Showing posts with label Putterfingers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Putterfingers. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Mini Golf at Arrow Valley Visitor Centre and Lake in Redditch

There's a pop up mini golf course at Arrow Valley Visitor Centre and Lake in Redditch.


There's a pop up mini golf course at Arrow Valley Visitor Centre and Lake in Redditch

Arrow Valley Visitor Centre and Lake in Redditch have set up a mini golf layout for the summer with play available on the course weekdays 11am to 2pm.

Check out the Arrow Valley Visitor Centre and Lake Facebook Page for more info.


The mini golf course is a Putterfingers modular set-up and a type we've played a few times on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour over the years, including a tournament at the Oswestry Games in 2012.

Richard Gottfried playing a Putterfingers Course at Oswestry Games

Monday, July 19, 2021

Latest minigolf blog from Putterfingers

Check out the latest post on the Putterfingers minigolf blog at "Marketing for minigolf".


Putterfingers minigolf blog

Friday, November 13, 2020

Christmas Crazy Golf

Not long to go until Christmas!

It's highly doubtful we'll be playing any Christmas minigolf this festive season - our first Christmas in Lockdown.

Thankfully we've played a bit of yuletide crazy golf on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the past.

Christmas Minigolf
A selection box of festive miniature golf from top left - the Home Alone hole at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry (played on an Easter Sunday), the pop-up Chrizy Golf course in Manchester and the Santa hole on the pop-up Christmas course at Devonshire Square in London

Check out the latest blog post about Christmas Crazy Golf from the team at Putterfingers.

NEW BLOG: Portable crazy golf hire adds a bit of festive cheer to small gatherings. Great for all ages, delivery to...

Back on the 30th November 2012 I won the first - and to date only - Chrizy Golf Masters minigolf tournament in Manchester!

Chrizy Golf Champion
Chrizy Golf Champion

Friday, July 12, 2019

The crazy world of UK minigolf - a guest blog post

Check out my new guest post on the Putterfingers Crazy Golf blog where I look at the increasing popularity of minigolf in the UK.

Richard Gottfried - guest blogger for Putterfingers Crazy Golf
My guest blog post for Putterfingers is about the increasing popularity of Crazy Golf in the UK

Monday, March 04, 2019

Exhibition minigolf

Looking for a way to engage with delegates at events, then use minigolf.


We've played a number of portable and pop-up minigolf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, many of which were at business events and exhibitions.


Putting courses and obstacles are a popular addition to stands at trade shows and exhibitions. Way back in May 2007 I played an UrbanCrazy minigolf hole at the International Direct Marketing Fair at Earl's Court.


As a marketer I'm all for innovation. Over the years I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly of events.

Putting at The Golf Show by American Golf at EventCity in Manchester
Putting on the nice portable minigolf course at The Golf Show by American Golf at EventCity in Manchester

Crazy Golf is experiencing a boom and gaining popularity as a business tool. UrbanCrazy's range of minigolf games and course layouts have been going strong for well over a decade. Putterfingers also offer Crazy Golf layouts for a number of different business and leisure events. While the team at HM Adventure Golf have a modular minigolf course layout that is being used for events and temporary courses.

At the International Direct Marketing Fair at Earl's Court way back in 2007
At the International Direct Marketing Fair at Earl's Court way back in 2007. This was the first portable course I saw being used at a business event

Putting a Putter in the hands of a delegate at an event is a great way to keep them on your stand, break the ice, have a chat and generate some friendly competition.

Emily's friends and colleagues were at the Electronic Retailing Association's Great Ideas Summit in Orlando, Florida and found there was a miniature golf course set up for a Tee Up Tuesday Evening Reception! Photo by Liezl van Zyl
Emily's friends and colleagues were at the Electronic Retailing Association's Great Ideas Summit in Orlando, Florida and found there was a miniature golf course set up for a Tee Up Tuesday Evening Reception! Photo by Liezl van Zyl

The Trade On Tap Hole-in-One challenge at the CIH Housing 2016 Exhibition
The Trade On Tap Hole-in-One challenge at the CIH Housing 2016 Exhibition. I scored a hole-in-one

Minigolf courses have also been hired by a number of venues to increase footfall. Among these are shops, shopping centres, retail parks, schools, colleges, universities, office developments and even a brewery!

An UrbanCrazy Mini Golf course at the Camden Town Brewery in London

Lyle & Scott created a Woolly Mini-Golf course as part of Wool Week

UrbanCrazy created a special Crazy Golf course for the Ipswich Building Society - this was one-third of it, set-up in the Sudbury branch

A Minigolf & Games temporary layout at the Garden Square shopping centre in Letchworth Garden City
A Minigolf & Games temporary layout at the Garden Square shopping centre in Letchworth Garden City

A Putterfingers layout at the Oswestry Games in Shropshire
A Putterfingers layout at the Oswestry Games in Shropshire

The beauty of minigolf is that it's such a fun and easy, pick up and play game.

