Wednesday, October 02, 2024

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour keeps on rolling...

A look at our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour to date.


With a sign for The Original Crazy Golf course in Skegness
With a sign for The Original Crazy Golf course in Skegness

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,065 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

At the top of the Great Orme in Llandudno
At the top of the Great Orme in Llandudno

1,007 of the courses we've been to were in the British Isles, with 58 in 12 overseas countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

Playing Manx TT themed Crazy Golf in Ramsay on the Isle of Man
Playing Manx TT themed Crazy Golf in Ramsay on the Isle of Man

We've been able to play a total of 576 of the courses we've been to. Many of these have been played multiple times. Other courses we didn't manage to play include those we found to be abandoned, closed, out-of-season, or derelict, while others were flying visits as we didn't have time to play. Luckily we've returned to some of the courses that were closed or unable to be played on our initial visit.

At a very very Crazy Crazy Golf course in Cofton Hackett
At a very very Crazy Crazy Golf course in Cofton Hackett

When added to the courses my brother Christopher (a founding member of the tour) and his family have visited around the British Isles and Türkiye, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA, the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stands at a combined 1,112 courses visited!

A treacherous hole in Aberavon, Port Talbot
A treacherous hole in Aberavon, Port Talbot


Putting at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing
Putting at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing

We avoided the LIVE ALLIGATORS in Chorley
We avoided the LIVE ALLIGATORS at Gator Adventure Golf in Chorley

A scary indoor hole at Putters Adventure Golf in Warrington
A scary indoor hole at Putters Adventure Golf in Warrington

Playing the Crazy Putting Challenge course at Hamptworth Golf Club
Playing the Crazy Putting Challenge course at Hamptworth Golf Club

Playing a shot at Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Manchester
Playing a shot at Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Manchester

Miniature Golf Grass Putting in Douglas, Isle of Man
Miniature Golf Grass Putting in Douglas, Isle of Man

Trying my luck on the last hole at Hastings Adventure Golf
Trying my luck on the last hole at Hastings Adventure Golf

Minigolfing in Lyme Regis
Minigolfing in Lyme Regis

Playing Mini Championship Golf at Pirate Pete's in Ayr
Playing Mini Championship Golf at Pirate Pete's in Ayr

Having a whale of a time at Moby Adventure Golf in Romford
Having a whale of a time at Moby Adventure Golf in Romford

Teeing-off at Adventure Island Golf in Mundesley
Teeing-off at Adventure Island Golf in Mundesley

Playing out a hole at Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby
Playing out a hole at Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby

Putting between the sights at Landmark Adventure Golf in New Brighton
Putting between the sights at Landmark Adventure Golf in New Brighton

Playing at Pirate Adventure Golf in Belfast
Playing at Pirate Adventure Golf in Belfast

'Putting' with a 'cue' of sorts on the Crazy Crazy Golf course at Joe Joe Jim's Arcade in Cofton Hackett
'Putting' with a 'cue' of sorts on the Crazy Crazy Golf course at Joe Joe Jim's Arcade in Cofton Hackett

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - taking in 27 countries to date

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour has seen us visit 27 countries so far.


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

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,065 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, 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
Hotel Pinija Mini Golf in Croatia. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

1,007 of the courses we've been to were in the British Isles, with 58 in 12 overseas countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

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

We've been able to play a total of 576 of the courses we've been to. Many of these have been played multiple times. Other courses we didn't manage to play include those we found to be abandoned, closed, out-of-season, or derelict, while others were flying visits as we didn't have time to play. Luckily we've returned to some of the courses that were closed or unable to be played on our initial visit.

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

When added to the courses Christopher (a founding member of the tour) and his family have visited around the British Isles and Türkiye, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA, the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stands at a combined 1,112 courses visited!

Mini Golf at the Resort Horizont & Splendid in Pula, Croatia. 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
Minigolf in Carcassonne - Lac de la Cavayère, France. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

Time Machine Minigolf in Warsaw, Poland. Photo by Emily 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. Türkiye
  26. USA
  27. Chile

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

Monday, September 30, 2024

18 years of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Celebrating 18 years of our minigolf adventures.


Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea

We played the Victory Trail course at Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea, Hampshire on this day in 2006 and at the end of our 9-hole round on Saturday 30th September I won a free game by firing the cannon on the lucky last hole!

My free game card from Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea - never used!
My free game card from Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea - never used!

We've been putting on our crazy golfing adventures ever since.

Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea
Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK. There are now more than 1,000, and there are lots of new places to play the game opening all the time. Several courses have closed over the years, while others have been refurbished, redeveloped or completely transformed into new layouts.

All the of the changes and updates means our minigolf quest to visit every course is becoming never-ending! When we originally set off to visit as many courses as possible the target list was 600 in the British Isles. We've still got around 50 of those original courses to visit.

We've now been to 1,065 courses overall in the last 18 years, with 1,007 of those locations in the British Isles.

Together with my brother Christopher - a charter member of the tour - and his family, we've visited a total of 1,112 courses.

Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book to see a lot more minigolf records too!

You can see all of the courses we've visited on this Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list.

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas

A visit to the 'Free Blockbuster' in Las Vegas.


Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas

Emily made a visit to the Free Blockbuster 'pop up' video and DVD exchange/library/dispenser at Sohn vintage shop on her recent trip to Las Vegas.

Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas

The first Free Blockbuster was created in 2019 and since then more have been created in the USA, Canada, and one in the UK.

Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas

It's been fun following the Free Blockbuster movement's journey, and it'll be interesting to see where they appear next.

Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas

Emily took some DVDs from our collection and swapped them out for three wrestling VHS tapes! She managed to get a Free Blockbuster sticker and one for Sohn too.

Wrestling VHS video tapes from Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn
Wrestling goodness from the USA and Japan!

A happy customer of Free Blockbuster Las Vegas and Sohn
A happy customer of Free Blockbuster Las Vegas and Sohn

Hopefully I'll get to visit Las Vegas again in the future. It'd be superb to see the Free Blockbuster stall in person - and see what's new there to swap. The people at the store also showed Emily the vintage wrestling t-shirts they had in stock.

Sohn vintage store in Las Vegas

Check out the Sohn and Free Blockbuster websites for more information. And check out Free Blockbuster Las Vegas on Instagram.


A Free Blockbuster Las Vegas sticker

As well as being a wrestling fan I'm a fan of ALF and Emily bought a vintage ALF keyring and badge for my collection at Sohn!

An ALF keyring, badge, and a Sohn sticker
An ALF keyring, badge, and a Sohn sticker

Sohn seen from across the street in the Las Vegas heat!
Sohn seen from across the street in the Las Vegas heat!

Check out the blog posts about our travels to former Blockbuster video shops.

Crazy Golf at Higher Bebington Park

The Crazy Golf course at Higher Bebington Park in Birkenhead on the Wirral peninsula is being renovated.


Crazy Golf course at Higher Bebington Recreation Ground
Crazy Golf at Higher Bebington Park

The team at Love Bebington have started the refurbishment of the abandoned Crazy Golf course at Higher Bebington Park in Birkenhead.

We visited the course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in July 2017.

Crazy Golf course at Higher Bebington Recreation Ground
Hole 3

The 15-hole course is a unique layout and we thought it looked like it'd be very interesting to play.

Crazy Golf course at Higher Bebington Recreation Ground
Hole 4 is a long one

Crazy Golf course at Higher Bebington Recreation Ground
Half way up hole 4

Crazy Golf course at Higher Bebington Recreation Ground
The green of hole 4


Crazy Golf course at Higher Bebington Recreation Ground
Hole 5 - a dogleg

Good luck to the Love Bebington team with their efforts on the Crazy Golf course at Higher Bebington Park.

It'll be nice to revisit the course and actually have a game there in the future.


Check out the Love Bebington pages on Facebook and Instagram to follow the progress of the course refurb.


A wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man at Tom's Watch Bar in Las Vegas, Nevada

Spotting a wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.


A wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man at Tom's Watch Bar in Las Vegas, Nevada

Emily saw this wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man at Tom's Watch Bar on her recent trip to Las Vegas.

A wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man at Tom's Watch Bar in Las Vegas, Nevada

A wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man at Sinwave in Las Vegas, Nevada

Spotting a wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.


A wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man at Sinwave in Las Vegas, Nevada

Emily saw this wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man outside Sinwave on her recent trip to Las Vegas.

A wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man at Sinwave in Las Vegas, Nevada

It's the first skeleton airdancer we've seen.

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Neon Crazy Golf at Game On in Sittingbourne, Kent

A new indoor Neon Crazy Golf course has opened in Sittingbourne town centre.


A new indoor Neon Crazy Golf course has opened in Sittingbourne

The 18-hole Crazy Golf course is now open at Game On in Sittingbourne.

In a twist on 'normal' crazy golf, half of the course is played with a putter on the ground, while the other half is crazy pool and played with a cue.

Check out the Game On Facebook page for more information.


It's another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

KISS Mini Golf Indoor Miniature Golf in Las Vegas, Nevada

A visit to the KISS Mini Golf course at The Rio in Las Vegas, Nevada.


KISS Mini Golf at KISS World at The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

Emily has ticked off another course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour with a visit to KISS World featuring KISS Mini Golf and KISS World Museum at The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

KISS Mini Golf at KISS World at The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

KISS Mini Golf at The Rio became the 1,065th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

KISS Mini Golf at KISS World at The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

KISS Mini Golf at KISS World at The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

KISS Mini Golf at KISS World at The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

KISS Mini Golf at KISS World at The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

KISS Mini Golf at KISS World at The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas


KISS Mini Golf at KISS World at The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

You can find the KISS Mini Golf course at KISS World at The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Visit the KISS Mini Golf website for more information.


KISS Mini Golf at KISS World at The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

Adventure Island Golf in Mundesley, Norfolk

A look back at our visit to the Adventure Island Golf course in Mundesley, Norfolk.


Back in May 2014 Charter Member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Christopher Gottfried let us know about the Adventure Golf course in Mundesley, Norfolk.

Adventure Island Golf in Mundesley

We finally got to visit and play the course in July 2016.

Playing another brilliant course on our travels

The layout became the 406th played and 692nd visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

It's a lovely setting for a game

Adventure Island Golf is a great 12-hole course, with plenty of tricky obstacles and some very nice theming. And for a 12-hole course there were certainly a lot of themes going on! With Pirates, Cannibals, Dinosaurs, Jungles and more.

The 11th and 12th were tricky indeed
 
The island that gave the Adventure Golf course its name

Emily playing another great tee shot

In our match-up Emily won with a 34 to my 37 - getting off to a flying start with a great hole-in-one on the first.

Putting past some dino eggs

A round of minigolf at the course costs £3.50 for adults and it's worth a play.

On the last hole

Check out Adventure Island Golf Mundesley on Facebook for more information.