Minigolf Challenge Match at TopGolf Watford

Results and report from the latest head-to-head Miniature Golf match-up between ‘Squire’ Richard Gottfried & ‘Rowdy’ Russell Fenner.

TopGolf Watford's Adventure Golf

On Tuesday 21st February I headed over the border into Hertfordshire to visit the TopGolf game centre in Watford and face-off against my old Dodgeball UK rival and sometimes Minigolf opponent ‘Rowdy’ Russell Fenner in a Challenge Match on the 18-hole Adventure Golf course.

Our last match-up in November 2011 had ended in victory for me with a score-line of 44-55, with Hatfield’s ‘Rowdy’ Russell hitting a few unfortunate shots to end some way off.

This time the game was to be much closer and more like some of the previous contests we’ve had at the course.

Over the front-9 I shot a 23 to Russell’s 29, but on the 10th hole an excellent fightback began from the Stevenage Borough fan as he scored a hole-in-one – the only one for either of us in the whole match.

'Rowdy' Russell Fenner playing the 10th hole at TopGolf Watford's Adventure Golf course - the scene for the match's solitary hole-in-one

Hole 11 was to prove slightly tougher though and ‘Rowdy’, a Tottenham Hotspur supporter, scored an unfortunate four on the stone circle obstacle hole.

Russell hitting his second shot on the 'green' at the stone circle 11th hole

Me playing my tee-shot on the 13th hole

With Fenner hitting a solid run of six twos on the back-9 there were just two shots in it heading into the modified and nightmarish 18th hole!

The way the final hole is now laid out means that a perfectly paced shot needs to be played as an approach to the ball connection mini-ramp and tunnel. Too light a shot, or slightly too hard, and another lay-up would be required, possibly two. Tackling the newly added, but slightly skewiff, central obstacle that contains an enclosed ramp, some netting and another exposed ramp would be the ploy of a madman and so both of us went for the lay-up safe two.

Russell was playing the even numbered holes, stepped up and nailed the two.

I stepped up, hit the tee shot, and waited. It stopped slightly shorter than Russell’s had, but not far enough that it required another lay-up. I also scored a two, which was enough to secure a victory of 46-48. Russell’s back-9 score of 19 to my 23 was very commendable indeed.

As is now tradition following a game on the Adventure Golf course we headed indoors to the warm to have a game of Pool. Russell won both games. The first seemed to take about half an hour as neither of us were playing particularly well, but to an outside onlooker they may well of thought we were playing the ‘snookers’ on purpose!

Another great evening of minigolf, looking forward to more challenge matches in warmer weather later in the year.

Photos of the TopGolf Watford Adventure Golf course prior to the game's start.

Link:
- TopGolf Watford

Previous Blog Posts:
- Minigolf at Watford TopGolf - Major Course Improvements & Match vs. 'Rowdy' Russell Fenner
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour