EAST PEORIA — Asked why The Putt Club will be successful, co-owner Jason Payne gestured away from the new entertainment center’s restaurant and toward the view of the Illinois River and Interstate 74 in East Peoria.
“It’s about visibility and vision,” he said. “It’s the two ‘V’ words. We are visible from I-74, where approximately 60,000 cars will pass per day. These people will see our nickname and logos on the sides of our building. Then we have a great view of the river, the Murray Baker Bridge and the downtown Peoria skyline.”
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East Peoria’s 18,000-square-foot family entertainment complex offers an indoor and outdoor miniature golf experience that seems more focused on presenting a challenge than a carnival. In place of the more traditional windmills or clown faces, rock formations mark the off-limits areas of the outdoor course, while varying slopes and surprisingly long holes increase the degree of difficulty. Payne said the indoor course will open this week, while the outdoor course opened last weekend.
“It’s unbelievable that a putt-putt course is so long and has Par 3 or 4 holes,” said Nathan Chasteen of West Peoria. “The climbs and descents and elevation changes made the ride really fun.”
The miniature golf courses are the heart of the operation, and Payne said early feedback shows they are the facility’s most popular attraction. The Putt Club also offers meeting places, a game room and a full-service restaurant.
“It’s a unique entertainment experience that we really don’t have in this area,” Payne said. “There are some large cities that offer similar types of products, but this is something we wanted to bring to central Illinois.”
Chasteen ended his round of mini golf with the restaurant’s ultra-thin crust pizza and a goat cheese appetizer, describing both as “phenomenal.” In addition to the pizza, Payne recommended the shareable Hole-in-One Nachos, which look like something out of a Food Network show. “They’re the size of a small vehicle,” he laughed.
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Natalie Willdrick of East Peoria decided to stop for lunch at The Putt Club restaurant before hitting the outdoor course with her husband, Russell. The two had high hopes for the steak quesadillas they ordered, and Willdrick said she’s excited about an entertainment center like this coming to the greater Peoria area.
“This seems like a great place,” she said. “It’s definitely something that’s needed around here.”
Connect with Putt Club
- Address: 1001 Bass Pro Dr., East Peoria, near Bass Pro stores
- Telephone: (309) 916-7888
- Website: theputtclub.com
- Hours: Tuesday from 3pm to 10pm, Wednesdays and Sundays from 11am to 10pm, Thursday from 11am to 11pm and Friday and Saturday from 11am to midnight.
