Miniature golf and entertainment chain Puttshack has teed up a U.S. growth plan that relies in part on humorous marketing to help explain its high-tech offerings and woo customers to new locations.

Founded in the U.K., where it has four locations, Puttshack opened its first U.S. location in April 2021 and recently cut the ribbon on its 14th venue here, including six that opened in 2023 and three so far this year. After originally setting a goal of 25 sites by 2025, the chain now expects to exceed that.

While miniature golf took a hit during the pandemic shutdown, the sector is rebounding. Competition in the space is high, with Topgolf, Puttery and PopStroke among the other chains courting consumers. To differentiate itself and help drive growth, Puttshack is spotlighting its use of technology, including through a recent marketing campaign featuring new brand spokesperson Ace Puttman, the ersatz founder of the company, who extols the chain's innovations in an over-the-top manner. 

"There are many competitors in the space so we needed to be different," said Susan Walmesley, chief marketing officer and chief operating officer at Puttshack. "We wanted it to be an infomercial and wanted someone to explain it in a fun and quirky way."

An ace up the sleeve

The recent "Technically, The Best" campaign features six video shorts in which Ace Puttman describes different aspects of the Puttshack experience, including unique elements such as its Trackaball technology — the ball keeps score; no need for the players to do so — and its Supertube. Each video is part educational, part entertainment as Puttman informs and amuses his audience. The campaign aired over the course of a month on social media channels and on billboards. The videos also appear on a campaign landing page as well as in Puttshack locations.

"The satire involved in this ad campaign — Ace Puttman is over-the-top confident — also brings humility and likeability to the brand," said Vanessa Errecarte, founder and CEO of Marketing Simplified, who commented as an independent third-party. 

The reception to Ace Puttman so far has been strong, leading the chain to consider extending its use of the character in its marketing.

"He highlighted really great engagement on different social channels,” said Walmesley. “We'll bring him back, especially if we're going to launch something new."

Round two

As the chain learns more about its customers and how it engages with its innovations, this will inform its marketing. Puttshack is conducting consumer research to uncover insights into the entire guest experience and is gathering data through guest surveys sent to members of its Puttshack Perks loyalty program.

"Puttshack’s marketing is integral to our long-term growth strategy. With more tools and trend data at our fingertips as we grow, our campaigns will continue to evolve with longer life cycles, strong seasonal messaging, localized relevance," Walmesley said.

Looking ahead, innovation will continue to be a key strategic differentiator for the brand. One location in Addison, Texas features the new Challenge Hole, which enables multiple people to play competitively while staying in the same suite. 

The idea is that customers can eat and drink while they play, explained Walmesley. Typically, mini-golf aficionados play a round of mini-golf before or after eating and drinking, not during. More Challenge Hole locations are planned for the fall, with a slight adjustment: Customers can walk directly into the restaurant from the street, making it harder to miss.

The goal of these efforts is to support the chain’s expansion strategy. 

"It's been a very fast-paced growth, largely driven by the pandemic," Walmesley said. "We were extremely lucky in the U.S. that we'd just got a small team together when the pandemic closed everything down. We were able to pause on construction and wait it out. That allowed us to sign some leases while the real estate world was in flux."