The build, week by week

Why a lane, not a mat

Putting pong mats already exist. They are a rug with holes in it, and they end up rolled in the garage. Putt Pong is meant to be the thing you leave set up: raised wood rails, cups that glow, and a drink holder at every corner.

• Lock the 12-foot layout: ten cups at each end, start lines in the middle
• Sketch the three-section frame so it ships in parcel boxes
• Order parts for the first rough prototype

House rule #1: Elbows is on the house rules card.

$250 of parts and a garage

Prototype one is not pretty. It is lumber, a turf runner, 20 cup inserts and an LED strip, about $250 in parts. The point is to learn fast: does it roll true, and is it fun on the third game, not just the first.

• Cut and sand the rails for three 4-foot sections
• Lay the turf and drill 20 cup holes, ten per side
• Run a temporary LED strip down both rails

House rule #2: Re-rack is on the house rules card.

Finding the right roll

A lane lives or dies on the roll. Too slow and every putt comes up short. Too fast and the game turns into luck. This week is all testing: different turf, different balls, and 10 feet against 12.

• Test two turf samples for speed and true roll
• Try standard golf balls against lighter practice balls
• Time games at 10 feet and 12 feet and see which is more fun

Cups that light up

The glowing cup is the signature move. Sink a putt and that cup lights up green, so everyone across the yard knows. Each cup needs a small sensor that notices the ball drop, at about $1 to $3 a cup.

• Test a light-beam sensor against a simple switch in the cup bottom
• Wire one cup end to end: ball drops, ring lights
• Check it still works when someone spills a drink on it

House rule #3: Redemption is on the house rules card.

Playtest night

This is the week the prototype meets real people. Eight friends, a backyard, and a notebook. We want to know what breaks, what is boring, and what makes people yell.

• Host a playtest night and film it
• Track how long a game takes and how many rematches get called
• Swap the concept render on the site for real photos

House rule #4: Island is on the house rules card.

The house rules card

Every lane will ship with a rules card. Here is the draft we are taking into the next playtest. Steal it for your own game.

• Two sides, ten cups each, putt from your own start line
• Sink a cup and it lights up; the other side removes it
• Elbows, re-rack, island and redemption, as in past weeks
• First side to clear the other rack wins

Wood, rails and the three-box problem

A 12-foot lane is great in the yard and awful in a delivery truck. Freight is slow and expensive, so the plan is three 4-foot sections that click together without tools and each ship in a normal parcel box.

• Design a connector that lines the sections up flat
• Pick a wood and finish that can live outside
• Weigh a section and get real shipping quotes

Lights without the lithium

Built-in lithium batteries need special testing and paperwork to ship. So the plan is simpler: the rail lights and cups run off USB-C, from any power bank or a wall plug.

• Pick warm LED strips that look like the render, not a gaming PC
• Test how long a common power bank runs the whole lane
• Route the wiring so the sections still click apart

Help us pick a name

Putt Pong is a working name, and other putting games use names close to it. Before anything gets printed on a box, we want a name that is ours. Tap your favorite below.

• Shortlist names that do not clash with existing games
• Check trademarks and domains for the top picks
• Announce the winner in a future email

Waitlist members vote on the name in the week 9 email.

Getting it made

One prototype in a garage is a project. A lane someone can build the same way a hundred times is a product. This week is about finding the people who can do that.

• Send the design to three manufacturers for quotes
• Compare a small US woodshop against an overseas factory
• Order samples of the cups and the rail lights

What it costs to build

Wood, turf, 20 lit cups, rail lights, drink holders, three boxes, and shipping to your door all add up. Our early estimate puts the lane somewhere around $800 to $900. Quotes will firm that up.

• Turn manufacturer quotes into a real cost per lane
• Decide between a 12-foot and a 10-foot version
• Set the founding price for the first run

First access

Twelve weeks in. The first run of lanes will be small, and this list gets first shot. Here is the plan for how that will work.

• Open a small founding run to the waitlist first
• Offer a refundable deposit to hold a spot
• Email you before anything goes on sale to the public