Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Three years and eight months update

To date we have visited a total of 223 Minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf courses on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. 215 of which of been in the UK. Of these we've managed to actually play 172 of them, the others being closed on our visit for a number of reasons (or they were derelict!).

Just under a year ago we made our 100th course visit overall - to the 9-hole Arnold Palmer course at Pops Meadow Putting Green in Gorleston-on-Sea on Sunday 10th May 2009. Unfortunately on our visit to Gorleston-on-Sea the course was closed so could not be the 89th course to be played, and was instead the 12th course visited but not played on the tour.

On Saturday 30th May 2009 we visited Maidenhead and Windsor which accounted for visits to courses that we also managed to play, bringing the tally of those minigolf courses played to 99!

The 100th course actually played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was on our Tyneside Tour in June 2009. The location for the milestone was the 12-hole Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf at South Shields, Tyneside. A video introducing and celebrating the visit can be seen here.

To reach and play the 100th course on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour took us two years, eight months and one week from Saturday 30th September 2006. In the year since the 100th course was played we have managed to play a further 72 courses, to bring the total number of visits to 223 overall.

Luton Herald & Post Minigolf News Story - "Golfers enjoy a mini break"

On page 80 of this week's (27/05/10) Luton Herald & Post newspaper there is a story about our participation in the Codonas Classic and BMGA Scottish Open held at Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Codonas Aberdeen Beach.

You can view the digital edition of the newspaper and the "Golfers enjoy a mini break" story here.

Crazy Golf Course Visit #223 Overall - The Dolphin Pub, Melbourn, Cambs

Last night (25th May) we made a 51-mile round-trip to Melbourn in Cambridgeshire to visit a Crazy Golf course in a Pub Beer Garden. Fellow minigolf course fanatics Owen and Paul Johnson had tipped us off about its whereabouts and as it was fairly close to us, we had to visit.

The course is at the Dolphin Pub in Melbourn and has only 4-holes!?











Video introducing the course visit.


Video walk-around the course.


While we were at the pub, which by the way was nice and friendly and had plenty of other stuff to do (quiz machine, pool table, dart board), I asked at the bar why the course was only 4-holes? The answer was that a previous owner had thought it was a good idea to have a course, and it used to be popular, but had fallen into disuse and was now 'just there'. A shame really as it could be a great spot for a pint, some food and a Putt or two!

The Melbourn area is also home to two other minigolf courses (and a Putting Green), one is at Kingsway Golf Centre, the other at Whaddon Golf Centre.

Previous stops on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour have seen us find a number of other derelict, overgrown and disused courses. Most courses (whether they are open or not) are either made up of 9, 12 or 18 holes, with some centres having 36 holes, and the Arnold Palmer centre in Great Yarmouth has a set-up including an 18-hole course and a 9-hole course. Prior to the 4-hole course in Melbourn the last course under 9-holes we found was at Llanfairfechan in Wales, where there are now only five of the previous 18-holes remaining!?

Other courses under 9-holes have been found at the Swedish Felt B-Run course at Dovercourt, and the Putting area at Trecco Caravan Park in Porthcawl.

Other Pub crazy golf courses we've played include:
#10 West Hagbourne, Oxon (Horse & Harrow Pub) - Crazy Golf & revisit
#11 The Green Man Pub, Stanford, Bedfordshire - Crazy Golf
#110 Tudor Rose Inn, Fordingbridge - Miniature Golf
#168 Sudbury, Suffolk (Maldon Grey Pub) - Crazy Golf
#34(Derelict) Abergwyngregyn, Aber Falls Tavern - Crazy Golf

For the full list and links to other courses visited check out Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

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Minigolf Courses Played #171 & 172 - Codonas Aberdeen Beach

A visit to Codona's Amusement Park in Aberdeen and the two Adventure Golf courses there.

On Friday 14th May 2010 we played our 171st and 172nd courses on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Both were at Codonas Aberdeen Beach, the host venue of the 2010 BMGA Scottish Minigolf Open tournament.

Course #171 was the 18-hole Pirate Island Adventure Golf course.










Course #172 was the 18-hole Indoor Congo Adventure Golf course.









Link:
- Codona's Amusement Park

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Indoor Minigolf, Crazy Golf and Adventure Golf courses
- Minigolf Reports – Codonas Classic & BMGA Scottish Open

Shooting Shack in Aberdeen - Tin Can Alley

After the Scottish Open minigolf tournament we headed to the rest of the Amusements at Codonas Aberdeen Beach. One of which was the old seaside favourite - a Shooting Shack!

Sadly there wasn't an Old Zeke-style wild-west one, instead it was a 'rat-infested' Tin Can Alley!




