Ted’s Crazy Golf tees up London expansion

An immersive entertainment company is taking a swing at the London leisure market with a new crazy golf venue, following a six-figure investment across its first two locations.

Ted’s Crazy Golf, co-founded by magician and experience designer Larissa Sophie Houghton, is expanding from Oxford into Shoreditch, where its second venue will fully open on October 22.

The expansion follows the launch of its 10,000sq ft flagship at Westgate Oxford in August, with the two venues representing 15,000sq ft of entertainment space and creating 42 jobs.

Combining theatrical design, animatronics, original characters and hospitality, Ted’s aims to take crazy golf beyond its traditional format by creating immersive environments inspired by horror, fantasy and nostalgic pop culture.

The Oxford venue features two nine-hole courses, Bad Bones and Fun House, alongside a retro-inspired bar and diner.

Bad Bones takes visitors through a gothic graveyard populated by monstrous creatures and talking gargoyles, while Fun House offers a carnival-inspired experience.

More than 5000 games have been played since opening, with 32 corporate and group bookings secured during its first month.

Meanwhile, the new 5000sq ft Shoreditch venue, occupying the former Temper restaurant on Great Eastern Street, has undergone a 12-week transformation.

It will feature two nine-hole courses, including the returning Bad Bones and Toy Bites, a vampire toyshop-themed experience featuring a six-foot vampire robot.

The London site will employ 20 people and accommodate up to 175 guests, targeting social groups, corporate bookings and visitors to the capital.

Larissa said: “Shoreditch felt like a really natural home for Ted’s.

“There is so much creative energy here. 

“It is London’s Art District after all; from the art and live music culture to the people creating content and new ideas

“At the same time, we're surrounded by major businesses and some brilliant hotels, so there is a really interesting mix of people coming into the area for work, nights out, events and weekends away. 

“It feels like exactly the kind of place where Ted’s can work.”

The development has brought together artists, illustrators, prop designers and fabricators with experience across film, television and major commercial projects.

Among those involved are internationally recognised illustrator The Butcher Billy, whose previous work includes projects connected to Stranger Things and Marvel, and prop designer Callum Bell, who has worked on productions including Star Wars, Frankenstein, Mickey 17 and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Street artist Russell Meehan, also known as qubek, and Chicago-based mask creator Pete Infelise have contributed to the venue’s installations and artwork.

Larissa, who also co-founded experience-led hospitality company Anger MGMT Venues, has spent more than a decade developing attractions that combine storytelling, performance and interactive entertainment.

Her previous projects include Manchester’s Paradise Skate World roller rink and Japanese-inspired live game show experience Big in Japan.

Reflecting on the childhood influences behind her creative approach, she said: “I was absolutely obsessed with R.L. Stine growing up. 

“I was always reading Goosebumps, listening to Ozzy Osbourne and imagining these monsters and completely ridiculous worlds in my head. 

“I think a huge part of my creative brain still comes from that place.

“I’ve always loved the idea that something can exist purely in your imagination and then, somehow, you can make it real. 

“That’s really what creating impossible experiences is about for me.

“I love starting with an idea that sounds completely ridiculous and then asking, ‘How could we actually make that happen?’ 

“The more impossible the idea sounds, the more excited I get.

“Ted’s is basically a giant playground for my imagination. 

“I get to take all these weird things that normally only exist inside your head and make them physical. 

“You can walk into the world, touch it, play in it and discover it.”

The company is also continuing to develop its Oxford venue, with two duckpin bowling lanes scheduled to open in mid-October.

Further plans include exploring immersive karaoke pods for 2027 and regularly refreshing artwork and installations across both locations.

Larissa added: “Oxford gives us a brilliant opportunity to bring different experiences together under one roof. 

“Crazy golf is at the heart of Ted’s, but we don’t want the venue to stand still. 

“Adding bowling gives people another reason to visit and another way to spend time together, and we’re already looking at what else we can introduce in the future.

“For us, that constant evolution is really important. 

“We want the venues to keep changing, with new experiences, artwork and installations giving people something different to discover when they come back.”

Creative elements are expected to change approximately every three to six months, giving visitors new experiences and encouraging repeat bookings.

The approach reflects what Larissa sees as growing demand for interactive social activities that encourage people to step away from their screens.

She added: “There is a really strong appetite for analogue experiences where people can come together, be competitive, socialise, be present and engage with something away from their screens.

“The desire for fun activities like crazy golf is absolutely still there, but I think reinvention and evolution are key. 

“People want more from hospitality experiences now. 

“They want something they can escape into and something that feels different every time they visit.”

Looking ahead, the company intends to continue introducing new creative elements and experiences rather than treating each venue as a finished attraction.

Larissa added: “For us, this is the start of an ongoing creative project.

“We don’t want to open a venue and then leave it exactly the same. 

“We see new art installations, changes and creative interventions becoming a big part of Ted’s, with things moving in and out much more regularly than anything I’ve worked on before.

“In the environment we’re in now, I think you have to keep experiences alive to stay relevant. 

“Reinvention and evolution are a huge driving force for us, and that is how we see Ted’s developing in the future.”

For more information, visit www.tedscrazygolf.co.uk or follow @tedscrazygolf on Instagram and TikTok. 

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