There are a number of suppliers of portable minigolf course and I've listed those whose courses I've played on below:



Below is a selection of photos showing the portable minigolf courses we've played at events over the years.

The teeofftimes.co.uk's incredibly lengthy Long Putt Challenge at The Golf Show by American Golf
The teeofftimes.co.uk's incredibly lengthy Long Putt Challenge at The Golf Show by American Golf

Chrizy Golf pop-up minigolf course in Manchester
The Chrizy Golf pop-up course in Manchester

Lyle & Scott's Carnaby Street shop in London used an UrbanCrazy course for a special Minigolf Hole-in-One Challenge
Lyle & Scott's Carnaby Street shop in London used an UrbanCrazy course for a special Minigolf Hole-in-One Challenge
  
UrbanCrazy's Signature Course at the London Golf Show at Earl's Court
UrbanCrazy's Signature Course at the London Golf Show at Earl's Court

UrbanCrazy's Signature Minigolf Course at Regent's Place in London
Playing UrbanCrazy's Signature Minigolf Course at Regent's Place in London

Crazy Golfing at the Pier Head in Liverpool on a summer pop-up course
Crazy Golfing at the Pier Head in Liverpool on a summer pop-up course 

Bridlington's Foreshore Sands has a semi-portable Crazy Golf course from UrbanCrazy. It looks great, plays well and attracts people to that part of the seafront
Bridlington's Foreshore Sands has a semi-portable Crazy Golf course from UrbanCrazy. It looks great, plays well and attracts people to that part of the seafront

If you enjoy minigolf and marketing crossovers you'll like my ebook too - check out The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Amazon.

If you'd like to know more about my marketing work and how I can help you and your business please do get in touch via my website.

To date we've visited 859 minigolf courses. You can view them on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list.

Related blog posts:
- Business
- Marketing
- Indoor Minigolf
- Portable Minigolf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

PLAY-OFF - a short film by MegaComputeur

We love anything and everything minigolf-related and it's always brilliant seeing new and interesting stories, videos and photos related to the game. So when Putterfingers Crazy Golf found and shared this fantastic short animation from the team at MegaComputeur Animation we had to share it too.

PLAY-OFF is a MUST WATCH for anyone who's ever played Crazy Golf! There are some really nice touches about the joy (and frustration) the sport provides.


PLAY-OFF from MegaComputeur on Vimeo.

Links:
- PLAY-OFF on Vimeo
MegaComputeur Animation

Sunday, August 07, 2016

Memories of the 2012 Oslympic Games

Looking back at the 2012 Oswestry Games multi-sport event in Shropshire.


Back in the summer of 2012 we were proud to be a part of the Oswestry Games. The festival of sport in Shropshire saw the sport of minigolf included in a multi-sport games event in the UK for the first time.

The Oswestry Games, or 'Oslympics' as they became known, were a mammoth undertaking for the organisers at the Oswestry Sports Council and it was a real pleasure and honour for Emily and I to organise the minigolf events along with other coaches and players from the national tour.

The coaches and competitors in the Pro-Am minigolf tournament at Cae Glas Park

The Oswestry Games consisted of more than 50 sports and cultural events held over ten-days in July 2012.

Minigolfing at the Oswestry Games

Things got off to a great start on our first night in the town - not only were we recognised while on our way to the sporting quiz night at the town's cricket club, but we also won the bronze medal in the quiz itself.

The bronze medal winning quizzing minigolfers

The Saturday morning of the Games saw us organise coaching sessions for locals youth and adult players on the 18-hole 'Eternit' miniature golf course in Cae Glas Park in the town centre. This was followed by the BMGA Oswestry Games Pro-Am Minigolf Classic team tournament in the afternoon - won by Marc 'The Force' Chapman, Steve Sturdy and Chris Powell.

On the tricky Cae Glas Park miniature golf course

Sunday was the closing day of the Games and a large number of clubs, regional organisations and national governing bodies gathered at the Leisure Centre for a jam-packed day of sporting fun, games and competition.

Playing the Putterfingers Crazy Golf course at the Oswestry Games

With a Putterfingers modular Crazy Golf course we took centre stage and had a large number of the public, athletes and competitors from other events joining us for a round on the 9-hole course.

We scooped Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the Games - and what very fine medals they are too

We ended our trip to the Oslympics by contesting the BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship - which I won!

