The brainchild of Adam Breeden (All Star Lanes, AceBounce, and Flight Club) and brothers Steven and Dave Jolliffe (Topgolf), Puttshack is a high-tech mini golf concept where technology has been injected into the traditional game to make it even more exciting and fun. The 9-hole mini golf games feature Puttshack’s proprietary TrackaballTM technology, and each game takes approximately 30 minutes, depending on how busy the course is and the number of people playing in the group. While reservations aren’t required, walk-in groups will be served on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The Puttshack experience is enhanced by food and beverage options, and guests can enjoy bar and restaurant areas when visiting. At present, the brand counts 14 locations in the U.S. and 18 locations worldwide, with more locations under construction.
Mark Johnson, CEO of Loyalty360, spoke with Susan Walmesley, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Puttshack, about the brand’s popular Ace Puttman campaign, the Puttshack Perks program, and leveraging data in support of personalization.
The brainchild of Adam Breeden (All Star Lanes, AceBounce, and Flight Club) and brothers Steven and Dave Jolliffe (Topgolf), Puttshack is a high-tech mini golf concept where technology has been injected into the traditional game to make it even more exciting and fun. The 9-hole mini golf games feature Puttshack’s proprietary TrackaballTM technology, and each game takes approximately 30 minutes, depending on how busy the course is and the number of people playing in the group. While reservations aren’t required, walk-in groups will be served on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The Puttshack experience is enhanced by food and beverage options, and guests can enjoy bar and restaurant areas when visiting. At present, the brand counts 14 locations in the U.S. and 18 locations worldwide, with more locations under construction.
Mark Johnson, CEO of Loyalty360, spoke with Susan Walmesley, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Puttshack, about the brand’s popular Ace Puttman campaign, the Puttshack Perks program, and leveraging data in support of personalization.
Good afternoon and good morning. This is Mark Johnson from Loyalty360. Hope everyone's happy, safe and well. Wanted to welcome you to another edition of our Leaders Customers Loyalty Series. In this series we speak with leading brands about what they are seeing and hearing on the front lines of customer channel and brand loyalty. Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Susan Walmsley. She's the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Puttshack. Susan, thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us today. How are you?
Speaker 2:
Very good, thank you. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely. Thank you for taking the time. First off, for those who may not know about Puttshack, can you give us a brief introduction to Puttshack and also tell us a little bit about your role at the company?
Speaker 2:
to Puttshack and also tell us a little bit about your role with the company? Sure, so Puttshack is high-tech mini golf, and so it is a concept where we've injected technology into the traditional game of mini golf to make it even more exciting and more fun. Our locations include food and beverage options, so it has a really nice bar and restaurant area in it as well. We have 14 locations in the US now 18 worldwide and more under construction.
Speaker 1:
Okay, and a little bit more about your background, what you did before Puttshack, maybe even a fun fact or a passion you have outside of work maybe even a fun fact or a passion you have outside of work.
Speaker 2:
Sure, I have been in the entertainment industry now for about almost 20 years, which that's hard to say out loud. I have always worked in some sort of hospitality business. I have, weirdly, worked around the game of golf Pretty much since I was a teenager. I used to work at my local golf club. I spent many years working at Topgolf. Now I work in Mini Golf and I have never played 18 holes in my life.
Speaker 1:
That's awesome.
Speaker 2:
So my role at Puttshack is until recently I was really focused on the marketing side of the business. I have recently shifted onto the operations side and so spending a lot more time in the locations, working through all of the people and development needs that we have in the business and serving our guests.
Speaker 1:
Excellent. Plutcheck recently launched a campaign to introduce customers to its newest ambassador, ace Putman. The initiative included a series of whimsical videos explaining why putt chat is technically the best. Uh, it also showcased some of the brands, the tech infused focus and uh, you know how you're looking at mini golf, uh, going forward and how you're adapting mini golf?
