Mission to Get Upscale Mini-Golf Course

The future home of Urban Putt. [Photo: Google Street View]

Lots of folks have complained that the Mission is becoming a playground for moneyed young tech workers, but no one guessed they'd take the idea so literally: hot on the heels of the perpetually packed Mission Bowling Club, the neighborhood is now scheduled to get a mini-golf course, Urban Putt. Spearheaded by former CNET and PC World editor Steve Fox, the 18-hole course will be housed in the long-vacant former mortuary at 22nd and South Van Ness, and is scheduled to feature a 70-seat restaurant with upscale comfort-food fare from a "well-known restaurant group" and a cocktail program by the Bon Vivants. (We'll take your guesses for said restaurateurs in the comments.)

Fox, a longtime mini-golf aficionado, tells Inside Scoop that he'll have to get creative to fit an 18-hole course into the 9,000-square-foot space, but he's planning to incorporate a lot of verticality, as well as electronic and mechanical elements, to make play appealing. Considering that Fox's previous mini-mini-golf projects have been SF-themed, we anticipate that the holes might be themed around different landmarks or neighborhoods. Mission Bowling Club architect Matt Hollis is on board to help make it happen.

While Fox has a 10-year lease on the building, he still has to snag a conditional use permit and build all those holes, so the course probably won't be a reality until 2014. But we bet his phone is already ringing off the hook right now with tech companies trying to outdo each other for next year's Christmas party.

· Urban Putt coming to the Mission [Inside Scoop]