INSIDE: Andretti makes kart racing 'kool' TM & ©2018 Amusement Today, Inc. PAGE 10 March 2018 | Vol. 21 • Issue 12 www.amusementtoday.com From Putt-Putt to modern, multi-activity FEC $10 million investment makes DFW fun center the cat’s meow AT: Tim Baldwin Alley Cats.
[email protected] “This has been a lot of years in the planning,” Smith told HURST, Texas — Brian Amusement Today. And it shows. Smith is celebrating a personal Smith became owner of milestone. the Hurst property — a closed Although the family enter- Malibu Grand Prix location — tainment center (FEC) owner’s with his father in 1993 while 25th year in the industry isn’t owning a different Putt-Putt not filled with a blare of fanfare, too far away that his dad had there’s plenty to make noise built in 1974. about — and it involves expan- For one season, the family sion. Lots of it. operated the go-karts, batting Smith has invested around cages, arcade and a handful of $10 million in new activities, small rides as they continued games, equipment and attrac- running the Putt-Putt. They tions, as well as the relocation of then opted to close their origi- batting cages, at his FEC former- nal FEC location and combine ly known as Putt-Putt Golf and Putt-Putt with the new one. Games. The vastly improved The name change from Putt-Putt Golf and Games to Alley Cats was prompted by the addi- property has reemerged as 4See ALLEY CATS, page 4 tion of 28 bowling lanes built on two floors.