Big Mini Putt Club

Big Mini Putt Club’s New Mini-Golf Bar Is Open in Lakeview | Eater Chicago

"Housed in a bright and airy bow-truss building with 25-foot ceilings and an operable skylight, Big Mini Lakeview opened on Thursday, June 22 at 3655 N. Halsted Street on the Lakeview/Northalsted border. I found its 8,000 square feet packed with nine painstakingly crafted holes, arcade classics like Pop-A-Shot, Skee-Ball, and air hockey, and the co-owners' new tabletop golf game, “fivers,” played with a miniature 3D-printed club. Nearly 3,000 square feet larger than the original Wicker Park location, the extra room pushed the owners to rethink gameplay—Jenkins says they want the nine holes to be doable but challenging so people will come back to beat their scores. They plan Long Putt Nights, charity fundraisers featuring a permanent 50-foot putt that winds along the course with a half-size hole at the end; those who make the shot split the pot with a chosen charity, and if no one succeeds the money rolls over. At the bar there are about a dozen draft options from Chicago breweries like Dovetail, Maplewood, and Half Acre, themed cocktails including the Hazard Highball (bourbon, strawberry, lime, club soda) and Gopher Juice (gin, blueberry, lime, ginger beer), and a double-barrel slushy machine dispensing rotating boozy frozen drinks; the venue doesn’t serve food yet but is exploring partnerships and allows patrons to bring in food. Current hours are 4 p.m.–11 p.m. Monday–Wednesday; 4 p.m.–midnight Thursday; 2 p.m.–1 a.m. Friday; 11 a.m.–1 a.m. Saturday; noon–11 p.m. Sunday." - Naomi Waxman