Speaker 2:
yeah, so, um, so we came up with this campaign because we've been having a lot of discussion internally about how we differentiate ourselves from other mini golf concepts, and so the world of social entertainment, eat-ertainment there's lots of different names for it has really blown up since COVID. So we've got a lot of competitors out there with different types of games, with food and beverage offerings, starting to see some other mini golf concepts that are coming out in some markets as well. We have patented technology in our golf, and so we want to make sure that we're showcasing why we're different and unique compared to some of these other mini golf concepts, and so we were trying to do that in the most fun way of how do you educate the guest on what's different and why they should try our mini golf, and we came up with this idea that we were not going to tell them ourselves. We were going to have this ambassador.
Speaker 2:
What a fun guy to work with. We called him Mr Ace Putman, and the idea was that he was playing the game but educating you along the way, so kind of like a fun version of an infomercial almost, but he was able to then take you through some of the highlights of specific types of holes and things that were very unique, and a lot of it relates to the way that people play very competitively in a fun way. But people can get very competitive playing at mini golf. We've all been out there when somebody secretly changes their score or they pretend they've lost track and they're like yeah, I think that was a three, but it was really a four, and so our technology allows you to have a very different type of experience. So we allowed Ace to tell that story for us.
Speaker 1:
Okay, excellent when you look at that video series and other supportive efforts in that campaign. How is it keeping your customers and members of Putch Act perks engaged?
Speaker 2:
I think it comes back to the competition piece. So if you're a perks member at Putch Act, then you're more likely to be engaged in the product and care about your score, not just what your own score was today, but did you beat your score from last time, but also did you beat your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your dad, your colleague, whoever you're playing with? So I think Ace and the whole series was able to really showcase ways that you can compete against other people as well. We're always looking at what's the reason people are coming back, and people come to Puttschack for lots of different reasons. You know date night, a celebration, family day together, a work event, and so this really helps show what kind of things you can really lean into and would be different about your experience.
Speaker 1:
Excellent. How did this inspire, or how will it inspire, the next wave of mini golf and entertainment lovers to embrace the brand, because obviously they're unique? You're seeing this renaissance in golf, as we talked about, as we kind of led up to this interview. How do you see that inspiring kind of that next generation?
Speaker 2:
I think the whole idea of Puttshack and what we stand for, we're all about bringing everyone into play, and so I think some of even the other golf products that are out there, they're bringing people together to play together rather than just playing off in the course and they're two-some or four-some, and so I think that's the power that Puttshack really has it's bringing people together where they get to play. I mean, one great example we have is you know, we're coming up on Mother's Day first, I will say, but Father's Day shortly after, and Father's Day is a very, very popular day for us, and the idea that dad can bring his kids out and get some golf in while he's also doing his family time is really huge for us.
Speaker 1:
That's awesome. The Putt Chat Perks program offers members access to VIP events, venue announcements and chances to participate in special sweepstakes, like the recent SuperTube sweepstakes, and you'll also have other events, games, opportunity to win, golf opportunities. Can you talk a little bit more about the Putt Chat Perks program? That's difficult to come out. You know how it works and how individual consumers engage with the program.
Speaker 2:
Yeah. So people typically sign up for Puttshack Perks right before a venue opens or when they're coming for their first visit, and by signing up for the perks program you're guaranteed some special perks, like a free game on your birthday, which is really the driver for people saying, yeah, I'll sign up. The reality is the sign up process and registering for your game. Everything becomes so much more seamless if your information is already stored in there. We also see a ton of engagement from people and we're able to show them how their scores stack up against other people or their previous visits.
Speaker 2:
They get really excited about some of those okay still working on some of those vip events and things that people want. We've seen a lot of engagement when we're looking at how does our product change over time. You know the feedback that we get from our guests, even on the menu items, is huge and really helps us with the experience.
Speaker 1:
Okay, excellent. When you look at the referral program that you have, it allows current members, it gives them a unique code that they can kind of pass out to the friends, family, relatives. How does this further drive customer experience, customer engagement, brand affinity?
