Puttshack Scottsdale: Big Fun With Miniature Golf

by Kevin Wierzbicki

Cheeky!

In the upscale Scottsdale Quarter shopping center in north Scottsdale, Arizona there's a place where fun-lovers of all ages love to putter around: Puttshack! Puttshack offers high tech miniature golf on four different courses and all of them are completely indoors so there'll be no sweat if you want to play in the middle of an Arizona summer. What do we mean by high tech mini golf? Well this is kind of amazing! The days when you had to keep score with a tiny pencil and a little score care are gone; let's just say this isn't "your father's mini golf!" When you are ready to take to your chosen course, a Puttshack employee will get your ball for you, one that is programmed to know your name. Yep, programmed! Each "green" has a place to "tee off" and these spaces recognize that the ball is yours when placed there. And then it keeps score for you; it knows how many strokes it takes you to get to the hole and it knows if you've earned bonus points by meeting certain challenges along the way. After each hole is completed, a video monitor near each hole displays your score and the scores of everyone else in your party. Kind of mind-blowing but what this does is let you concentrate on having fun without having to do pesky math. And with those scores right there for all to see you can decide if you want to do a little trash talking to your opponent.

She's a pro!

The Sitting Duck green

Each of the four courses that Puttshack has are nine-hole courses that generally take no more than half an hour to complete, but that depends on how many people are in your party. Lots of people who golf like to drink on the course and you can do that too at Puttshack if you so choose; there are small tables adjacent to each hole where you can place your libation while you show off your putting skills. Puttshack has a full bar so they'll have whatever drink you prefer and they have a bunch of signature cocktails too, like the Breaking Bad which is made with mescal, the potent Peach Tea on Peachtree that has bourbon, vodka, Tennessee whiskey and a touch of Coca-Cola, and our favorite the Ultimate Top Shelf Margarita that comes with a "supertube" of Grand Marnier that you can drink as a shot or mix into the marg (it's great both ways, we know!) Puttshack has all sorts of soft drinks for those who don't imbibe and for the kiddos (over 7-years of age and supervised by an adult) and there are non-alcoholic "mocktails" too.

Top Shelf Margarita

Navigating each hole is a blast; like on a golf course they get a bit more challenging as you putt your way to the ninth hole. There are bends and curves, ramps and barriers and special tubes that, if you hit them just right, will drop your ball right into the hole for a hole-in-one. Okay we didn't get any of those but we had a good laugh trying! Some holes offer an opportunity to win bonus points; the hole will instruct you on how to make a special putt to attempt that. Some holes, like the cute Sitting Ducks, the Pac-Man referencing Puttman hole and a hole that gives a nod to air hockey have moving hazards that you'll have to putt around to get to the hole. And at the end of the game the video monitor makes a big deal out of who won the round; hmm, maybe should have passed on that trash talking! Our party had an amazing amount of good-humored fun as we played two separate courses (you pay by the course, except with special available deals) and for sure we worked up an appetite. Good thing that Puttshack serves food that is as world-class as the miniature golf!

A nod to the classic Pac-Man game

Puttshack photo booth

We tried a bunch of different exciting shareable appetizers at Puttshack; don't expect typical apps here like wings and mozzarella sticks. We devoured Persian Chicken Skewers (saffron marinated chicken served on a grilled pita), a generous helping of Sh*take Mushroom Potstickers with yummy tamari ponzu soy and peach dipping sauces and we also chose one of Puttshack's flatbread offerings called Pepperoni Buzz; the buzz part is an amusing way to indicate that the dish includes hot honey flavoring. We also tried, from the Puttshack Handhelds menu (sandwiches) the O.G. which is a souped-up hamburger where the patty is made from beef brisket, short ribs and ground chuck (and delivered with garlic fries.) Next time we'll check out some of the other more than a dozen appetizers (Chicago Tailpipes, anyone?) and maybe chicken Handhelds like The Atlanta Hot Sandwich or the Cali Chicken Wrap. There are also salads and of course desserts (OMG the Key Lime Pie!) In fact the food at Puttshack is so good that many go there just for the nosh. Puttshack makes for a great place to have lunch anytime, or for example if someone else in your party is doing some serious shopping elsewhere in the Scottsdale Quarter.

Mushroom pot stickers