San Francisco’s beloved Urban Putt is slated for an “Instagrammable” makeover from the Australian company that recently purchased the city’s first indoor mini-golf course.
Funlab—which has 42 venues across Australia and New Zealand and specializes in transforming familiar concepts like bowling alleys and arcades into highly immersive and photogenic experiences—is putting its unique spin on SF- and Denver-based Urban Putt, beginning with a name change.
Funlab will debut its self-described “irreverent” and “nostalgic” mini-golf concept, Holey Moley, with a revamped Urban Putt in Denver this August, followed by a brand new location in Austin in November and Holey Moley San Francisco in early 2024. But the merry corporate band won’t be starting from scratch in San Francisco. It will give the Mission’s Urban Putt—which Funlab recently acquired—the Holey Moley treatment but with “a distinctly American twist,” according to a press release, and reimagine the course’s 18 holes of play for the Instagram generation.
While Funlab is mum on the specifics, the company describes its “super-vibey” mini-golf courses as “a multi-sensory labyrinth of unique holes” inspired by pop culture and childhood faves from the ’80s and ’90s. For example, Holey Moley’s course in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, boasts a 10-meter tall poop emoji, a life-size re-creation of the board game Mouse Trap and a giant TV game show set, according to Time Out Sydney. From what we’ve read and seen, we’re getting major millennial and Gen Z throwback vibes for this new putt-putt course, which will also offer bites and specialty cocktails built for the gram. Booze in a rubber ducky bathtub, anyone?
If the assessment of Steve Fox, CEO and founder of Urban Putt, is any indication, Holey Moley San Francisco will, indeed, be a vibe. "It's been incredible to see the vision Funlab has for transformation,” Fox said, “and I can't wait to see how this will build on Urban Putt's success."
Funlab CEO Michael Schreiber is "par"-ticuarly excited and enthusiastic about bringing the Holey Moley mini-golf concept stateside.
“Our research, insights and the opportunity to build on Urban Putt's success shows us there is a high demand for this style of concept that will resonate with American consumers," Schreiber said. “Without question, Funlab intends to make a mark in the U.S. and to keep on growing."
The company will maintain current Urban Putt staff but is also building local teams, the members of which the company cheekily calls “motherfunners,” to work its forthcoming U.S. locations. Prospective putters can monitor holeymoley.com and its Facebook account for updates and details on bookings.
Holey Moley
📍1096 S. Van Ness Ave., SF
🔗 holeymoley.com