Links to other Shooting Shack posts on the Ham & Egger Files.

Richard Gottfried's Doubles Minigolf Record Update

Following the friendly match versus The Johnsons last week, and my participation in the BMGA's Codonas Classic Doubles Competition here is my updated Minigolf Doubles Record.


Richard Gottfried's Doubles Minigolf Record:

Win/Loss Record (in all friendlies & full BMGA Tour events)
Played - 37
Won - 18
Lost - 16
Drawn - 3

Win/Loss Record (in BMGA Tour events)
Played - 19
Won - 11
Lost - 5
Drawn - 3

Record (in BMGA Warm-up Doubles events)
Played - 1
First - 0
Second - 1
Third - 0
Other - 0

9 playing partners (current competition team mate is Kevin Moseley)
19 competitive matches
18 friendlies
29 matchplay matches
8 strokeplay format matches
1 BMGA Warm-up Doubles event

Results - Tennants (sic) Super League Minigolf Tournament

Following the first-ever BMGA Scottish Open in Aberdeen last Sunday, some of the tournament competitors stayed on at Codonas Aberdeen beach to enjoy the venue and its attractions including the Shooting Shack, Penny Falls, Pool, Rides and Tenpin Bowling.

Seven of those players also decided to play a a one-round shootout competition called the 'Tennants (sic) Super League Minigolf Tournament' on the 18-hole Congo Indoor Adventure Golf Course.

The competition featured players from England, Scotland, Finland and Gibraltar and was won by London's Brad 'The Fist' Shepherd with a score of 32(-4), setting a new Unofficial BMGA Player Course Record in the process. London's Alan 'Stormin' Norman was runner-up with 36(par), with Luton's 'Squire' Richard Gottfried finishing third with 37(+1).


Photo - The competitors line-up following the competition.


Photo - Brad Putting to victory.


Photo - 'Stormin' Norman lines up a shot.

Results - Midlands Mini Miniatures Invitational Minigolf Tournament

Prior to the main-event BMGA Scottish Open in Aberdeen that took place at Pirate Island Adventure Golf, Codonas Aberdeen Beach last Sunday, seven members of the Midlands Minigolf Club (MMGC) competed in a one-round shootout competition called the 'Midlands Mini Miniatures Invitational' on Saturday 15th May 2010.


Photo - 'Squire' Richard Gottfried receives his Mini Miniatures prizes from competition organiser Jas Kukielka.

Minigolf Reports – Codonas Classic & BMGA Scottish Open

19th May 2010
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Reports – Codonas Classic & BMGA Scottish Open

Luton Minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried were in action over the weekend as they competed in events at the 18-hole Pirate Island Adventure Golf Course at Codonas Amusement Park in Aberdeen.

Codonas Classic Doubles Competition

The first of the weekend’s British Minigolf Association competitions was the Codonas Classic, played on Saturday 15th May.

The format saw teams of two selected via a random draw. Richard was one of the seeded players and was drawn with British number 47 Leo Kukielka from Cwmbran, Wales. Each pair played one round of the 18-hole course with both players’ scores counting towards the team total in the nine team field. Richard scored a 33(-3), with Leo hitting a 37(+1) for a total of 70(-2) which earned them second place, behind Oxford’s Michael Smith and Brechin’s Freddie Blackburn-Shaw who scored a total of 66(-6).


BMGA Scottish Open

The inaugural BMGA Scottish Open tournament was held on Sunday 16th May, with both Richard and Emily competing in the 29-player field.

The four-round competition was won by Birmingham’s Chris Harding with a score of 125(-19). Richard had a 72-hole total of 138(-6) which included scores of 38(+2), 33(-3), 35(-1) and 32(-4). Emily scored rounds of 41(+5), 35(-1), 40(+4) and 39(+3) for a total of 155(+11).




Richard said “It was a great tournament weekend and the course and venue in Aberdeen was excellent. I’m really pleased with performances and thought me and Leo did really well as a team to earn second place in the Codonas Classic. The Scottish Open was my 50th BMGA Tour competition since my debut in 2007, and although I didn’t win it, the ranking points from my 8th place finish have pushed me into the top-ten of the BMGA Order of Merit for the first time. Reaching the top ten is another minigolf career objective of mine achieved.”

In the BMGA Order of Merit Rankings Richard has moved up three places to a career best Order of Merit Ranking of 10th of 80 ranked players, with 2,206 points. Emily has moved up two places and is also now at a career best ranking at 29th, with 816 points.

