Mini Golf in the 2016 Picture Postcard Annual

The 2016 Picture Postcard Annual has a feature on minigolf postcards.

I wrote the piece about the top minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf and putting postcards we've found on our travels this year.

A postally unused Harvey Barton Viewcard of the Mini Golf course in Newquay, Cornwall (A1E). We visited the course on our summer roadtrip

Other articles in the 2016 Picture Postcard Annual include early Donald McGill cards, Alpine mountains, artist drawn London cards and more. There are also dates for fairs and auctions taking place next year and useful reference info.

Visit the Reflections of a Bygone Age website to order the 2016 edition of the Picture Postcard Annual and for more information about the postcard collecting hobby. Do check out the website of Picture Postcard Monthly magazine too.

We've been collecting postcards for a few years now and have found some great old and new cards showing the ever changing landscape of miniature golf in the UK and overseas. Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour has so far taken us to 671 courses and we've amassed almost that amount of postcards!

I've written other features for Picture Postcard Monthly, starting with an article on Crazy Golf in the December 2011 edition.

Links:
- Picture Postcard Annual
- Reflections of a Bygone Age
- Picture Postcard Monthly magazine

Related blog posts:
- Postcard
- Postcards
- Picture Postcard Monthly

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Adventure Golf at Stevenage Leisure Park in Hertfordshire

New indoor Adventure Golf courses heading to Stevenage.

A brand new Adventure Golf course is heading to Stevenage Leisure Park in Hertfordshire. The 36-hole centre will have two 18-hole layouts with a nautical theme.

We've visited Mr Mulligan's Pirate Adventure Golf courses in Milton Keynes, Castleford and Woking. The Stevenage course will differ from the other sites as it'll be an indoor venue.

A view of Mr Mulligan's Pirate Adventure Golf course in Milton Keynes

We're looking forward to visiting and playing the new Adventure Golf course in Stevenage when it opens in Spring 2016.

Links:
- Adventure Golf Limited website
- Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf website
- Stevenage Leisure Park website

Related blog posts:
- Indoor Mini, Crazy and Adventure Golf courses
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Hertfordshire
- Stevenage

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666 - the mark of the...

...666th course visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

Earlier this year we visted the seaside town of Bridlington in the East Riding of Yorkshire. While our stop in the town was only a short one on this occasion we did manage to play a couple of rounds of minigolf.

Emily about to ace the 1st hole

Walking along the esplanade we spotted the Treasure Island Adventure Golf course. You can't really miss it as the stern of the pirate galleon is certainly quite a sight jutting out as it does from the row of shopfronts!

Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Bridlington is very well themed

Emily was on a real roll in Bridlington, scoring five holes-in-one in a row between the previous course we played at North Marine Gardens and the first two holes at Treasure Island!

Skellingtons and skulls on hole 2

I managed to get the win 19 to 24 in our match-up on the ten-hole layout, with a six on the 8th hole doing Emily in while I scored an ace.

On the 3rd hole

The Treasure Island Adventure Golf course was the 384th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Emily aced the Volcano. I did not

Thar be treasure

My victory wasn't all plain sailing though as I got locked up early in the round and had to play a shot out of a prison cell!

What an obstacle

Treasure Island in Bridlington is also home to a Pirate Golf Walk. We weren't too scared to go in, it was just that unfortunately we didn't have time to have a wander around it this time.

The walls have eyes!

Hole 8 and the caves of the course

We really enjoyed our visit to Bridlington and will definitely be returning for more seaside fun and games in the town.

A view of the 9th (the 10th hole is a very short 'Lucky' last hole)

Links:
- Treasure Island Adventure Golf on Facebook

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Indoor Mini, Crazy and Adventure Golf courses
- Bridlington

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Report from the World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings

Gottfried’s compete in the World Crazy Golf Championships.

Leagrave minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried competed in the 13th annual World Crazy Golf Championships held on the Arnold Palmer Putting Course at Hastings Adventure Golf in East Sussex on the 24th and 25th October.

Richard finished in 20th place in the 75-player field after scoring rounds of 37, 34, 37, 35, 35, 35 for a 213(-3) total.



Richard Gottfried playing hole 2 of the Crazy Golf course in Hastings

Emily recorded rounds of 33, 38, 39, 39, 37, 35 for a 221(+5) total, and 34th place overall. Emily scored 22 holes-in-one during the tournament and won The Gommery title for the second year in a row.



Emily Gottfried is now a two-time Gommery Champion

Richard said “I always enjoy competing in the World Crazy Golf Championships and was pleased with my consistent play during the weekend. In such a large and competitive field I’m delighted with a top 20 finish, but I’m looking forward to my return to Hastings next year for another shot at the finals and the title.”



Emily Gottfried playing the first hole of the Crazy Golf course in Hastings

Emily said “I had a great weekend at the World Crazy Golf Championships. I achieved two out of three of my pre-tournament goals: to retain the Gommery for most Aces and to score all six rounds with sub-40 totals. The only goal I didn’t achieve was to beat my rival Ruth Burke, who defeated me by two shots in the end, although we did chop and change throughout the tournament. I’m really happy with my overall performance, particularly of being joint-third following the first round, and I really enjoyed the weekend.”

The World Crazy Golf Championships was won by Oxford’s Michael Smith who became a three-time World Champion. Finland’s Pasi Aho was runner-up, with former champion Chris Harding third.

Next up for the Richard and Emily is a trip to Birmingham for the Star City Open in December.

Minigolf Sport Club Sanremo in Arma, Italy

Photos of the minigolf course in Arma, Italy.

