So we wanted to go and check out the Puttstars in Harrow Town Centre, not so much for the golfing itself but for the rather hidden, and unadvertised arcade that can be found within.
For those who haven’t heard, Puttstars opened in St George’s Shopping Centre in Harrow just over one year ago, a huge indoor mini-golf experience that is fun for all the family.
But you might be surprised to hear that the arcade is just as popular, if not more so, than the actual golf itself. In fact, not since the days of The Edge back in the mid 90s has Harrow Town Centre featured such a buzzing arcade experience.
So what does it have? Well let’s take a look…
The centre boasts three air hockey tables. These are brand new, feature superheroes and villains, top of the range and some of the best we’ve seen. We recently went to the Hollywood Bowl, which is also great, but these tables top it for us.
This is a fun one! – Down the Clown is basically a modern version of the traditional coconut shy, how many of the clowns can you hit? If you’re anything like us – not many. To say this game is challenging is an understatement, but fun none the less.
If you’ve got kids then you’ve probably spent a fair amount of time dodging the annoying little foam bullets in the living room as they’re unleashed by the children’s expensive toy weapons!. This Nerf Arcade game is one of the most popular at the arcade, at least it seemed to be when we paid a visit. This one involves no bullet-dodging and you can let the children fire away at zombies instead!.
One for the parents perhaps? Or even grandparents? It appears not as Pac-Man was also a popular machine, the classic game reimagined for the modern arcade and they’ve done a great job at it.
Ahh the old claw machine. If you’re easily frustrated, this one isn’t for you. Whilst we can close to winning one of these happy little Minions, we couldn’t quite do it after several attempts. Close but no cigar. There’s two of these machines, one offers the Minions and the other is a special Star Wars themed grabber, the plush toys do look nice.
Super Bikes 3 is one of the best games in this arcade. You can leap on the saddle and really feel part of the game, there’s 8 courses that feature multi player action, much like the old Daytona USA (remember that?) – this one is at the forefront of tbe arcade and hugely popular.
Virtual bowling…well sort of. With Lane Master you are presented with little red balls to roll at the pond on the screen in front of you. The physics of the game itself is very clever and it certainly feels like you’re having a bowling experience, quite a unique game actually and one of our favourites in the arcade.
The coin machines really need no introduction, you know what they are – gamble responsibly! Although these games are fun, it’s easy to get frustrated and end up losing money.
This basketball game is probably the easiest to win at. If you get a good momentum going, you can get every shot in the net – but you don’t get long. This one is SO much fun, highly recommended if you fancy yourself as the next Kobe Bryant.
Mario Kart Arcade GP – can you believe this franchise is now 30 years old? The original game that came out on the SNES in 1993, not this arcade game!. This is brilliant fun, two seater mayhem as you travel round the track avoiding bananas and throwing shells at your opponent who’s using the machine next to you. Classic Mario Kart fun, can’t be beaten and perhaps the best machine in the arcade.
Aside from all the machines, games and of course, the golf – there’s also pool tables, a dining area and plenty more games that we haven’t mentioned. There’s also a full bar!. Indeed we are lucky to have this arcade in Harrow, and if you haven’t checked it out, you should – you won’t be disappointed.
