12 April 2023
Mini golf like you’ve never seen before, Puttshack takes a classic game and brings it into the 21st century with technology, fancy food & drinks and a classy atmosphere. From the creator of experiences such as Flight Club & All Star Lanes team up with the creator behind Topgolf, they have created a unique one-of-a-kind mini golf experience that takes the game to a whole new level.
Puttshack is in multiple different venues across the UK & USA, with it having currently 4 open in the UK whilst having 5 in the USA, soon expanding to nearly 20 sites in the next few years. With its huge success, who knows where they may be popping up soon…
The four sites in the UK are all around the London area, being Bank, Lakeside, Watford & White City. Each site offers the same high-quality round of golf with some minor changes across the courses at each venue. For those who aren’t sure what Puttshack is, it is tech-infused mini golf, meaning there is no paper and pencils, it’s all automatic and leaving you with just the fun part, playing mini golf!
Our review covers the Puttshack’s Bank venue, which is the most central in London and easiest to get to when in the London area. Whilst there is no parking in the nearby area, it is more than accessible from public transport such as the tube & bus services. From multiple different exits, you can be at the venue within minutes.
Booking To Play
Before arriving at the venue, it is best to pre-book your visit via the website to guarantee a slot. Also, it makes things a lot quicker and easier before arriving with the setup. Tickets can only be booked via the official Puttshack website, which is super simple. After selecting your location, you select how many adults and children are attending along with the time you wish to play. The Bank venue costs £13.50 per adult and £9 for kids which are under 12.
It is good to note that the venue does put an 18+ age restriction in place after 7pm but, with great opening hours this is not an issue. Opening as early as 11am most days and closing as late as midnight, there is plenty of time for everybody to play. There are also offers in place during the weekday where you can get 50% off your second game, so if you’re visiting mid-week, make use of this fantastic offer!
After you have booked, you get an email sent with a registration link. You can set everybody up prior to arriving or you can send a link to all the players so they can set themselves up. This just requires a name, email and mobile so it can send you the scores at the end and show a display name when you are playing at the venue. If you don’t do this upon arrival, no worries as there are plenty of self-service machine where you can setup & then check in.
Food & Drink
Once you’re at the venue and you’ve checked in, this is the perfect time to head to the bar and get a drink. The bar is super fancy and has such a range of drinks on offer. From some of the best beers on offer on draught, to your classic cocktails through to champagne, wines, spirits and soft drinks. The prices fall in the range of typical London pricing which we find is fair for its location.
If you don’t fancy waiting at the bar, you can use a QR code to order through the website to your table or you can get table service from staff walking around the venue. We love the options here, giving all types of guests a different way to order.
If you have some time before or even after, it is worthwhile getting food at Puttshack. Our guest Savannah said; “Puttshack has a wide-ranging food menu which stretches from more traditional burgers and fries, to smaller shareable plates which include items such as chicken skewers, gyoza and bao buns. We chose a variety of shareables from across the menu, and really enjoyed the variety of cuisines and flavours on offer.”
The Courses
Puttshack has 3 courses which are named Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire. Each course has 9 futuristic holes to play and all offer different interactive elements, ways to win prizes and hole in 1 opportunities! You can find out when it is your time to play by one of the many screens in the bar area which displays the booking name. It will tell you how long till your start time and which course you are going to play. When you then head over the course to start, you will be greeted by another self service machine to get your ball. Super simple, select your booking on the screen and then each player will get a ball given to them.
The ball is super important at Puttshack as this tech infused venue uses TRACKABALL technology that will track your personal score throughout the game via the ball assigned to you. Each time you putt, it will register that until you get the ball in the hole. Pretty sweet right?
Once your team has been fully setup and you have your ball, you can head over to the first hole to get started.
How To Play Puttshack Mini golf
Playing Puttshack’s version of mini golf is super easy. For first timers, it is all explained to you at each hole, but we have summed up the key features below. Each player must complete the hole before the next player can begin, due to the technology being used here. To start, you just put your ball in the green tee area on the black dot to register the ball. You know once its registered, as the lights go green on the course and your name appears on the screen above each hole. From here, you can now begin to play.
With this being a one-of-a-kind experience, it isn’t just as simple as getting the ball in the hole in the fewest shots. Whilst that is still the plan, there are many other ways you can score points. For example, some holes feature a SUPERTUBE, getting it in here, you will get extra points and a high chance of a hole in one! There is also bonus point chances to look out for. Whilst that all sounds good, you do have to look out for the hazard traps, these sneaky areas will lose you points, so avoid at all costs.
Unlike your average mini golf, it isn’t the lowest score who wins here. You want to score as many points as possible and to do this, you can get the bonus points, putting the ball in as few shots as possible and winning on the interactive features. Each hole is different to the next, so it is worth taking a glance over before just simply putting to the hole. Scores are tracked at each hole on a large screen above the course, so you can keep track of your game without having to carry around a pesky scorecard.
Our Favourite Features
Puttshack Bank has so many fantastic courses to play. Starting with a fan favourite being the wheel of fortune which you will find on every course, usually halfway through. This is where your skill of getting a hole in one really matters, as the first ball you hit will stop the wheel on one of the many prizes you can win. From free drinks, food, merchandise or a game, or for the super competitive, extra bonus points! The second shot is hole in one shot, which is a straight shot to the other end of the course and if you can do that in one, the prize is yours. Whilst it sounds simple, most people fail.
Another fun hole is the pinball course, which has lots of chances to score some big points. From the SUPERTUBE through to bonus points scattered throughout the hole, it can really go either way, with a few risky hazard zones, this can be a real make or break hole, which we love.
Another fan favourite is the true or false interactive course. Another super simple hole, simply answer the question on the screen with either true or false and score some juicy bonus points. Get it wrong? Then you will lose some of them points you’ve earned earlier. Don’t know the answer? Then just go for the SUPERTUBE which requires a super straight shot in the middle on a ball width ramp.
There are plenty of other courses with many great features that we would love to cover, however, we don’t wish to spoil all of the Puttshack secrets in our review. You have to head to the venue to see them for yourself!
Overall, Puttshack is really the king of futuristic mini golf. Whilst premium in price, it is a premium experience of the highest quality that you will struggle to see elsewhere. With its range of different interactive features, through to a seamless experience from the moment you enter the venue, we struggle to see how you can ever have a bad time when playing with Puttshack! The food was delicious and had a great range for fast food classics to plenty of nicer options, with a full offering from the bar which gives you more than enough options.
Our guest Ben told us “It’s an exciting venue with excellent holes with very innovative scoring”. Pete mentioned; “Puttshack is impressive, and the experience is definitely worth a visit.”
Our mini golf expert Dean said; “Putt Shack is definitely one of my favourite crazy golf venues. It completely redefines the game and adds another layer of fun with bonuses, digital scoring and a futuristic feel.”
Finally, Austyn highlighted; “Puttshack is one of my favourite mini golfs to play right now. With the range of interactive features and the seamless experience from the moment you step foot in the venue, it is just what you expect in 2023”.
Thank you to the team at Puttshack for inviting us over in March! They provided us a bar tab for food & drink along with a single game of mini golf for our team of 5 that attended. Have you visited Puttshack? Then let us know your thoughts over on social media!
@thrillnation It even tracks your score for you, and gives you bonus points! 📍Bank, London #puttshack #puttshacklondon #puttshackbank #bank #london #crazygolf #thingstodoinlondon #minigolf #adults #fun ♬ Sport (15 Sec) - TimTaj
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