Speaker 2:
So, again, we haven't been open for long, we're still a fairly new business but one of the things we found through research is that people get really excited to discover Putshack for the first time, like they like to tell people they got there first, they like to get the social content out before somebody else has got there, and so this part of the loyalty program really helps them to kind of almost show off to friends and family that they can get them something because they've got the inside knowledge.
Speaker 1:
Um, so we see a lot of connection with that okay, yeah, personalization, uh, is something that you seem to do very well. It's a very relevant and germane topic to our audience, our brand members. We meet each week and talk about different topics. We talked about personalization and segmentation a couple weeks back. You know, when you look, you look at Putts Shack's vision for personalization and the role it plays in your overall customer loyalty and engagement efforts. You know what are you seeing, how does personalization work and what does it mean to the brand?
Speaker 2:
Most of the personalization we have right now is coming through in the communication that we have with the guest. Still working on how does that play out to be a completely different experience for that guest when they come into the venue? And I think there's a lot that we could probably drive towards there, but still early days for that. But we definitely have. We have such a depth in our data. So again, a differentiation point from other types of concepts, because everybody logs in for the game and wants their scores afterwards. I know when you came, I know who you played with, I know if you scored the super tubes. I know if you hit hazards. I know if you came back. I know if you tend to come on date night, because it's the same person. All of that information is there in the system. So there's a lot that we can unlock. We're just a little too early in the process to have a lot of details around it yet.
Speaker 1:
No, that's awesome, You're right. Just some of those data points you have. They're not just transactional but they almost in essence are zero-party data points, right? So informing if they've hit a bunch of hazards you can make a joke out of that, right, or even offer a discount. I know you hit 85 hazards last time. Come back 50% off on this day at three or whatever it may be. That's awesome. We had a really fun campaign.
Speaker 2:
I know we've been talking about Ace Putman. He's wonderful. We did one a few months ago called Putsonality. So this all came from just you know, spitballing with each other, talking about playing at putshack ourselves and the types of reactions that people have, and everybody has the person in the group that's, you know, the sore loser, or you know that the one that's just there for the drinks doesn't really care about the game at all. And so we came up with this campaign where we we basically created personas for the types of people you would play with, and we had so much engagement from our perks members because everyone was able to identify with.
Speaker 2:
I have that person in my group and they were tagging the person. They're like you're, you're this guy, um and even from the associates themselves. You know the people working at putshack. They also got in on it where we had an online quiz where you could find out what your personality is, and then people just organically started putting that in their email signatures to declare I'm the socialite, I just go for the drinks. So it was really fun to see how we were able to tap into people's real life experiences with their time at Putschchak.
Speaker 1:
That's awesome. Emotional loyalty is also front and center for members of Loyalty360. We're actually doing a research project around it now. It'd be quite challenging, though, to drive emotional loyalty. It's a challenge with deaf and hearing brands. I think they have emotional loyalty, but they may or may not be measuring effectively. When you look at emotional loyalty, you've talked about some things you do with the dads coming out and having that time with their kids, and I know how important that is to me, with two in college and two back at the house. Still, you know, anytime that you can engage with them, you'll do that. You know how does Puttshack. You know spark and cultivate emotional loyalty with its customers.
Speaker 2:
I think that's where the link between the market side of things and then operations and what we deliver when somebody comes into the venue is. I guess that's why I have the job that I'm in right now is so important. And so when I think about emotional loyalty, it's how was I made to feel when I arrived in the venue? What did I walk away feeling at the end of my time?
Speaker 2:
Again, personalization the more we know about someone before they come in they're pre-booked, we know something special is happening the more that we can go above and beyond. You know we have the teams read a book called Unreasonable Hospitality which is really all about going the extra mile. And how can you really personalize and customize an experience for someone in a hospitality setting? But you can use the loyalty engine and the data we've gathered that to enhance that experience when they come in. And so you know it's from a loyalty perspective. We know that our guests are not coming every day, every week, but when they have a reason to go out and get together, we want to be the obvious choice for that, so that you get that one extra visit every time, right. And so the more that we can do to go above and beyond and just blow their mind when they come into the venue of something that they just didn't expect, the more likely they are that they're coming back and they're telling their friends about it.
