The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - taking in 26 countries to date

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour has seen us visit 26 countries so far.

Mini Golf at Leopoldpark in Blankenberge, Belgium. Photo by Emily Gottfried

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,044 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

Hotel Pinija Mini Golf in Croatia. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

When added to the courses Christopher and his family have visited around the British Isles and Turkey, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA, the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stands at a combined 1,091 courses visited!

Mini Golf at the Farm House Pub in Ixia, Rhodes, Greece. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

Höfner Stübl Minigolf in Sasbachwalden, Germany. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

Mini Golf at the Resort Horizont & Splendid in Pula, Croatia. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

Minigolf in Carcassonne - Lac de la Cavayère, France. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

Time Machine Minigolf in Warsaw, Poland. Photo by Emily Gottfried

Countries visited on our minigolfing adventures since September 2006:

1. England
2. Northern Ireland
3. Scotland
4. Wales
5. Australia
6. Austria
7. Belgium
8. Croatia
9. Finland
10. France
11. Germany
12. Greece
13. Hong Kong
14. Indonesia
15. Isle of Man
16. Italy
17. Jersey
18. Luxembourg
19. Netherlands
20. New Zealand
21. Poland
22. Singapore
23. Spain (including Lanzarote and Majorca)
24. Sweden
25. Turkey
26. USA

Check out the full list of courses we've been to on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Minigolf-Atlas

Check out the Minigolf-Atlas - a map listing miniature golf courses in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.

I recently found out about the Minigolf-Atlas, a project to map all of the minigolf courses in Germany and surrounding countries!

The project is run by the team at Miniatur-Golf-Club Wetzlar eV. They are based in central Germany and created the project to record all the minigolf facilities throughout Germany. This includes locations where clubs are based and tournaments take place, as well as the many course locations where no competitions are held.

It's brilliant to see the efforts put into the project, and it'll be an excellent resource for people to get out and play for leisure, fun, and for competition and club play.

The Minigolf-Atlas team are putting together lists of courses in other countries, and it'll be interesting to see the website develop over time.

Take a look at the Minigolf-Atlas website for more information.

It'll be a handy resource if we can find the time to visit Germany again in the future! There are still some minigolf systems, including Cobi Golf and Star Golf that we haven't yet played, and these are localised in Germany (Cobi Golf) and Germany & Austria (Star Golf).

I've played Felt Golf in Vienna, Austria at the Askoe Wien Wasserpark. That was an incredibly tough course, and the longest Swedish Felt course in Europe!

The Askoe Wien Swedish Felt Minigolf course in Vienna, Austria

I didn't get a chance to play the 'Eternit' aka Miniature Golf course there as it was out of season.

The Askoe Wien Eternit Miniature Golf course in Vienna, Austria

It was also the first place I saw the minigolf/snooker hybrid game of Pit-Pat.

Pit-Pat in Vienna, Austria

My brother Christopher, a charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, and his family have visited a few courses in Germany and one in Luxembourg on their branch of the tour:

• Nittel, Germany - Minigolf
• Zeltingen-Rachtig, Germany - Beton Minigolf

Minigolf in Zeltingen-Rachtig, Germany. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

• Traben-Trarbach, Germany - Eternit Miniature Golf
• Kobern-Gondorf, Germany - Abenteuergolf
• Kobern-Gondorf, Germany - Eternit Miniature Golf

Miniature Golf in Kobern-Gondorf, Germany. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

• Bernkastel-Kues, Germany - Minigolf

Minigolf in Bernkastel-Kues, Germany. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

• Gutach, Germany (Adventuregolf Gutach) - Adventure Golf
• Sasbachwalden, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany (Höfner Stübl Minigolf) - Eternit Miniature Golf

Höfner Stübl Miniature Golf in Sasbachwalden, Germany. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

• Remich, Luxembourg - Eternit Miniature Golf

Miniature Golf in Remich, Luxembourg. Photo by Christopher Gottfried 

To date, we've visited 1,044 miniature golf courses. 997 of those have been in the British Isles, while 47 have been in overseas countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (& Lanzarote, Canary Islands), Sweden and the USA. When we began our travels there were around 600 courses in the UK. There are now more than 1,000, with new courses opening all the time.

Where in the world would you find this miniature golf course?

A minigolf mystery...

Where in the world would you find this miniature golf course?

It's one of the 1,004 visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006.

54 Problems minigolf podcast

Have a listen to the latest 54 Problems minigolf podcast for a minigolf tour with a difference.

I was a guest on the new episode of the 54 Problems minigolf podcast.

You can listen to episode 14 of the show on the 54 Problems website.

Do give the 54 Problems Facebook Page a like too.

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour update

We have now been to 1,002 courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

957 of the courses have been in the British Isles (UK home nations, Jersey & the Isle of Man) plus 45 in eleven overseas countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (& Lanzarote, Canary Islands), Sweden and the USA.

In 2006 we set out to visit every miniature golf course in the UK. When we began there were around 600 courses in the UK. There are now more than 1,000, with new courses opening all the time.

Keep following the brown signs

A blog post about brown tourist signs.

I was pleased to hear that my fellow blogger, 'dull' person and fan of the quirky Amanda from Follow The Brown Signs was back in action after a hiatus.

We've always been interested in straying off the beaten path and even before we found out about Follow The Brown Signs we would look for and find different things to see and do while out and about on our travels.

Finding out about Amanda's mission and website in 2011 gave us even more ideas as well as another outlet for us to share tips and stuff from our own quest.

Just last week I spotted a brown sign, followed it and found a Pumpkin Garden!

Check out the Follow The Brown Signs website for more information and inspiration.

Here's a selection of brown tourist signs from our adventures.

Guest blog - Planning a BIG minigolf break

Check out our guest blog post over on the Putterfingers Crazy Golf website at "Planning a BIG minigolf break".

The Crazy Putting Challenge at Hamptworth Golf Centre - one of 18 courses we visited on a road-trip in May 2019

The Holbeck Putting Green in Scarborough. The course has been open since 1925. It was the 901st visited overall on our travels and one of seven miniature golf courses we went to on the trip back in June 2019

Minigolfing in the Netherlands. In Andover

We played an around-the-world themed indoor minigolf course in Andover, Hampshire back in May 2019.

Each of the holes was themed after a different country. Hole 1 was the Netherlands.

The Glo-Golf course at the Riverside Bowl in Andover was the 882nd course visited and 514th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've now been to 958 courses since September 2006.

We're yet to play in the Netherlands itself. However, my brother Christopher - a charter member of the tour - has played a Time Travel themed GlowGolf course in Amsterdam and swung by the Midget Golf course in Muiderberg.

Art Deco in Doncaster

We're big fans of Art Deco style, design and architecture and we've been remembering our trip to Doncaster last year and our stay at the superb Earl of Doncaster Hotel in Bennetthorpe.

Roaring twenties in the 2020s.

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We couldn't have asked for a better spot - Art Deco magnificence and the hotel was right next door to a park with a Crazy Golf course in it.

The Crazy Golf course at Elmfield Park

Danum House was another nice Art Deco building in the town centre.

We're looking forward to getting back out on our travels, exploring new places and revisiting our favourite spots when it's safe to do so in the future.

Travel in 2020

I've barely travelled outside of Greater Manchester this year so it was nice to 'get away from it all' with a trip to Miami, California and Italy this afternoon.

Miami Sun Centre, California Wines Express and Little Italy on Wigan Road in Deane, Bolton

These shops are all on the Wigan Road in Deane, Bolton.

Related blog posts:

- Holidays at home - Stockport, 2020

- A postcard from Stockport

A look back at July 2017

A look back at the 2017 Dull Men's Club calendar.

We featured in the Dull Men's Club calendar for 2017 where our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was highlighted for the month of July.

July 2017

What a year. Halcyon days.

The dullest people in the UK in 2017

The 2017 Dull Men’s Club calendar celebrated the men and women who were born to be mild

The Dull Men's Club is where dull men, and women who appreciate dull men, share thoughts and experiences about ordinary things. Visit the Dull Men's Club website for more information.

Check out the latest blog post on the Dull Men's Club website, it's about us and how we've been coping during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

I've spoken at Dull Men's Club conferences and events in Preston and Manchester.

Related blog posts:
- Calendar
- Dull Men's Club

20 minigolf newsletters in 2020

While we haven't been out visiting and playing minigolf courses since mid-March we have been writing a lot about the game.

We've just sent out our 20th newsletter of the year.

At the Wythenshawe Park Crazy Golf course in Manchester

Pandemic stops putting

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic we were closing in on visiting the final 40 courses of the original 600 we set out to play in 2006. We're also very close to hitting 1,000 course visits overall.

Before the lockdown hit and our out-of-home putting was paused we'd visited 948 courses since September 2006.

20 courses in 20 days in 2020

We had a strong start to the year and visited 20 courses in the first 20 days of 2020.

Our travels took us to miniature golf venues in Oxford, Birmingham, Manchester, Northwich, Doncaster and Castleford.

A revisit

We went to Wythenshawe Park just over the border in Manchester for our daily outdoor exercise last Sunday and revisited the Crazy Golf we first played in 2009. While there we also visited the currently closed Pitch & Putt Miniature Golf course. That became course visit 949 and the first new course we've been to since the pandemic hit.

Check out our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour enewsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions.

Social distancing at a railway station in Finland

Many thanks to my friend and minigolf rival John Mittler for sending me this social distancing sign from Tikkurila railway station in Vantaa, Helsinki metropolitan area. He noticed it while making an essential journey into Tampere.

As John put it "Please socially distance yourself from the train, for your own safety."

He knows me well.

I enjoy seeing different and funny signs around the world, I'm a train nerd and I'm also documenting as many social distancing / Covid-19 signs & posters during the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

Our plans for 2020

While our out-of-home putting has been paused by the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown we've been putting at home.

Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

A visit to the Crazy Golf course at Elmfield Park in Bennetthorpe, Doncaster.

We visited our 943rd miniature golf course while in Doncaster earlier this month.

Unfortunately it was out-of-season so we couldn't game on the Crazy Golf course at Elmfield Park in Bennetthorpe.

Check out videos from our visit to the course.

The Crazy Golf course is next to the bowls greens

We had a brilliant time in Doncaster. We've previously played minigolf courses on the outskirts of the town and nearby, but never been to the centre.

We were really impressed by the town's markets and enjoyed visiting a few different pubs. We stayed at the wonderful Earl of Doncaster hotel, a marvellous Art Deco hotel right next to Elmfield Park.

The Earl of Doncaster is a fantastic Art Deco building

The lobby

The restaurant

Travelling around the UK visiting minigolf courses has taken us to so many interesting places, many of which wouldn't be considered a 'normal' tourist spot. We really enjoyed our time in Doncaster and look forward to going back again in the future.