New Crazy Golf in West Thurrock, Essex

A new crazy golf course could be opening in West Thurrock, Essex.

There are plans for a crazy golf course to be part of a new indoor leisure venue in West Thurrock, Essex.

Battlegames would be home to crazy golf, electric drift karting and more.

Battlegames is a sister business to the Bermondsey Bierkeller - itself home to a crazy golf course - and BattleKart Sittingbourne.

Blackbeard's Adventure Golf in Hunstanton

A revisit to Blackbeard's Adventure Golf in Hunstanton, Norfolk.

Last month we revisited the east coast resort (that faces west) and while there swung by Blackbeard's Adventure Golf on the Southern Promenade on Hunstanton seafront.

Blackbeard's Adventure Golf Hunstanton consists of two 9-hole outdoor courses - The Aztec Trail & Blackbeard's Adventure courses.

We played the two courses at Blackbeard's Adventure Golf on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2011! We can't believe it's been 15 years since we last visited Hunstanton.

Photos of Blackbeard's Adventure Golf in Hunstanton from March 2026.

The Mini Masters miniature golf competition in Manchester

Looking back at the 'Mini Masters' miniature golf tournament in Manchester.

I won the 'Mini Masters' miniature golf tournament in Manchester back on the 11th April 2009. Time certainly flies!

Mini Master

The Mini Masters was the first of two tournaments I won on the 9-hole Championship Miniature Golf course at what was then Playgolf Manchester. The second event being the Miniature Open in July 2009.

Lining up a big minigolf win

My Mini Masters scores.

I won the Mini Masters with a three round total of 81 (-24) after scoring 26, 27, and 28.

Playing a very long tee-shot over and past several obstacles!

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The course was the 84th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Back then the course wasn't one of our local layouts as we still lived in Luton, Bedfordshire and travelled up for the events.

We've now been to 1,116 courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006.

Emily putting on the big miniature golf course

Championship Miniature Golf in New Brighton.

The Championship Miniature Golf course is no longer at the centre, but you can find an expanded Championship Miniature Golf layout with two 18-hole courses in New Brighton. We've played both layouts there.

The Trafford Golf Centre.

The location is no longer a Playgolf venue either. It's now known as the Trafford Golf Centre and is home to two 18-hole dinosaur adventure golf courses. I won the Dino Falls Masters Adventure Golf competition there in 2018 too! Visit the Trafford Golf Centre website for more information on the courses.

Interactive Mini Golf at Cave Activity Bar in Newquay

The Cave Activity Bar in Newquay, Cornwall has interactive mini golf.

One of the games available at Cave Activity Bar in Newquay is interactive mini golf.

You can also play interactive darts, shuffleboard, axe throwing and more at the venue.

Check out the Cave Activity Bar website for more information.

A minigolf guide for grassroots sport

The Deutsche Minigolfsport Verband (German Minigolf Federation) has published a guide for grassroots sport.

The guide for Breitensports (recreational or grassroots sports) is a comprehensive guide for minigolf clubs and is well worth a look.

You can download the Breitensport gestalten - Leitfaden für den Breitensport / Shaping grassroots sports - a guide for grassroots sports from the German Minigolf Federation website.

Funfair Golf at Whitehouse Leisure Park in Towyn

There's a crazy golf course at Whitehouse Leisure Park in Towyn, Wales.

The 9-hole outdoor crazy golf course at Whitehouse Leisure Park in Towyn has a funfair theme.

Check out the SF Parks website for more information.

Crazy Pool at Brigg Garden Centre

Brigg Garden Centre has a new Crazy Pool course.

You can now find a 9-hole indoor crazy pool course at Brigg Garden Centre in Brigg, Lincolnshire.

Check out the Brigg Garden Centre website for more information.

Lost minigolf courses - The Golfing Hole Adventure Golf course in Swindon, Wiltshire

A look back at The Golfing Hole indoor adventure golf course in Swindon, Wiltshire.

At The Golfing Hole indoor Adventure Golf course in Swindon

We visited Swindon, Wiltshire in January 2015 to play our first miniature golf course of the New Year. The location was The Golfing Hole Indoor Adventure Golf course at the Spectrum on Mead Way.

