An axe throwing lane is built the same way a shooting range is: the danger is real, so the whole room is engineered around it. Every lane is enclosed on three sides with a gate that physically cannot swing open while a throw is in progress - it is not a rule someone enforces, it is a lock someone would have to break.
A coach is assigned to your lane, not your session - they stay with your group from the first throw to the last, correct your grip before you get frustrated, and are the only ones who reset the board between throwers. Nobody retrieves their own axe until the coach says the lane is clear.
Closed-toe shoes are required on the lane floor - we say it here, at booking, and again at the door, because the one thing worse than turning someone away is letting them find out why at the target. We keep loaner pairs at the counter for anyone who forgets.
Every thrower signs a waiver before the coach hands over an axe. The minimum age to throw is 10, and any thrower under 18 needs the waiver signed by a parent or guardian who is present for the signature - not mailed in ahead of time.
We pour beer and cider, full stop - no liquor, no wine, no outside bottles on the lane floor. Every thrower gets a two-drink limit per session, tracked at the bar, and any coach can end someone's throwing for the day if they look impaired, no debate and no refund argument. We would rather lose one sale than one afternoon going wrong.
Scoring is simple: the board has five rings, center is worth the most and the outer ring the least, your coach calls your total out loud after every throw, and it is best of ten throws per round with everyone on the lane able to see where they stand the whole time.
