High-tech miniature golf coming to Pittsburgh's Strip District

An upscale, technology-driven miniature golf course will be among the newest additions at the Terminal in the Strip District.

Puttshack, which calls itself “the world’s first and only upscale, tech-infused mini golf experience with global food and drink,” announced last week that it had signed a lease at the Terminal.

The Terminal, a historic building spanning five blocks in the Strip District, was once a hub for the area’s wholesale produce industry. Now, the site is being redeveloped by McCaffery, a development company that aims to bring about 160,000 square feet of retail space, offices and restaurants — along with more than 270 public parking spaces — to the building, which was originally constructed in 1929.

Puttshack will occupy roughly 23,500 square feet of the building.

The business will feature four mini golf courses. Each course uses Puttshack’s patented Trackaball technology, which includes features like automated scoring, bonus point opportunities and interactive games at every hole.

Puttshack also will include a dining menu and a full cocktail bar, creating an atmosphere the company compares to a “high-energy, upscale nightclub vibe.”

“The Terminal in the Strip District is an iconic part of Pittsburgh’s past and burgeoning future that makes it a perfect choice for Puttshack,” Puttshack CEO Joe Vrankin said in a statement.

The mini golf site will be “a great complement to our growing roster of retailers at the Terminal and deliver a one-of-a-kind entertainment and dining option to all of Pittsburgh,” said Dean Welch, vice president at McCaffery.

Puttshack’s Pittsburgh location is slated to open in the winter of 2022, bringing 200 job opportunities.

The company has opened two U.S. locations this year, in Atlanta and Chicago, and has three locations in London. It also plans to open locations next year in Miami, Boston, Houston, Scottsdale and St. Louis.

Additional tenants to sign leases at the Terminal include Aslin Beer Company, City Grows, Envy Nails, Fine Wine and Good Spirits Premium Collection, OnPar Now, Pip & Lola’s, Posman Books, PrimoHoagies and Walk Run Lift, according to McCaffery.