Emily playing hole 2 - a big ramp that led to a spiral

The course was the 589th visited and 355th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006. In 2014 we visited 46 courses and played 28 of them.

Putting into a machine

During our match we played through each of the obstacles, rather than taking the easier line and putting around the lumps and bumps of the greens. Some of the holes in the pipes were easier to get the ball into than others, with a few of them causing a lot of frustration. The result of our contest was a draw, with a score of 54 each.

Emily putts into one of the factory's machines. This one was really tough

Putting from the back of the green

There was a BIG minigolf loop-di-loop on one of the holes

   

My favourite hole at The Golfing Hole. Though quite what a green 'grass' minigolf layout with sandy bunkers was doing inside a 'factory' I don't know. Very crazy golf! 

Emily putts out after playing through a cabin/site office in The Golfing Hole factory

Hole 13 led into the blacklight area, while the tee-off point for hole 14 was inside

This hole was really difficult as the gap at the top of the ramp wasn't much bigger than the golf ball

Playing out the UV hole

Emily tees-off inside the blacklight room

And putts out in the light of the factory

Related blog posts:

• Swindon
• Wiltshire
• Adventure Golf
• Lost course

Mini-Golf at Mr Fogg’s Games Parlour in London

There will be mini-golf at Mr Fogg’s Games Parlour.

Mr Fogg’s Games Parlour is opening at Mr Fogg's City Tavern on Liverpool Street in London. Among the games on offer will be mini-golf.

All of the games at Mr Fogg’s Games Parlour have been 'Victorianised', giving them a very retro feel.

As well as mini-golf there will be Victorian takes on bagatelle, beer pong, darts and parlour quoits.

Games are played in a booth, with six games played in 80 minutes in a self-contained area.

It's interesting to see bagatelle - it's a very rare game to see out in the wild (we've only played it once, in Chester).

Check out the Mr Fogg’s Games Parlour website for more information.

One month until National Miniature Golf Day

There is one month to go until National Miniature Golf Day 2026.

There are two 'miniature golf days' each year.

National Miniature Golf Day is always on the second Saturday in May. In 2026 that will be Saturday 9th May.

The other minigolf day, Miniature Golf Day, is always on the 21st September. In 2026 the 21st falls on a Monday.

Mini Golf at the Peter Cowen Golf Academy in Rotherham

Last week I asked "Where in the world was this mini golf course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour?".

The answer was - the mini golf course at the Peter Cowen Golf Academy in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.

The Mini Golf course at the Peter Cowen Golf Academy in Rotherham was the 1,004th visited and 562nd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the Peter Cowen Golf Academy website for more information on the course.

Guess the Minigolf course location...

Where in the world was this minigolf course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour?

Adventure Golf in Clevedon, North Somerset

The minigolf course at Salthouse Fields in Clevedon, North Somerset is set to be redeveloped.

The crazy golf course Salthouse Fields in Clevedon look set to be updated as part of improvement works of Salthouse Fields - including reopening the miniature railway - and Clevedon seafront.

Playing Clevedon Crazy Golf on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

In July 2011 we visited the 9-hole Crazy Golf on the seafront at Salthouse Fields. It became the 400th course visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

The course was a tricky one to play and a lot of the shots needed to be very firm to carry them over some subtle obstacles within the course's concrete construction.

The Art of Mini Golf at Battersea Arts Centre

A mini golf exhibition is opening at Battersea Arts Centre in London.

Battersea Arts Centre in London will be home to The Art of Mini Golf this summer.

The Art of Mini Golf at Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) is a playable exhibition consisting of 9-holes.

The Art of Mini Golf is by RISING Melbourne curated by Grace Herbert. The exhibition was formerly known as Swingers: The Art of Mini Golf when it was a playable art minigolf exhibition installation at Flinders Street Station is opening in Melbourne, Australia last summer.

The Art of Mini Golf at Battersea Arts Centre runs from the 17th June to 26th July 2026.

Find out more on the Battersea Arts Centre website.

The art exhibition chose miniature golf as its focus as the game was created to allow women to play. The Himalayas Putting course at St Andrews, Scotland was created in 1867 specifically for female players to use.

