Step aside, kids—adults are taking over the mini-golf scene as yet another upscale, boozy putt putt course rolls into town.
Later this month, Puttery (800 F St. NW) will make its DC debut inside the former home of the International Spy Museum, a 19,000-square-foot venue that will allow for—not one, not two, but three—nine-hole golf courses, each with its own zany theme.
Choose between the “Art Museum,” a Warhol-esque course with bright pops of color; the “Conservatory,” a botanical-themed set up with prickly cacti and giant redwoods; and the “Illusion,” a trippy, optical-bending course that’ll challenge your already alcohol-impaired golf skills.
And you don’t have to play on an empty stomach, nor do you have to play to eat and drink. Puttery offers a menu that’s more upscale than your average golf spot: there’s sous vide pork belly glazed in hoisin; marinated ahi tuna with mango/cucumber pico; pizzas topped with sausage and pesto, or mascarpone and mushroom.
While the DC Puttery doesn’t have prices listed on its website yet, it does have two other locations in Dallas and Charlotte—both of which charge $18 per person for a round of golf.
The whole swanky mini-golf concept isn’t new; others have been popping up around town. Perch Putt (1805 Capital One Dr., McLean) just opened just a couple weeks ago in Tysons. The rooftop venue sits 11 stories above the Capital One Center, giving skyline views to players on the 18-hole putt-putt course. While it’s kid-friendly, the venue still offers frozen cocktails from its tiki bar as well as street eats served out of retro vehicles repurposed as food trucks.
And then there’s Swingers (1330 19th St. NW), a London-based crazy golf chain that made its U.S. debut in Dupont last June—and has another location slated to open in Navy Yard this summer, according to the Washington Business Journal. Cheekily decorated like a 1920s English golf clubhouse, the adults-only Dupont location offers two nine-hole golf courses as well as four cocktail bars.