The podium for the pro-tournament - Marc Chapman, me and John Moore

Did you know - Miniature Golf was once played during the actual Olympic Games! While it was not officially part of the Games programme, the participants in the Golf tournament at the 1904 Olympic Games held in St Louis, USA also competed in a Putting Championship on a specially built miniature golf course at the Glen Echo Country Club.

It'd be great to see miniature golf become an Olympic sport one day. And we'd also like to see the Oswestry Games return once more. Perhaps when the UK next hosts the Olympics, minigolf will be an event, and Oswestry will host their Games again.

The future for the sport of miniature golf looks bright, with the international governing body - the World Minigolf Sport Federation - gaining further recognition on the global stage all the time. The WMF is a member of SportAccord and an organisation called AIMS (the Alliance of Independent Members of SportAccord) - who's goal it is to achieve International Olympic Committee recognition for its members.

Back in 1989 the sport (Bahn Golf) was a demonstration event in the IWGA World Games in Karlsruhe, Germany. The WMF is also hoping to have minigolf included in other multi-sport events in the future.

As the umbrella organisation of minigolf sports association's worldwide and continental associations in Asia, Europe and America the WMF has 55 members. The sport is played on an organised level in Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Chinese Taipai, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Kenya, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, USA and Vietnam.

There are more than 38,000 competitive minigolf players registered with the WMF via the 55 member nations, with 900-plus clubs between them. Over 1,000 courses are approved for official competitions and around 1,500 minigolf tournaments are held each year.

Aside from the March 2011 list Emily and I have been in the sport's international rankings since November 2008 following our debut for the Great Britain team at that year's Nations Cup championships in Tampere, Finland.


We're hoping to one day visit the Olimpiapark Munchen too as the venue has an eternit miniature golf course that was set-up in the Athletes Village for the 1972 Olympic Games. That'd be a great course to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Related blog posts:
- The Oswestry Games
- Miniature Golf and the Olympic Games

Links:
- Oswestry Sports Forum
- The Oswestry Games 2012
- World Minigolf Sport Federation
- Minigolf Report from the 2012 Oswestry Games Multi-Sport Event

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Seaside Shields museum exhibition

This summer South Shields Museum & Art Gallery is going back in time to look at all the fun of yesteryear's seaside with the Seaside Shields exhibition.

Crazy Golf is a classic part of seaside heritage and it's good to see that the game is being featured as part of the exhibition as a Putterfingers Portable Crazy Golf course will be at the museum on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th August for the Seaside Shields Golf Championship.

We've visited South Shields on our coastal travels and back in 2009 the Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course became the 100th played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Richard Gottfried playing the Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course in South Shields, Tyneside
Adventure Golfing in South Shields

Emily revisited South Shields in 2012 and had another round on the course.

Over the years we've also played a few Putterfingers minigolf courses on our tour.

Seaside Shields runs until the 31st October 2015. For more information check out the South Shields Museum & Art Gallery website and minigolf event page.

In 2011 Stevenage Museum ran an exhibition on British Holiday Camps. That also featured Crazy Golf.

Don't forget to check out The Crazy Golf Museum website and on Twitter for more on the history of miniature golf.

Links:
- South Shields Museum & Art Gallery
- Putterfingers
- Crazy Golf Museum
- Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Related blog posts:
- Gottfried's Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Minigolf Course Played No. 100!!!
- Revisit & Replay of Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf in South Shields
- "Morning Campers!" A British Holiday Camp Exhibition at Stevenage Museum - with Crazy Golf!
- Museum
- Putterfingers

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Mini Golf Sharks

Catching sight of some Crazy Golf Sharks on our minigolfing travels.

Pirate Mini Golf at the Galleria Shopping Centre in Hatfield
An animatronic shark on the Pirate Mini Golf course in Hatfield

The first 'actual' shark obstacle we found on a minigolf course was at Pendine Bay in Wales on a mammoth road trip in 2009.

The shark hole at the Crazy Golf course in Pendine Sands

Preceding our trip to Pendine Bay we'd visited and played the excellent Strokes Adventure Golf course in Margate. The 16th hole there is called 'Shark's Teeth'.

Strokes Adventure Golf course in Margate
Playing the Shark's Teeth hole during the 2007 Kent Open tournament at Strokes Adventure Golf course

Strokes Adventure Golf course in Margate
Playing the 16th hole at Strokes in 2014

The kiosk of the Pirate Mini Golf at the Galleria in Hatfield has a big bitey shark above the counter!

Pirate Mini Golf at the Galleria Shopping Centre in Hatfield
Kiosk shark

Pirate Mini Golf at the Galleria Shopping Centre in Hatfield
The Great White shark is basking on the minigolf course in Hatfield

We often visit Felixstowe in Suffolk and a recent addition to the indoor Adventure Golf course at Manning's Amusement Arcade is a shark!

