It’s a sight that brought up plenty of feelings of nostalgia and even made one local man pull a quick U-turn just to see what was happening.<\/p>\n
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. \u2013 It\u2019s a sight that brought up plenty of feelings of nostalgia and even made one local man pull a quick U-turn just to see what was happening.<\/p>\n
Putts N Pints at the corner of San Mateo Boulevard and McLeod Road in northeast Albuquerque is now open at the exact location where the beloved Putt-Putt Golf and Games closed in 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just was like, \u2018Wait a minute. There\u2019s people here. Oh my gosh!\u2019 I was like, \u2018I have to do a U-turn. Hold on. Hold on now!\u2019 So, I had to come in. Had to see it,\u201d said Reagan Carey.<\/p>\n
Scott Salvas and his team, who are also behind Brew Lab 101, spent months and months creating a new haven for mini golf fans and those in Albuquerque with fond memories at that location.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s gonna be really special for the community,\u201d said Salvas. \u201cYou know, it\u2019s really humbling to us because we want to cherish those memories. We want to honor those memories. And so, I think we\u2019ve done a great job, and hopefully the community feels the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The venue is fully open although Salvas says they are technically \u201csoft launching\u201d it for now. A grand opening event is set to take place some time in the near future, but Salvas is looking to work out any bugs before that happens.<\/p>\n
Some who used to go to the former Putt-Putt location are thrilled to have a modernized version of the old fan favorite.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always had my birthday party at Putt-Putt when I was a kid. So, it holds a fond memory for me for both the golf and the video games,\u201d said Vincent Narducci.<\/p>\n
Others had feared the mini golf location would be torn down at some point, so they were happy to learn a new team came in to create a similar experience at the same busy corner.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made us sad every time we\u2019d drive by, like that\u2019s a shame,\u201d said Ari Fernandez about the nine-year wait since the old location closed.<\/p>\n
Putts N Pints will feature a total of three mini golf courses in addition to a bar, retro arcade, private room, golf simulator, and more.\u00a0Two of those courses are now open with another set to open in the coming days.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of blood, sweat, and tears went in to making this happen. You know, this is a pretty big project for us. And I think people are really gonna enjoy the build,\u201d said Salvas.<\/p>\n
Salvas told KOB 4 his goal was to have the venue open before the end of summer \u2013 a deadline they met with just a few weeks to spare. And with Labor Day fast approaching, he\u2019s hoping they picked the perfect time.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut yeah, we expect it to be pretty crazy.\u00a0I\u2019m glad we made it for the holiday weekend,\u201d said Salvas. <\/p>\n