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EAST PEORIA — Asked what makes The Putt Club successful, co-owner Jason Payne pointed outside the restaurant in the new entertainment center and to the views of the Illinois River and Interstate 74 in East Peoria.
“It's all about visibility and views,” he says, “those two 'V's. We're highly visible from I-74, which carries about 60,000 vehicles a day. People will see our name and logo on the side of the building, and we'll have great views of the river, the Murray Baker Bridge and the Downtown Peoria skyline.”
Putting Club:East Peoria entertainment center plans to open in early summer
An 18,000-square-foot family entertainment center in East Peoria features indoor and outdoor miniature golf experiences that focus more on challenge than carnival. Instead of traditional windmills and clown faces, boulders mark the out-of-bounds areas on the outdoor course, and varying slopes and surprisingly long holes add to the difficulty. The center has indoor and outdoor courses and opened last weekend.
“I can't believe the putt-putt course is so long and has so many par-3 and par-4 holes,” said Nathan Chasteen of West Peoria. “The uphills, downhills and elevation changes make it really fun.”
![Co-owner Jason Payne sits near the pond and stream that runs through The Putt Club, a new miniature golf facility at 1001 Bass Pro Drive in East Peoria. Now open, The Putt Club features outdoor and indoor miniature golf courses, a large bar, a spacious dining area and an arcade.](https://www.pjstar.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/06/05/NJOS/73981006007-060424-puttclub-01.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
The mini-golf course is the centerpiece of the club's operations, and Payne said early revenues have made it the facility's most popular attraction. The Putting Club also includes a gathering area, an arcade and a full-service restaurant.
“It's a unique entertainment experience that you just can't find in this region,” Payne said. “There are a few larger cities that offer a similar product, but we wanted to bring this to central Illinois.”
Chasteen rounded off the round of mini-golf with the restaurant's super thin-crust pizza and goat cheese appetizer, both of which he called “amazing.” In addition to the pizza, Payne recommended the shareable Hole-in-One Nachos, which looked like something out of a Food Network show. “They're about the size of a small car,” Payne laughed.
![Dozens of televisions line the walls of The Putt Club Bar & Grill, a mini-golf and entertainment venue at 1001 Bass Pro Drive in East Peoria.](https://www.pjstar.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/06/05/NJOS/73981011007-060424-puttclub-06.jpg?width=660&height=426&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
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Natalie Wildrick of East Peoria decided to have lunch at The Putt Club restaurant with her husband, Russell, before tackling the outdoor course. They were both excited about the steak quesadillas they ordered, and Wildrick said she's excited to see more entertainment centers like this come to the greater Peoria area.
“This looks like a great place,” she said. “It's something we definitely need around here.”
Connect with the Putting Club
- address: 1001 Bass Pro Dr., East Peoria, near Bass Pro Shops
- phone: (309) 916-7888
- Website: about this website
- time: Tuesday from 3pm to 10pm, Wednesday and Sunday from 11am to 10pm, Thursday from 11am to 11pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am to midnight.
- Admission fee: Adult passes are $20 on weekdays and $22 on weekends. Child passes (ages 12 and under) are $10 on weekdays and $12 on weekends.