In the BMGA Season Only Rankings Richard has moved up three places to be ranked 8th of 83 players, with 2,350 points, having played in four of the five qualifying ranking tournaments so far this season. Emily has entered the Season Only Rankings at number 50, with 365 points from the Scottish Open, as it was her first singles ranking event of the year.

Ends

220 Minigolf Course Visits to date on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Since the 30th September 2006 we have made visits to 220 Minigolf, Crazy Golf, Adventure Golf, and Putting courses on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

170 of these courses have been playable, but 50 have, for one reason or another, been un-playable!

You can check out the updated list of courses visited and played, with links and reviews on many of them, at the blog post: Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Courses Visited List with Links

No Mini Golf at Dunstable's Party in the Park!?

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour took us to Dunstable yesterday as the town was hosting a 'Party in the Park' and there was the promise of a 'Mini Golf Range' to play!

However, when we arrived there wasn't a course of any kind, and despite the advertising no one there knew anything about it!?



Whether it was going to be a Minigolf/Crazy Golf course type of 'Mini Golf Range', or a BIG Golf Driving Range type of set-up is unknown.

Aside from the lack of Minigolf to play, the event did have a lot of other activities, and I got to meet a Star Wars Stormtrooper!

Minigolf and Crazy Golf at Luton's Wardown Park

Active Luton ran a free event at Wardown Park yesterday as part of their Take 3 for Life healthy living campaign.

As part of it the Minigolf (Grass Putting) was free of charge to play.




In our Challenge Match I beat Emily, 28 shots to 31 over 9-holes.

Wardown Park is also home to a 9-hole Crazy Golf course that was host to many Irregular Mini Golf Tour Matches in 2007 and 2008.

Read a review of the Wardown Park Crazy Golf course I made on the 12th May 2007 at MiniatureGolfer.com.

Tea Green Golf Fun Day - Minigolf Lessons

Last Monday I was invited to run some Minigolf Lessons at the Tea Green Golf Club Fun Day at Wandon End, near Luton.

Despite the less than sunny weather, there was a good turnout at the Fun Day. In addition to the Minigolf lessons visitors also had the chance to play a round of BIG Golf, have a free lesson with the Club's PGA Pro, practice their Putting, try their luck on the Driving Range with a 17th Hole at Sawgrass Challenge and a lot more.

At the event I gave one-to-one sessions with players looking to try out the sport of Minigolf. I ran through the basic rules, and fundamentals such as grip, stance, swing and shot types.

Photos:
Showing a player the right way to play a tee-shot on Hole-1.

Practicing Hole-2.

Showing fellow Lutonian Simon Hall a shot on Hole-5.

Practicing the dog-leg 6th Hole.

Lester, the Club Manager also lined up a number of his BIG Golf Club members for challenge matches against me – happily I won them all.

My fellow Midlands Minigolf Club (MMGC) Members Paul and Owen Johnson also came down to the event to lend their support and also have some challenge matches.

If you're in, or near, Luton make sure you check out Tea Green Golf Club for a warm welcome, good food and drink, and of course Minigolf (and BIG Golf)!

Previous Blog Post about the event:
http://hamandeggerfiles.blogspot.com/2010/05/minigolf-lessons-at-tea-green-golf-fun.html

Minigolf News Story in the Luton News - "Gottfrieds take on the Midland Open and BMGA British Doubles Championships"

The Luton News reported on me and Emily's successful weekend of BMGA Tour results in Stratford-upon-Avon with the news story "Gottfrieds take on the Midland Open and BMGA British Doubles Championships".

Minigolf Lessons at Tea Green Golf 'Fun Day' in Luton

This Bank Holiday Monday I will be running Minigolf Lessons at the Tea Green Golf 'Fun Day' at Wandon End near Luton.

Tea Green Golf will also be running a minigolf competition (among other activities) at the course as part of the 'Fun Day'.

Video of a practice round of minigolf at Tea Green's 9-hole course on the 1st May 2010.



In January 2010 the Luton News/Lutontoday.co.uk filmed me playing at Tea Green for the video "Your guide to crazy golf".

Details of the Tea Green Golf Driving Range/Chipping and Putting Green/Sand Bunker/Mini Golf.

Richard Gottfried - Minigolf Player Profile.

We first played the course ten months ago today - when it became the 111th course to be played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Minigolf & Putting Green Practice at Tea Green Golf today

I played 11 rounds of minigolf at Tea Green Golf in Luton today, and in a challenge match against Tea Green's Manager Lester Coles I hit a new 18-hole round course record of 30(-6) too!

I also played four rounds on the Putting Green, which today consisted of six-holes. My best score was an 11(-1).

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Visit No. 113 - Putting Green at Tea Green.