Remember the standard Friday night routine in Melbourne?
You would text the group chat on a Thursday afternoon, agree to meet at a local pub on Sydney Road, and spend the next three hours shouting over aggressively loud background music just to ask your mate how their week was. Eventually, you’d run out of things to say, stare into the bottom of your pint glass, and decide it was probably time to hunt down a late- night kebab before tracking down an Uber home.
It was fine. It was functional. But let’s be brutally honest: it was getting incredibly boring. Fast forward to today, and the hospitality landscape in Australia has completely shifted. If you look at where the 18-30 crowd is actually spending their weekend cash, they aren’t just looking for a dark corner to sit and drink. They are hunting for a proper, highly engaging experience.
We are officially living in the golden age of competitive socialising. Entertainment venues equipped with indoor mini golf, retro arcade games, and premium pool tables are rapidly making the traditional pub look like a relic of the past.
But why the sudden, massive change in how we spend our weekends? Let’s dive into the data and the changing habits of Gen Z and Millennials to see exactly why doing something active is vastly superior to just drinking something.
The Data Doesn’t Lie: The Rise of Competitive Socialising
This isn’t just a gut feeling or a fleeting Melbourne trend; the numbers completely back up this cultural shift. The commercial real estate world has coined the term “competitive socialising” to describe these experiential venues, and the industry growth is nothing short of explosive.
According to global commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, “competitive socialising concepts have grown 386% since the beginning of 2021.” That is an astronomical leap for the hospitality sector. They noted that with Gen Z and Millennials now making up nearly half of the workforce, “the thirst for experiences is a trend that cannot be ignored.”
So, what about the actual drinking part of a night out? For a while, the media aggressively pushed a narrative that Gen Z had simply gone entirely sober and abandoned the bar scene. But recent research shows that is a bit of a myth.
Time Out Australia’s recent ‘Sip Happens’report (August 2025) revealed that 81% of Gen Z do actually drink alcohol, which is only marginally lower than their Millennial counterparts. However, how they drink has completely changed.
As Time Out Managing Director APAC Kaylie Smith noted in the report, “We knew we needed to use our connections and expertise to debunk the myth that Gen Z have all gone sober – they’re just drinking with more intention, style and purpose.” The report highlighted that younger generations are heavily driven by “experience, atmosphere, 'grammable moments and good value.”
Essentially, we haven’t stopped grabbing a drink with friends. We’ve just collectively decided that sitting on a sticky bar stool isn’t enough to justify the cost of a night out anymore. We want an activity to anchor the night.
The End of Awkward Small Talk
Whether you are on a nerve-wracking first date, catching up with an old friend you haven’t seen in a year, or trying to survive the annual office Christmas party, pure conversation can be incredibly heavy lifting. At a standard pub, if the chat dries up, the silence is deafening and instantly uncomfortable.
Activity bars are the ultimate social lubricant, and you don’t even need a drop of alcohol to make it work.
When you step up to a putt-putt course or challenge someone to a few table games, the massive pressure to maintain unbroken eye contact and constantly be witty vanishes. The activity gives you an immediate, shared focus.
If your Hinge date completely misses the ball, you can laugh about it. If your boss gets overly competitive at the air hockey table, the rigid corporate hierarchy is temporarily smashed. It provides a natural, easy rhythm to the evening-play, chat, drink, cheer, repeat. It completely eliminates the anxiety of “what do we talk about next?” because the game actively provides the commentary for you.
The Evolution into the Mini golf bar
Of all the experiential trends taking over the hospitality scene right now, the mini golf bar is undoubtedly the absolute crown jewel.
Why? Because traditional activities usually come with massive drawbacks. Bowling requires you to wear terrible rental shoes that thousands of other people have sweat in. Throwing axes feels a little bit too intense for a casual Saturday afternoon catch-up.
Mini golf, specifically when it is deliberately designed for an adult crowd, hits the absolute perfect sweet spot. It requires absolutely zero athletic ability, which levels the playing field for every single person involved.
The industry has taken the nostalgic, family-holiday activity we all remember and given it a massive, neon-soaked glow-up. We aren’t talking about a sad, chipped windmill sitting on a concrete slab in a random coastal town. The new wave of venues features mind-bending pop-culture themes, glowing UV lighting, and hilarious obstacles that will genuinely test the limits of your friendships.
Crucially, the hospitality side of the equation has been flawlessly integrated. You aren’t playing your game and then going to a separate room to find the bar. The bar comes with you. Venues like What The Putt in Brunswick are designed so you can comfortably carry your signature cocktail or local craft beer from hole to hole. The drinks aren’t an afterthought; they are part of the main event.
Variety is the Spice of Nightlife
The absolute best activity venues understand that modern attention spans can be short. While an epic 18-hole course is the main drawcard, people want options to keep the night flowing without having to jump in a taxi and change locations.
Once the final putt is sunk and the winner has thoroughly rubbed it in everyone’s faces, the night doesn’t have to abruptly end. The transition from the putting green to the arcade games should be totally fluid.
Tapping into that sweet 90s and 2000s nostalgia, firing up a game of Daytona USA, shooting hoops, or trying to beat the high score on a retro pinball machine keeps the group’s energy high. Throw in a few strategically placed pool tables for those who prefer a slower-paced, classic pub vibe, and you have a venue that completely caters to every single mood within a friendship group.
No more standing on the pavement debating where to go next and losing half your mates in the transition between venues. Everything you need for an epic night is under one massive roof.
Better Food, Better Vibes
Let’s touch on the culinary side of things, because nobody survives a massive night out on vibes alone. The traditional frozen pub feed definitely has its place in history, but experiential venues have seriously upped the game when it comes to catering for the modern crowd.
Because people are spending three or four hours at a time in these venues, the food absolutely has to match the premium, high-energy vibe of the activities. Instead of just throwing some frozen chips in a fryer, the top-tier spots are serving up proper wood-fired pizzas, gourmet sliders, and loaded sides that are actually worth eating.
It completely transforms the venue from just an “activity spot” into a legitimate dining destination where you happen to play a few games while you eat.
The Verdict: Why We Are Never Going Back
The traditional, quiet drinking hole will always survive-there is absolutely a time and a place for a quiet pint in the corner while watching the footy. But when it comes to planning a milestone birthday party, a massive bucks night or hens night, or just a memorable weekend out with the crew, the standard formula is dead.
Millennials and Gen Z are voting with their wallets. They want high-energy, highly shareable experiences that deliver real, tangible value. They want to laugh at their mates’ terrible putting skills, challenge them to retro arcade showdowns, and do it all with a cracking cocktail in hand.
If you want to see exactly how this hospitality trend has been perfected right here in Melbourne, you need to hit up a spot that understands the assignment completely. Venues like What The Putt in Brunswick have absolutely nailed the brief, combining ridiculously fun courses with a killer bar, a pumping atmosphere, and all the extra games you need to keep the crew entertained for hours on end.
Next time the group chat is struggling to make a plan, do everyone a massive favour. Skip the boring pub, grab a putter, and lean heavily into the chaos of competitive socialising.
Ready to ditch the traditional pub for a proper night out? Gather your mates and book your spot on the green at What The Putt today!
Sources & Data Cited:
- Cushman & Wakefield. From Putt to Pint: Everyone Wins with Competitive Socializing. The Edge Magazine, March 2023. (Data on 386% growth in competitive socializing concepts).
- Time Out Australia.‘Sip Happens’ Report. August 2025. (Insights on Gen Z drinking habits, quoting 81% Gen Z alcohol participation and a shift toward intentional, experience-led drinking).