7 takeaways from my first time at Puttery, Charlotte's cool new mini-golf bar

Besides mini golf, Puttery also has a full bar. Photo: Emma Way/Axios

The swanky new bar Puttery is off to a hot start in Charlotte, selling out most Saturdays.

What to expect: The 15,000-square-foot space in South End has two putt-putt courses, a full bar and a lounge for ordering drinks and apps before or after a game.

Perfect for: Date night, an evening out with friends, a team-building outing with coworkers, or anything in between.

Need-to-know:

Putt-putt reservations cost $18 per person for 90-minute tee time blocks.
Find Puttery at 210 Rampart St. next to Skiptown in South End.
Hours are 4pm-12am on Monday-Wednesday, 4pm-2am on Thursday, 12pm-2am on Friday, 11am-2am on Saturday, and 12pm-12am on Sunday.

The Axios Charlotte team went out for drinks and mini-golf last week, and here’s what we thought of Puttery.

Putt around cacti and Redwood trees on the Conservatory course. Photo: Symphony Webber/Axios

(1) The mini-golf concept is backed by pro golfer Rory McIlroy.

Apart from Dallas-based golf/entertainment company Drive Shack Inc., Puttery has a handful of financial backers, including Rory McIlroy, a lover of Charlotte who won the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship.

The fact that Charlotte now has a bar with a celeb owner gives me big city vibes.

Photo: Emma Way/Axios

(2) Book your tee time in advance.

Tee times are within a 90-minute block, meaning you can start anytime within that time frame. Everyone on our team — including myself — was late so it was great this reservation was so flexible.

Game reservations are $18 per person.

(3) Library > Conservatory.

Puttery has two uniquely designed, nine-hole courses:

Conservatory: A desert-themed course with giant redwoods and cacti.
Library: Like stepping into a secret study with giant books and ancient artifacts.

The Library room was my favorite because there was more variety at each hole with decorations like planetariums, constellation maps, and dinosaur replicas.

Hit your golf ball over a giant book to start this hole. Photo: Emma Way/Axios

(4) Order drinks while playing.

Each course has four themed cocktails and servers to bring them to you as you play. The designers of the space thought of everything, even building cocktail trays into each hole.

Photo: Emma Way/Axios

(5) There’s no math required.

Usually, you have to keep track of your own score at old-school putt-putt places. Not here. Just take your shot(s) and log them onto the screen at each hole. Your score follows you from hole to hole.

(6) It’s OK if you suck at golf.

I lost both rounds I played, but the Puttery is just as much about the social element of the experience as the game itself. As Laura on our team puts it, “the atmosphere is like an adult playground.” You’re just here to have fun — and to have a few drinks and maybe a cheese board, too.

Puttery’s cheese and charcuterie board. Photo: Emma Way/Axios

(7) The bar is worth a visit alone if you can’t get in for putt-putt.

Being so new to the South End scene, the Puttery is having a moment. On Fridays and Saturdays, reservations are often booked solid. If you can’t get in for a round of putt-putt, the bar is cool, too.