| TASTE TEST | ▼ Café ▼ BRICKELL PUTTSHACK’S UPSCALE MINI GOLF RESTAURANT AND BAR OPENS IN MIAMI ence that features craft cocktails, craft beer, and food, has opened in Miami. Last month, Brickell City Centre became home to Puttshack, an entertainment and nightlight venue that aims to reinvent mini golf for an adult audience. The Chicago-based company opened its first location in West London in 2018 and launched stateside in Atlanta. Puttshack Mi- ami marks the company’s fourth stateside lo- cation, a move that follows the recent grand opening of Puttshack Boston. Additional lo- cations are slated for St. Louis, Dallas, Denver, before morphing into an adult-only, night- club-style ambiance by night, where DJs spin tunes curated for a local audience Thursday through Saturday. Miami Puttshack offers three competitive, nine-hole mini golf courses and a restaurant and bar, available to guests before or after they play the game. “For most, the best way to experience An upscale, tech-infused mini golf experi- Puttshack is to reserve a tee time and a table reservation at the restaurant,” explains Vrankin. “You can also grab a cocktail at the bar before you play or even enjoy one or two while you play.” The game itself is powered by the compa- ny’s patented Trackaball technology, which automatically keeps score for players who win by scoring the most points, not the fewest shots. Screens at each hole update individual player scores tallied via each player’s golf ball. The proprietary software means no one can replicate the experience. That includes taking shots at the beer pong hole, where adult players can hit their balls into one of ten cups to capture discounts at the dinner table or bar. Photo courtesy of the Louis Collection Houston, Nashville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Scottsdale. The concept is the brainchild of brothers and TopGolf creators Steve and Dave Jolliffe, who partnered with Adam Breeden — creator of multiple entertainment-based venues like Hijingo and AceBounce — to bring Puttshack to life. Together, the trio created a unique space designed to appeal to families during the day and attract an adult-only crowd with its high- end nightclub ambiance by night. According to Puttshack CEO Joe Vrankin, the concept is a hole-in-one when it comes to marrying entertainment, dining, and nightlife under one roof. “The Jolliffe’s have done a great job rein- venting the game of mini golf for an adult audience,” Vrankin tells New Times. “The best thing about Puttshack’s technology is that it goes beyond the convenience of not having to keep score to allow guests to be to- tally immersed in the game and the group they’re with.” During the day, Puttshack is tailored to a younger audience, explains Vrankin. The mu- sic and lighting reflect a family-friendly vibe Puttshack has opened at Brickell City Centre. Likewise, the “Ring of Fire” features the brand’s “supertubes” — special holes that can land players big points for holes-in-one — and a roulette hole that will prompt guests to answer true/false questions (If you think the answer is true, you putt under a bridge that says “true”; there’s another for “false” answers.) While cutting-edge technology plays a part in the overall ambiance, the Puttshack menu and mixology program ties it all to- gether. The signature cocktails and full bar offer an array of globally inspired items that present a shareable, street-food approach. Each Puttshack menu has been curated by the company’s global food and beverage di- rector, Mark Boyton, a French-trained chef who tailors dishes to reflect the city it calls home. Several dishes were tailored specifically for Miami, including the “Little Havana” flatbread topped with house-smoked pork, chorizo, black beans, roasted corn, green peppers, red onions, fried plantain, and jalapeños. 15 15 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | miaminewtimes.com | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | NEW TIMES MIAMI NEW TIMES NOVEMBER 3-9, 2022 MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008
