Crazy golf and karaoke combined – a prime example of the modern ‘competitive socialising’ craze remaking the British night out
Putt Putt Karaoke Bar in Clapham holds a thousand and sixty-five reviews and a 4.6 – a strong score on a large sample – and it is a prime example of one of the biggest trends remaking the British night out: “competitive socialising,” here combining two great crowd-pleasers, mini-golf and karaoke, in one lively venue of games and fun.
Putt putt
“Putt putt” is an affectionate American term for miniature golf – the beloved, silly, endlessly fun game of putting a golf ball around a whimsical little course of ramps, obstacles, windmills, loops and hazards. Also known as crazy golf, mini-golf or adventure golf, it is one of the great democratic pleasures – requiring no skill, taking no time to learn, and providing endless laughter, gentle competition and fun for everyone from small children to grandparents. “Putt putt” (echoing the sound and action of the putter) captures its cheerful, unpretentious, silly charm perfectly.
Mini-golf has been a beloved leisure activity for the best part of a century, a fixture of the seaside holiday and the family day out. But in recent years it has undergone a remarkable transformation – reinvented as a sophisticated, boozy, grown-up night out, with elaborate themed courses, cocktails, and a lively bar atmosphere. The humble crazy-golf course has become one of the hottest tickets in the modern nightlife, and Putt Putt rides this wave.
Karaoke
The other half of the offering is karaoke – the beloved institution of singing along to backing tracks, in which ordinary people take the microphone to perform their favourite songs, to the delight (and occasional dismay) of their friends. Karaoke was invented in Japan (the word means, roughly, “empty orchestra” – the orchestra without the singer), and it has become one of the great global pastimes, a joyful, democratic, often hilarious form of participatory entertainment. Whether belting out a power ballad to a packed room or murmuring nervously in a private booth, karaoke is pure, unpretentious, communal fun – and, like mini-golf, it requires no real skill, only the willingness to have a go.
The competitive socialising boom
Putt Putt embodies one of the most significant trends in modern British hospitality: “competitive socialising,” the boom in venues that combine drinking with games and activities. Rather than simply standing at a bar, a whole generation increasingly wants to do something on a night out – and a huge industry has grown up to provide it: not just mini-golf and karaoke, but darts (reinvented as a boozy social game), bowling, shuffleboard, ping-pong, axe-throwing, darts, escape rooms, and much more. The “competitive socialising” venue – drinks plus an activity – has become one of the defining formats of the modern night out, especially popular with the young, social crowds of areas like Clapham.
There is a genuine appeal to this. Combining drinks with an activity gives a night out structure, fun, laughter and a shared focus – it breaks the ice, gets people playing and laughing together, and provides entertainment beyond mere drinking. It suits the modern taste for experiences over simple consumption, and it has brought a new energy and playfulness to the British night out. Putt Putt, combining two of the most beloved and accessible activities – crazy golf and karaoke – is a classic and well-executed example, and its strong score reflects its success in delivering exactly this kind of fun, social, playful night out.
The bar
A strong, popular venue doing a good 4.6 across a large and real sample, combining mini-golf and karaoke in a prime example of the modern “competitive socialising” boom – drinks plus games and fun.
Verdict
Strong, popular, and riding the competitive-socialising wave – Putt Putt, combining crazy golf and karaoke for a fun, playful, activity-filled night out.
Go to Putt Putt for the modern night out – a round of crazy golf, a turn at the karaoke mic, and a drink in hand – a classic of the competitive-socialising boom that has brought new playfulness to the British night.
Alan Nafzger was born in Lubbock, Texas, the son Swiss immigrants. He grew up on a dairy in Windthorst, north central Texas. He earned degrees from Midwestern State University (B.A. 1985) and Texas State University (M.A. 1987). University College Dublin (Ph.D. 1991). Dr. Nafzger has entertained and educated young people in Texas colleges for 37 years. Nafzger is best known for his dark novels and experimental screenwriting. His best know scripts to date are Lenin’s Body, produced in Russia by A-Media and Sea and Sky produced in The Philippines in the Tagalog language. In 1986, Nafzger wrote the iconic feminist western novel, Gina of Quitaque. He currently lives in Holloway, North London. Contact: [email protected]