Adventure Golf at East Sussex National Golf Club

There are plans for an adventure golf course to be created at East Sussex National Golf Club in Little Horsted, near Uckfield.

The new adventure golf course would be part of new additions at East Sussex National Golf Club that would also include padel courts and a driving range.

Find out more on the East Sussex National Golf Club website.

Putting Green and Crazy Golf course in Hunstanton

A look at the Putting Green and Crazy Golf course in Hunstanton, Norfolk.

We spent a couple of hours in the seaside town of Hunstanton on our recent trip to Norwich and Norfolk to visit family and friends. While there we swung by North Promenade for a look at the miniature golf courses.

Photos of the Putting Green and Crazy Golf course in Hunstanton.

The 9-hole Crazy Golf course at the Victorian Pavilion on the seafront in Hunstanton became the 1,116th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006.

The last time we visited Hunstanton was in 2011. Back then there was a different crazy golf course on the other side of the path. This new crazy golf course also takes up the lower part of what was a two-tier grass putting green.

Videos of the miniature golf courses.

Related blog posts:

• Crazy Golf in Hunstanton, Norfolk
• Crazy Golf on North Promenade in Hunstanton, Norfolk
• Putting and Crazy Golf at the Victorian Pavilion, North Promenade in Hunstanton
• Hunstanton

Videos:

• Crazy Golf and Putting at the Victorian Pavilion in Hunstanton, Norfolk
• Crazy Golf at the Victorian Pavilion in Hunstanton, Norfolk, England - course walk round 1 of 2
• Crazy Golf at the Victorian Pavilion in Hunstanton, Norfolk, England - course walk round 2 of 2
• A view of the Grass Putting course and Crazy Golf at the Victorian Pavilion in Hunstanton
• A view of the Crazy Golf course at the Victorian Pavilion on North Promenade in Hunstanton, Norfolk
• Crazy Golf at the Victorian Pavilion in Hunstanton, Norfolk, England

Toys R Us at TGJones in Norwich

There's a Toys R Us at TGJones in Norwich city centre.

You can find a Toys R Us concession at TGJones in Norwich, Norfolk. It differs to many of the other new Toys R Us shops I've seen since the return of the brand by having a shopfront of its own next door to the TGJones (formerly WHSmith) that it is housed within.

The end of WHSmith, and the start of TGJones.

The start of July 2025 marked the end of WHSmith on the British high street after 233 years. Following the sale of the business to Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital earlier this year WHSmith shops have been undergoing a rebrand to the new name of TGJones.

WHSmith on the high street, and travel stores.

There were around 500 high street WHSmith shops, and another 580 travel stores in the UK. The WHSmith shops at railway stations, service stations and airports etc. are not affected by the rebrand as they were not part of the sale.

Toys R Us at TGJones and WHSmith.

As well being inside the rebranded TGJones shops, the relaunched Toys R Us brand can be found in sections of some travel hub WHSmith stores.

Toys R Us at Hobbycraft.

You can also find Toys R Us concessions at Hobbycraft stores.

Toys R Us in 2026.

Toys R Us returned to the UK shopping scene with an online presence in 2022 and with concessions opening inside some WH Smith shops in 2023. There are currently 146 Toys R Us stores open nationwide.

Working at Toys R Us.

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton Toys R Us store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

The old Toys R Us.

At its peak there were 105 Toys R Us stores in the UK. It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited several of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

Former Toys R Us locations we've visited on our travels:

• Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Gateway retail park in Reading
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• St James Retail Park in Northampton
• Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
• The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
• Western Esplanade in Southampton
• Wolverhampton Road in Oldbury
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby

Find out more.

Visit the Toys R Us and TGJones websites for more information.

Links:

• Toys R Us
• TGJones

Related blog posts:

• Toys R Us
• TGJones
• Retail
• The end of Toys R Us in the UK

Green Day Cafe Mini Golf course at Westminster Park in Chester

Last week I asked 'Where in the world was this mini golf course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour?'.

The answer was the Green Day Cafe Mini Golf course at Westminster Park in Chester, Cheshire, England.

Emily visited the course in March 2025.

Find out more.

Visit the Green Day Cafe Mini Golf website for more information.