About Us

WellyPutt is NZ’s newest and most epic mini-golf experience. Featuring never before seen hole designs that utilize mechanical and interactive components to create an unforgettable mini-golf adventure.

With 16 holes of incredible and challenging obstacles to PUTT even the most seasoned mini-golfer to the test. WellyPutt is the HOLE package!

WellyPutt is an all ages activity for players of 8 years and up. Ideal for birthdays, family events, date night or a mate’s get together. With a well-stocked temperance bar to provide the best low and non-alcoholic refreshments for the team from a range of local breweries and providers.

Meet the Team

We designed and manufactured the entire course in-house, with the help of a skillful, resourceful and good vibe team.

We are a group of fanatics specialized in creating enchanted worlds of tactile challenges and quality entertainment in friendly and safe environments.
If you have ever played an escape room by Escape Mate, you might recognize us. We are the people behind Escape Mate too.

WellyPutt is our latest project and there will be more to come.

Director & Founder of WellyPutt

David Kirby

David has spent the past 7 years as the general manager of Escape Mate, providing his cheerful, patient and kind guidance through challenging escape games to players of all ages and backgrounds.

David is also super organized and takes great care of his guests. Always up for bit of a banter and cracks pretty awesome jokes, he always appreciates a good pun or two. He also has the best taste in music of the entire team.

Building a mini golf course was David's idea. Besides a ton of other tasks and responsibilities, he was the one ensuring that the ball is always "ROLLING WELL".

David had designed and built several of the holes, structures, scenes and obstacles and he especially enjoyed demolishing walls, building tracks and runways for golf balls, developing epic concepts and solutions., including solely constructing an epic replica of the Bucket Fountain.

David's problem solving skills and attention to detail, his get-stuff-done attitude and his kind approach are the guarantee that our guests will have a good time.

Art Director & Founder

Izabella Venter

Izabella previously worked in photo and film and in early 2015 she established Escape Mate.

In those early days Rory had joined the team and brought his exceptional skills with electronics, engineering and construction to the project.
David had joined up with them in 2016 as a game master and shortly became the general manager due to his all-round awesomeness and work ethics.

Together they developed several escape rooms from scratch with high-tech, player triggered electronics and immersive set designs.
With them, Izabella has been designing and managing all escape room projects, game structures, puzzles tactile challenges since.

In late 2022 David and Izabella founded WellyPutt and built the game together with Rory and a few other brilliant people.

Izabella loves nature, and she dreams up resourceful , environmentally friendly methods to make stuff, she is here to ensure that the course and scenery is "LOOKING PRETTY" and enchanting. She is also very keen on action and enjoys adding dynamic things to games.

A good pun makes her day.

Besides designing the looks and action-filled challenges, during the construction she enjoyed sculpting and painting the most.

Doing Our Bit

WellyPutt prides itself on using recycled materials wherever possible, using reclaimed timber to create the epic structures, turning cardboard into mind-blowing, immersive set-design and even using pre-loved golf balls to play through a one-of-a-kind, 16 hole mini golf experience.

We also support local establishments and providers at our well-stocked temperance bar so the team can enjoy the best quality refreshments from all around the Wellington area.