Putters at Urban Playground in Arndale Mall – Manchester, UK

Visited by October 8, 2024

Reviewed by Mr. Tee

An October trip to the UK for two World Adventure Golf Tour events brought me to the northern England mecca of Manchester. Following an overnight flight, a few trains headed north, and a short nap, I was out to explore a city with a history of music that is well represented in my personal record collection. After popping by the current location of The Haçienda and a few notable musical historical spots, I used my jet-lagged energy for mini golf exploration.

From afar, the tech-forward Urban Playground’s Putters course looked intriguing. It has some similarities to Puttshack in that each 9-hole course uses unconventional scoring tracked digitally by a well-themed and brightly colored course with lots of lights. The extra wrinkle is that each course has a final hole where you and each person in your group take multiple shots to gain extra points to determine the winner. Throughout each course, each player can activate a 2x point multiplier via the interactive screen at a hole before you begin your turn. This is very similar to the Puttstars course we played on a previous visit and adds another level of intrigue when it comes to scoring.

The whole space is extensive and features 3 9-hole courses spread out across two levels with multiple places to eat and drink. Additionally, there are other entertainment options, including The Cube, a UK game show experience. The upstairs course is Space / Virtual Escape themed, and near the entrance on the first level are 2 courses themed around Circus and carnival / fun fair games.

This is a course I’m eager to play with a group on my next visit to the UK and curious to hear from others who have played this course about their experience.