Emily at the indoor Magical Golf FX Adventure Golf course at Manning's Amusements in Felixstowe, Suffolk
Emily and a minigolf shark in Felixstowe

I've been to Littlehampton twice. On the second occasion I managed to play the Sharksville Adventure Golf course.

Sharksville Adventure Golf at Harbour Park in Littlehampton
At Sharksville

Sharksville Adventure Golf at Harbour Park in Littlehampton
The shark on the advertising board was a different type of character

Sharksville Adventure Golf at Harbour Park in Littlehampton
The one that didn't get away was a different species of shark too

Look closely at the shark at Sharksville and you'll see he's wearing a bow tie!
Look closely at the shark at Sharksville and you'll see he's wearing a bow tie!

The 231st course we played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the 'Sea Dwellers Crazy Golf' at the Golden Palm Resort in Chapel St Leonards, Lincolnshire. However, none of the holes had a shark on it.

We spotted this shark bin in a seafood shop in Whitstable!
We spotted this shark bin at a seafood shop in Whitstable in 2014

Shelley at Putterfingers also spotted a shark obstacle on a miniature golf course - it was on a Disney TV show called Shake It Up!

On our travels we've seen a lot of crocodiles and alligators lurking on courses too.

If you see any sharks on a minigolf course do let me know!

Related blog posts:
Sharks
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Strokes Adventure Golf in Margate
- Crazy Golf at Pendine Sands
- Sharksville Adventure Golf at Harbour Park in Littlehampton
- Pirate Mini Golf at the Galleria Shopping Centre in Hatfield

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Christmas-themed Crazy Golf

Playing 'Chrizy Golf' in Manchester.

Christmas + Crazy Golf = Chrizy Golf
Christmas + Crazy Golf = Chrizy Golf

Two years ago today me and John 'Big Al' Moore headed to Manchester to compete in the first, and to-date only, Chrizy Golf Masters minigolf tournament on a 9-hole Christmas-themed Crazy Golf course.

'Squire' Richard Gottfried and John 'Thighs' Moore at the Christmas-themed Minigolf 'Chrizy Golf' course in Manchester (2012)
Me and John 'Thighs' Moore at the Chrizy Golf course in Manchester

The course was the 313th course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Christmas-themed Minigolf 'Chrizy Golf' course in Manchester (2012)
Chrizy Golf!

The Christmas Crazy Golf championship trophy was awarded in November 2012!
The Christmas Crazy Golf championship trophy was awarded in November 2012!

Back in 2009 we also played a Christmas-themed course in Devonshire Square, London.

If you know of any Christmas-themed miniature golf courses out there do let me know through the comments below, or via Twitter.

Related blog posts:
- Christmas
- Manchester
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Winning the Chrizy Golf Masters Minigolf Tournament!
Festive Mini Golf – Christmas jumper themed! by Putterfingers.co.uk

Friday, August 29, 2014

Putterfingers Crazy Golf in Bury St Edmunds

Putterfingers Crazy Golf course to be at the Arc Shopping Centre in Bury St Edmunds this weekend.

Putterfingers Crazy Golf in Bury St Edmunds
The Putterfingers Crazy Golf course set-up at the Arc Shopping Centre in Bury St Edmunds last weekend. Photo by Kate Tubby

Last weekend my sister in law Jo and niece Kate were at the Arc Shopping Centre in Bury St Edmunds and spotted the Putterfingers Crazy Golf course set-up for the Raiders of the Lost Arc event and sent me the great photo above.

The Putterfingers course is back at the Arc Shopping Centre this weekend (30 & 31 August) too.

Check out the links below for more info on Putterfingers and the Arc Shopping Centre.

Related blog posts:
- Putterfingers
- Bury St Edmunds
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Links:
- Putterfingers
- Arc Shopping Centre

Sunday, July 29, 2012

The next leg of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour has begun...

...with Minigolf course number 301 played at the Oswestry Games!

The 501st Minigolf course visited, and 301st played, on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the cunning 9-hole Putterfingers layout that was set-up at the Oswestry Games Closing Day by the members of the British Minigolf Association on Sunday 15th July.

The 9-hole Putterfingers layout at the Oswestry Games Fun Day

Playing the course in the BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship

Playing hole 2 on the Putterfingers course

I also picked up my first BMGA Tour victory in a while on the course in the afternoon's BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship.

Here's to the next 499 course visits to bring us up to 1,000! Hopefully a few more of them will be open on our visit...

Links:
- Putterfingers
- Oswestry Games

Related Blog Posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- A Minigolf Visit to Wonderland in Telford!
- Minigolf Report - Gottfrieds win at the Oswestry Games in Shropshire