Speaker 1:
Expect the more likely they are, that they're coming back and they're telling their friends about it. That's awesome. When you look at customer loyalty, it's going through some transitions now. How it's defined what it means is a big push for this idea of next generation customer loyalty. And when you look at next generation customer loyalty, what does it mean to Putcheck?
Speaker 2:
It's the link between the marketing engine and the actual experience in the venue. So exactly what we just talked about it's how do I take that information and everything I know to deliver a personalized experience. Now, it may not be a hundred percent personalized, but to the person it feels like they know me, they understand me, they know why I'm here today.
Speaker 1:
Excellent when you look at next generation customer loyalty. Having that in-depth understanding of the customer and why they're there is very important. Do you have kind of an appeal to new customers? It sounds like you tailored the offering from drinks, understanding social profiles, so it seemed that you have a unique opportunity and already understand how to engage this new customer potentially.
Speaker 2:
I think we do.
Speaker 2:
We really understand who the core demographic is.
Speaker 2:
I think what we can do more of is taking that person when they come in for the first time and making sure they think about all the reasons to come back and who else they might come with. You know, I mentioned at the start we have a lot of date nights, but we also have and date night doesn't just mean when you're dating, like my husband and I might go on date night, but we also might do family day and we might have the grandparents in town, and so the multi-generational experience is important at Putshack. Not every entertainment experience can do that. You know, I can take my six year old and also have my you know, 75 year old mother-in-law with me and they can all have a good time and then we have jobs right. So we're recommending to other people, you know, team outings and things that we might be doing, or friends night. So there's a lot of different reasons or reasons to celebrate that you might choose Puttshack as your destination reasons to celebrate that you might choose Puttshack as your destination.
Speaker 1:
Okay, that's awesome. When you look at other programs, are there programs or brands that you admire from a customer loyalty perspective? You know what do you like about their offerings, and are there elements of that program that you would like to incorporate in the Puttshack program or maybe already have incorporated?
Speaker 2:
I mean for me personally. There's a couple that I use, probably too often, and I hope nobody ever finds out how much money I spend at either of them. But, um, starbucks and sweet greens are my two go-tos, um, and both because they're just easy. It's too easy. You know, one of the things that I just struggle with every day, like a lot of moms out there, is the planning the meals and what's everybody going to eat. And so the idea of picking up lunch from sweet green.
Speaker 2:
The app is so simple. It remembers all of the customizations I've made and knows which locations I go to. Everything is just so easy. And I get there. Everything's ready for me to pick up. Same with starbucks. It's remembering everything. It's a very seamless process. But I also really love the simplicity of this is a very small example small local running store where I live. It's family owned. They have a loyalty program. They also remember exactly what kind of shoes work for me. They make recommendations. As soon as I go in, they ask me if I'm a member of the program. They check what I bought last time. They're like, hey, we actually have some Mizunos, maybe you want to try those this time. They have all that information there that makes me feel like, even though I never met this person before, they know everything about what I need that day.
Speaker 1:
That's awesome. It sounds that that that's very unique as well, because taking that data and action on it can be a challenge for brands. But that sounds like that's what you find of most value. They know you and they try to create that simplicity. But throughput and you know, making sure that you're satisfied is very important as well. But it sounds there's a great reason to love those brands. I've never been sweet greens, but my daughters unfortunately go to Starbucks all the time. I've never been to Sweet Greens, but my daughters unfortunately go to Starbucks all the time, so I don't find it rational to pay five and a half dollars on an iced tea that I could buy a whole thing a jug of iced tea for the same price. But they don't mind doing it, so that's good.
Speaker 2:
I have it down. I know exactly which stop on the train to put the order in, to make sure that as soon as I walk off I go in and it's sitting right there.
