The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2026 - Issue 39

bitenightout main the primary tool for striking the ball. However, as players realised the bulky head made it difficult to play shots close to the rail, they began turning the stick around and us‑ ing the narrow end (cue) instead. After pool spread across Europe by the 17th century, billiards crossed the Atlantic in the 18th and 19th centuries. American players embraced the game with enthusiasm, and manufacturers began innovating rapidly. Slate replaced wood as the preferred table bed, offering a perfectly flat, durable surface, with improved cloth quality and more re‑ sponsive cushions. These changes made the game faster and more dynamic, paving the way for new variations. Pool’s name comes from the ‘poolrooms’ of the 1800s, where people gathered to place bets on horse races. Billiard tables were add‑ ed to entertain patrons between wagers, and the cue‑sport played in these rooms even‑ tually inherited the name. Unlike the more formal, three‑ball carom games popular in Europe, pool emphasised pocketing balls, making it more accessible and visually sat‑ isfying. Variants like eight‑ball and straight pool emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Twin entrepreneurs Steve and Dave Jolliffe have built their careers on taking everyday leisure activities, infusing them with tech‑ nology, hospitality, and theatre, and turn‑ ing them into a global social phenomenon. Before they launched Topgolf, the high-tech interactive golf game, with partners Mark Murray and Barry Cumbie, an underwhelm‑ ing restaurant experience pushed them to create a mystery‑shopping service designed to help venues improve their standards. Topgolf, launched in 2000, reimagined the humble driving golf range, merging micro‑ chipped golf balls, competitive games, and a high‑energy bar‑and‑food offering. The worldwide entertainment brand opened the sport to people who had never picked up a club, transforming golf from a niche pastime into a social night out. In the United States, more people now play at Topgolf venues than on traditional golf courses, removing the in‑ timidation, time constraints, and high costs. Their next venture, Puttshack, founded with Adam Breeden in 2018, applied the same formula to mini golf. Using patented ball‑tracking technology, immersive course design, and a strong food‑and‑cocktail pro‑ gramme, they turned a family activity into a nightlife staple. Each venue, 24 locations globally, including 20 tech-infused mini-golf sites across the U.S. and four locations in the UK’s Central London, Lakeside, Watford, and White City, hosts tens of thousands of games a week. With Poolhouse, the Jolliffes and CEO An‑ drew O’Brien are set to reimagine the time‑ “This will change the game of pool forever” - Poolhouse Experience.