Puttshack opened on November 3, 2021 at Oakbrook Center. The concept—”An Upscale, Tech-Infused Mini Golf Experience”—sounded really interesting, so I was excited to check it out. We were hosted over the weekend for a preview so we could tell you all about our experience. All opinions are my own.
This article originally published on October 31, 2021. We went to Puttshack again in March of 2022, so you can read that update towards the end as well.
Topline Details
- Puttshack is an all-ages indoor miniature golf venue and full service restaurant during the day. At 8:00pm, it turns 21+, making it a great girls night out or date night.
- A 9-hole mini golf game costs $12 for adults and kids over 12 and $8 for kids 12 and under.
- Everything about the mini golf experience is high tech. Your ball recognizes who is playing and how many times you’ve hit the ball, so it keeps score for you. There are fun obstacles where you can earn extra points, so it’s not traditional scoring, which keeps it interesting.
- The food is not your typical bar food; the director of food and beverage focuses on elevating their dishes to be amazing. Many aspects of each dish are made in-house and it shows.
- Keep scrolling for a more detailed review of Puttshack with photos!
Get a Tour of Puttshack Oak Brook
After checking your coat if you would like, head to the second floor where you will find a huge bar at the top of the stairs with two 9-hole miniature golf courses on each side. A DJ spins remixes, making it a loud and lively atmosphere, and the staff adds to the fun environment. I love how the general manager jumped into my picture. It seems like it’s always a party there!
There are tables with stools around the bar, as well as a second bar with seating, pictured below. See all that light to the left? There’s a long table along the windows that is perfect for socializing and hanging out.
Food and Beverage
You are welcome to eat and enjoy a beverage before or after you play a round of mini golf, and you can even take your drink with you to the course. We had the pleasure of meeting Mark Boyton, the Director of Food and Beverage, so let’s talk food first. It’s clear that he has a passion for what they serve, and he strives to elevate each offering to make it flavorful and unique. Many aspects of the dishes are made in-house, and if he can’t source a spice mixture or sauce that he likes, for example, they create their own. Puttshack also uses the same quality meat, marinates the chicken, and cares about the kids menu.
We tried the charcuterie board, chorizo and cheese empanadas, crispy popcorn cauliflower, pepperoni buzz flatbread, kids slider, and beignets. Everything was seriously delicious! I didn’t taste all of the drinks because I didn’t want to fall over, but they all looked amazing and on-trend. Puttshack has smoking guns with the ability to load different flavors, which adds to the experience.
Tech-Infused Mini Golf
We recommend making a reservation before going, especially these first few months, but you can also reserve a tee time at kiosks while you are there. There are four 9-hole mini golf courses: the Ruby and Sapphire courses are on the left, and Amber and Emerald are on the right. Each course has variations with some unique elements and some holes that are similar. Sapphire and Emerald are ADA courses without any stairs to the green. Emerald is the only course with natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the front of the building.
Everything about this mini golf experience is high tech. Your ball keeps score for you, and you can earn extra points on obstacles. Instead of taking turns, one person takes all of their turns before the next player, and everything is displayed on the screen, including your score card, encouragements, scoring for extra points, and even trivia questions for one of the holes. I’m horrible at trivia and some of the questions were over my 11-year-old daughter’s head, so the staff gave us some hints for that one!
Prices and Booking
Each 9-hole mini golf game takes about 30 minutes and costs $12 for adults and kids over 12, and $8 for kids 12 and under. Puttshack offers 50% off your second game on weekdays until 4pm. The discount is automatically applied at checkout.
You can book a tee time online up to 14 days in advance on the Puttshack website. Click here for the booking page.
Recommended Ages
We recommend Puttshack for kids ages 6 years old and over, but think the optimal age for this venue in the afternoons is tweens and teens. After 8pm, Puttshack turns 21+, making it a great spot for a night out with friends or a date.
Special Needs Accommodations
There is an elevator to the second floor and ramps to each of the mini golf courses. Two of the four courses are ADA accessible. The venue has a DJ, so please be aware if you have kids who are sensitive to loud environments. When you book your tee time, there is an option to specify if one or more players in your group will require special accommodations, so look for that radial button to select.
Discounts for Puttshack
Puttshack offers 50% off your second game on weekdays until 4pm. No special code needed; the discount is automatically applied at checkout.
2022 Update
We were disappointed to find out that many families and groups are buying one game and playing the course multiple times. They are playing holes 1-8 in random order and not playing the last hole until they decide to leave. This seems like a major miss for a technologically advanced game. If the ball can track the player and number of putts, then why can’t it let the player know they have already completed certain holes? No wonder the high scores on the scrolling board are in the 500’s! Since there is a max number of games per time slot, these groups are creating a huge backup in each area. There were long lines to get on the course and lines before each hole. It was chaos.