Speaker 1:
So, yeah, the convenience is amazing. That's awesome. When you look at customer loyalty in general, are the things that we Loyalty360, can do to help you and your team with your customer loyalty efforts? Are there resources or insight that you seek?
Speaker 2:
I think understanding trends in loyalty is helpful. It feels like there's so many programs out there, and so trying to fight through the clutter and the noise of all of the programs that are available to people is helpful, especially for something that is the total opposite of the two brands I just talked about. You know, I obviously eat lunch every day and I do drink coffee every day. I don't go out for an entertainment experience every day, and so other brands that are finding a way to engage people, even if the loyalty piece is maybe three or four visits a year, but they're also using them as brand ambassadors. That would be really helpful. And, as well, with the personalization piece, you know how you're able to customize experiences for people in person, because how you do things in an app or digitally is very different to what happens when you actually show up somewhere.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely right when you look at what's next for PuttCheck. You talked about implementing some of the new features with regard to Frisbee golf. What's new? Do you have anything coming up in the next year or so? That is going to add a big impact.
Speaker 2:
I think the rollout of the challenge holes that we launched in Addison is huge. The thing that makes it very different to a regular nine holes is, once we put the nine holes in, changing out one of those holes doesn't happen quite as frequently because they're already built. The challenge holes allows us to add new games through software, so I can change up the experience and I can also have limited game options in support of anything that feels like it's top of mind for people. It might be something around the holidays, it might be March Madness, whatever that might be. We can change up the experience, which gives people a reason to come back and try something new. So first iteration of that is live in Addison. We have, I think, three or four locations rolling out in 2025 that will also feature those. I think those are a game changer for us.
Speaker 1:
Okay, excellent. Well, thank you very much for that. Now it's time for our wonderful and fun quick fire questions. We like to have short responses and or one word responses, or I get in trouble with Nick and the content team and I'm always in trouble, so hopefully I don't get any additional. So first question we have is what is your favorite word?
Speaker 2:
Favorite word is awesome because it's not a word that I ever used before I lived in America.
Speaker 1:
Okay, that's awesome, there we go. What is your least favorite word?
Speaker 2:
Gross, because it sounds gross.
Speaker 1:
What excites you?
Speaker 2:
New places and new people.
Speaker 1:
What do you find tiresome?
Speaker 2:
Trying to figure out what to have for lunch every day.
Speaker 1:
Okay, is there a book that you've read, that you have a passion for, that you'd like to recommend to colleagues?
Speaker 2:
Let your People Go Surfing by the founder of Patagonia Great book.
Speaker 1:
Okay, great, I'll have to check that out. What profession, other than the one you currently have, would you like to attend? I think you may be good at.
Speaker 2:
High school teacher.
Speaker 1:
Wow, okay, what do you enjoy that you don't necessarily have time to do all the time? You mentioned that earlier finding time.
Speaker 2:
Hiking midwest is way too flat.
Speaker 1:
Okay, who inspired you to become the person you are today?
Speaker 2:
My dad.
Speaker 1:
Excellent, and what do you typically think about at the end of the day?
Speaker 2:
What everyone's going to eat for lunch tomorrow.
Speaker 1:
Okay, excellent. And when and how do you want to be remembered by your friends and family?
Speaker 2:
Somebody that looks tight for everyone else, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:
Well, thank you very much, susan, for taking the time to talk to us today. It was great getting to know you and, obviously, getting to know a little more about Puchak. A number of my friends have talked about it. It seems like a very interesting place and I'll have to check it out next time I have the opportunity.
Speaker 2:
Absolutely. We'd love to welcome you.
Speaker 1:
Excellent.
Speaker 2:
Join the Perks program.
Speaker 1:
We'll do that as well, and thank you everyone for taking the time to listen. Make sure you join us back for another edition of our Leaders in Customer Loyalty series soon, and until then, have a wonderful day.
