Mini Golf Group Night Planner: Soho Before a West End Show

Soho mini golf fits neatly into the gap between work and a West End curtain, which is exactly where Harriet's theatre club keeps getting stuck. Six friends meet once a month for a show, and for years the routine has been a rushed glass of wine and a dash along Shaftesbury Avenue. This month Harriet wants something with a bit more play in it. This mini golf group night planner shows how to time nine holes, a short walk and a late supper around the stage.

Theatre nights live and die by timing. Start with the show and count back. Allow fifteen minutes to walk from Soho to most of the Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road houses, plus ten minutes to find seats. A nine-hole round for a group of six takes about forty-five minutes. Add twenty minutes for a drink and a snack, and you know when the group needs to meet.

Nine holes is the right length. Eighteen holes means watching the clock on the back nine and arriving flustered. Tell the venue when you arrange the slot that you have a show to catch. Staff in Soho are used to pre-theatre groups and will often start you promptly. If the group is slow, cut the round and award the win on holes played.

Soho Square makes a calm meeting point away from the crowds on Oxford Street. The little mock-Tudor hut in the middle hides an old electricity substation, and the weathered statue of Charles II has stood there, on and off, for centuries. Benches around the lawn suit a group waiting for latecomers, and the surrounding houses hold film studios and publishing offices that give the square its quietly creative feel.

From here, it is a short stroll through the narrow streets to most of Soho's games bars. Walk down Greek Street or Frith Street, past old Italian cafes and jazz rooms, rather than taking the busiest roads. That short walk sets the tone: the evening is about wandering a little and playing a little before sitting still in the dark for two hours.

Soho's indoor courses tend to lean into theatre themselves, with dramatic lighting, set-piece obstacles and holes built like tiny stage designs. For a theatre club, that playfulness suits the night. Pick a course whose theme amuses the group, and you have an opening line for supper later. Skip the venues that sound more like nightclubs with a putting green attached, because the music will drown out conversation.

Order something light. A drink each and a few small plates to share are plenty, since a full meal before a long show makes everyone drowsy by the second act. Many friends in a club like this already have their routines: one always orders a gin and tonic, one never drinks before a show. Let everyone set their own pace.

Coats and bags are the other small headache. Six people with umbrellas, scarves and the odd tote of shopping take up a lot of room around a narrow hole. Ask at the door whether there is a cloakroom or a corner where the group can leave things, and travel light if you can. The theatre will want those same coats checked or stuffed under seats later.

Give the round a theatre twist. Instead of only counting strokes, each player gives every other player's shot a star rating out of five for style. Lowest strokes wins the round, but the player with the most stars wins the critics' prize. It rewards the dramatic misses and the flamboyant follow-throughs as much as the clean putts, which is fitting for a group that loves a performance.

Announce both winners at the theatre bar during the interval. It gives the group something to talk about while the queue for ice cream shuffles forward, and it takes the edge off the usual debate about whether the first act was too long. The scorecard can also become a running league across the year if the club enjoys it.

If the round finishes early, take the slightly longer route to the theatre through Berwick Street. Its fruit and vegetable market is among the oldest in central London, and the street has long been a home for record shops, fabric sellers and small cafes. In the evening the stalls are packed away, but the shopfronts and the mix of people make it a lively, very Soho walk.

From Berwick Street, cut through to Wardour Street and down to Shaftesbury Avenue. The route keeps you clear of the busiest crowds on the main roads, and gives the club a few minutes to talk about the show they are about to see. Keep an eye on the time, though. Missing curtain up because of a long chat is a classic theatre-club mistake.

When the curtain comes down, walk the group a few minutes to Chinatown, centred on Gerrard Street with its red gates and lanterns. Many restaurants here are used to post-theatre diners and serve late into the evening. A round table and shared dishes suit a group of six better than individual mains. Dumplings, noodles and roast duck arrive fast and spark the discussion about the show.

Honest advice: avoid the restaurants with staff standing outside waving menus, and go a street or two off the main lanes to Lisle Street or Wardour Street. If the group is too tired for a full meal, a bowl of noodles or a bubble tea on the walk to the Tube is plenty. Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus stations are both a few minutes away.

Friday and Saturday slots fill quickly in central London, especially in the weeks before Christmas. If no tee time fits before the show, flip the order: see a matinee, then play the round in the early evening and eat in Chinatown afterwards. If one friend is stuck at work, start without her and let her join for the last few holes.

To find other pre-theatre games, quiet bars or late supper spots in Soho and Covent Garden for groups of six, ask the Karpo APP and keep a couple of names saved for next month. The club's routine stays the same: a show, a game and a long supper to argue about it.