there are tons of them.

I have a feeling the term 'politically correct' hadn't been coined yet.

Or we were all too stoned to care.

So this is off-topic, but it's still about Playboy. I saw this joke in a Playboy magazine back in the late 80's. Thought it was funny enough to remember it, and it's clean enough to be able to tell in mixed company. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have over the years:

This guy walks into a bar around 3 in the afternoon. The place is empty, and he slides up to the bar and orders a beer. The bartender serves him the beer, then heads back over to the corner behind the bar to continue reading his newspaper.

The guy starts sipping on his beer, and he reaches into this bag he brought with him, pulls out a miniature grand piano, and sets it up on the bar. Then he reaches into the bag and pulls out this miniature grand piano bench. The bartender glances up over the top of his reading glasses at this, but is more interested in his newspaper than the goings-on, and goes back to reading.

Pretty soon, a little man jumps out of the bag, hops up on the bar, sits down at the piano and starts playing this beautiful music. Well, this is more than the bartender can stand, so he strolls over to the guy at the bar and says, "What the hell? This miniature piano, this little piano player, what's this all about?"

The guy looks at the bartender and says, "I was at the beach this morning and I found this magic genie bottle. In fact, I still have it," and he reached down in the bag and pulls out a genie bottle. "Do you want to try it?"

The bartender is skeptical, but gives it a rub. Poof! Out pops a genie. The genie says, "I grant you one wish." The bartender is no dummy, and says, "I'll take a million bucks." The genie puts his hands together, bows his head to the bartender and says, "Your wish is my command," and is gone in a puff of smoke.

As soon as the genie disappears, the bar is full of ducks. There are ducks everywhere. On the bar, under the tables, flying around the room....there must have been a million of them.

The bartender looks at the guy and says, "Hey, is your genie an idiot, or deaf or something? I said I wanted a million bucks, not a million ducks!"

The guy takes a long sip from his beer, looks up at the bartender and says, "Pal, do you REALLY think I'd wish for a 12-inch pianist?"

Okay, okay, that's the best I've got. Now back to pinball.