Puttstars

What Puttstars does

Puttstars (branded to consumers as 'Putt & Play from Hollywood Bowl') is a UK-based indoor mini-golf entertainment brand and sub-brand of Hollywood Bowl Group plc, a company listed on the London Stock Exchange under ticker BOL. The brand operates themed mini-golf courses with quirky obstacles and up to three course variants per venue, combining the round with food and beverage, arcade games, and — at select sites — adjacent ten-pin bowling, VIP lanes, duckpin bowling, interactive darts, and HyperBowl. The mini-golf offering is delivered through two distribution formats: four dedicated Putt & Play venues (Harrow, Peterborough, Rochdale, and Leeds at The Springs) and embedded mini-golf courses inside select Hollywood Bowl centers (Colchester, Stockton, York, and Leeds Hollywood Bowl). Operationally the brand is lean — Puttstars itself lists approximately 8 employees — with the underlying venue staff, marketing, and corporate functions handled at the Hollywood Bowl Group level (head office: Focus 31, West Wing, Cleveland Road, Hemel Hempstead).

The business generates revenue from four streams: per-round mini-golf session fees (one-time), on-site food and beverage sales, arcade/amusement card-based play (Tigapo Tap to Play), and packaged offerings such as kids' and teens' birthday parties, team/corporate events, school packages, and celebration packages. Pricing is pay-as-you-go with center- and time-specific variation, layered with promotional discounts (Earlybird 50% off before 11am weekends, Summer Passport 10–50% off, Blue Light 10–20% off, Kidspass, student, and birthday codes). The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, with discovery and online booking routed through the Hollywood Bowl parent website (hollywoodbowl.co.uk); marketing is integrated at the parent level across the website, email/CRM, organic social (Facebook, Instagram), and a network of named lifestyle influencers.

The customer base is horizontal and fragmented across families with children (primary), couples/date-night, group celebrations (birthdays, corporate), and schools/educational groups, with no disclosed enterprise anchor customers. Digital surface is limited: a seasonal Summer Passport web app (17 July – 7 September 2026) provides a gamified loyalty/discount mechanic, but no proprietary AI/ML, data flywheel, or differentiated technology platform is documented. The brand has been recognized indirectly via the parent's 2026 Sunday Times Best Places to Work and WorkL Excellent Employee Experience awards, supporting employer brand and consumer trust rather than indicating standalone brand equity.

Name

Puttstars

Legal name

The Original Bowling Company Limited

Website

https://puttstars.co.uk

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Puttstars (branded 'Putt & Play') is the UK indoor mini-golf sub-brand of Hollywood Bowl Group plc, operating themed courses at four dedicated venues and within select Hollywood Bowl centers, serving families, couples, groups, and schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Entertainment Centres

NAICS

Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Mini Golf & Attractions Centers (Mini Golf, Go-Karts, Laser Tag Complexes) (THAJAEAK)

Keywords

• Indoor mini golf
• Family entertainment centers
• Themed mini golf courses
• Birthday party packages
• Group entertainment venues

Headquarters

HQ city

Hemel Hempstead

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Mini Golf Session Fees: Customers pay per round/activity for mini-golf sessions at Puttstars venues. Sessions can be booked individually or as part of packages.
2. Food and Beverage Sales: On-site food and drink consumption at mini-golf venues contributes to revenue, including meals, snacks, and beverages.
3. Arcade/Amusement Games: Arcade games available at participating centers generate additional revenue through token/card-based play systems like Tigapo Tap to Play.
4. Party Packages: Birthday and group celebration packages combining mini-golf with food and drinks at set prices per person.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Puttstars (also branded Putt & Play) operates indoor themed mini-golf courses at Hollywood Bowl Group centres and dedicated venues across the UK, offering up to three themed courses per location alongside party packages, food and beverage, and arcade games. Sessions and packages are paid for individually by consumers at the venues or pre-booked online through the Hollywood Bowl website.

Product overview

Puttstars (branded as Putt & Play by Hollywood Bowl) is a mini golf entertainment offering from Hollywood Bowl Group, a UK-based family entertainment centre operator. The product portfolio includes the core Putt & Play mini golf experience (featuring up to three themed courses per centre) as well as ten pin bowling, VIP lanes, arcade games, duckpin bowling, interactive darts, and HyperBowl. Additional offerings include various party packages (kids, teens, mini golf birthdays), corporate team events, celebration packages, and food & drink services. The company operates multiple centres across the UK including dedicated Putt & Play locations in Harrow, Peterborough, Rochdale, and Leeds, as well as mini golf at Colchester, Stockton, York, and other Hollywood Bowl centres.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Putt & Play (Indoor Mini Golf) Indoor themed mini-golf experience featuring up to three themed courses per venue with quirky obstacles and colourful challenges, available to walk-in visitors and pre-booking customers of all ages.
• Mini Golf Birthday Parties Dedicated birthday party packages built around Puttstars/Putt & Play mini-golf sessions for children's and group celebrations.
• Kids Birthday Party Packages Children's birthday party bundles combining one hour of mini-golf at participating Puttstars/Hollywood Bowl centres with a kid's meal, unlimited squash, and a free game voucher.
• Teens Birthday Party Packages Teen birthday party bundles combining one hour of mini-golf at participating Puttstars/Hollywood Bowl centres with a burger meal, choice of drinks, play4prize tickets, and a free game voucher.
• Team Event Packages (Mini Golf) Group/team event bundles with mini-golf at Putt & Play Peterborough and other selected centres, combining activity with meals and drinks for corporate and adult group outings.
• Cool Schools Package (Mini Golf) Educational group outing package combining mini-golf with kid's meals and drinks for school groups, with a free teacher place per six children.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Swingers: Indoor mini-golf plus cocktail-bar concept in London and other UK cities. Direct peer competing for the same group/date-night occasion with a more cocktail-led positioning.
• Junkyard Golf Club: UK operator of adult-leaning, themed indoor mini-golf venues with on-site bars. Direct peer focused on the same themed indoor mini-golf market, with similar pricing and target demographics.
• Urban Putt: Indoor mini-golf entertainment venues with full bar and kitchen in the US. Direct peer in themed indoor mini-golf plus F&B, though operating primarily outside the UK.
• Mr. Mulligan's: UK family entertainment chain offering themed indoor and outdoor mini-golf alongside other attractions. Direct peer — same indoor mini-golf-led proposition targeting families and group outings.
• Puttshack: Premium tech-enabled indoor mini-golf chain with on-site F&B and bars across the UK and US. Closest direct competitor to Puttstars/Putt & Play in the themed indoor mini-golf entertainment centre category.
• Paradise Island Adventure Golf: UK-themed indoor adventure golf operator with multiple sites. Direct peer in themed indoor mini-golf targeting families and groups.
• The Golf Groove: UK operator of indoor themed mini-golf venues. Direct peer in the themed indoor mini-golf segment with similar pricing and family/group occasion focus.

Broad incumbents

• Hollywood Bowl Group plc: The publicly listed parent company of Puttstars, also operating ten-pin bowling centres across the UK. Comparable as a UK family-entertainment centre operator but broader in scope (bowling-led, with mini-golf as an add-on).
• Topgolf: Large global operator of golf-based entertainment venues combining driving-range tech with F&B and events. Broader incumbent in the same experiential golf entertainment category, but at a different price point and scale.

Others

• Dobbies Garden Centres (in-store leisure offerings): UK leisure operator expanding on-site family entertainment including mini-golf at garden centre locations. Tangentially comparable as a UK family-venue operator entering mini-golf, but anchored in a different primary category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/puttstars

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Puttstars