Our friends Karl and Sophia Moles were recently on holiday in Arma, Italy and sent through some snaps of the minigolf course they found there.


Sophia and Karl Moles at the course



Action on the Arma minigolf course

Karl told me "I came joint first with 61. There was one hole that was dead straight down the fairway and the green was a circle about three metres in diameter, depending on where your ball stopped there was a code round the outside with instructions on a sign which you had to decode which then gave you the direction to hit the ball to get it in the hole. For example when you worked it out it would say 3cm to the left of the hole! It was in Italian which made it even harder!"

The Moles family are big minigolf fans and always give a course a play if they see one. We've also had some matches against Karl while daytripping in Felixstowe.

The course is a Concrete (Beton) variety of minigolf. We've played a few Beton minigolf courses on our travels. Most notably in Finland and Sweden while playing for the Great Britain team in Nations Cup international tournaments.

You can find out more about the different types of minigolf in the World Minigolf Sport Federation's Starting Out In Minigolf guide.


The minigolf course is approved by the World Minigolf Sport Federation


Check out the Minigolf Sport Club Sanremo Facebook page for more information.


The trophies won by Minigolf Sport Club Sanremo!

Links:
- Minigolf Sport Club Sanremo Facebook
- World Minigolf Sport Federation website
- Federazione Italiana Golf su Pista / Italian Minigolf Federation website

Related blog posts:
- Italy
- Karl Moles
- Sophia Moles

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Minigolf in Sirmione, Italy

A visit to the Mini Golf course in Sirmione, Italy.


Charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Christopher Gottfried has found another miniature golf course while overseas!

A wavy and long hole

On his mini-honeymoon in Sirmione he spotted a Mini Golf course!

A bit of a dip. We played a hole similar to this (without the plateau) in Lyme Regis

Christopher told us they were having an afternoon stroll and about half a mile from where they were staying in Sirmione they spotted the 18-hole course. He said they saw only two people playing there.


Sirmione is the small peninsula that points out at the southern part of Lake Garda. Christopher tells me that apart from the thermal spas and the ice cream parlours, the Crazy Golf course was the only other nearby attraction in the historic town.

The course is a style of minigolf called Concrete or Beton. We've played a few of them on our travels. Most notably in Finland and Sweden while on international duty with the Great Britain team.

It looks like a nice setting for a course

You can see links to other courses visited by Christopher at the bottom of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour links page.

Link:
- Minigolf Sirmione website

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Christopher Gottfried
- Letoonia Golf Resort, Belek, Turkey - Minigolf
- Majorca (Vista Alegre, Porto Cristo, Mallorca) - Minigolf

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Gottfried’s compete in the first Cambridgeshire and Essex Open Championship

Report from the first CEMGC Open minigolf competition.

Leagrave minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried competed in the inaugural Cambridgeshire and Essex Open Minigolf Championship held on the 18-hole Miniature Golf course at Dunton Hills Family Golf Centre in West Horndon, near Brentwood on Saturday 10th October.



Richard finished in 9th place in the 28-player field after scoring rounds of 48, 49 and 47 for a total of 144(+36).

Emily recorded rounds of 54, 55 and 55 for a 164(+56) total and 27th place overall. Emily finished the CEMGC Club Championship in 6th place, with that contest won by Mark Wood.



Richard said “The Miniature Golf course at Dunton Hills is a really tough layout and I’m pleased with my consistent rounds to finish in the top-ten of a very competitive field of players. The CEMGC’s first Open event was a great success and brilliant fun.”



Emily said “My overall performance was not particularly good, but I did score a hole-in-one on a really tricky hole, which was a silver lining for me. The Dunton Hills course is unique and I really enjoy the random element of the rough-brick borders, as well as long, wide greens, which are very different to other courses we play regularly. My CEMGC team mates are a great bunch and did a fantastic job organising and hosting the event.”



The tournament was won by Oxford’s Michael Smith with a total of 123(+15). Sussex’s Steve Lovell was runner-up with 129(+21), with Portugal’s Nuno Cunha finished in third-place on 132(+24) after defeating Essex’s Mark Wood at the fifth hole of a sudden-death play-off.

In addition to the Miniature Golf layout, Dunton Hills Family Golf Centre is home to a full Golf course and an 18-hole par-3 course. The venue has hosted three Invitational minigolf contests in the lead-up to the CEMGC's first Open.

CEMCGC / Dunton Hills Hall of Fame
• CEMGC Invitational Tournament, Dec 2014 - Emily Gottfried won a two-round event with 99
• Dunton Hills Invitational, Feb 2015 - Richard Gottfried won a three-round event with 140
• Dunton Hills Invitational II, Aug 2015 - Steve Lovell won a three-round event with 140
• Cambridgeshire and Essex Open, Oct 2015 - Michael Smith won a three-round event with 123
• Cambridgeshire & Essex Mini Golf Club Championship, Oct 2015 – Mark Wood won a two-round event with 85

Next up for the Richard and Emily is a trip to Hastings, East Sussex for the 13th annual World Crazy Golf Championships held on the Arnold Palmer Putting Course at Hastings Adventure Golf.

Report from the first Cambridgeshire and Essex Open Minigolf Championship

11th October 2015
News release
For immediate use

Report from the first Cambridgeshire and Essex Open Minigolf Championship

Open minigolf tournament held in West Horndon.

Twenty-eight minigolfers from the British Minigolf Association tour competed in the inaugural Cambridgeshire and Essex Open Minigolf Championship held on the 18-hole Miniature Golf course at Dunton Hills Family Golf Centre in West Horndon, near Brentwood on Saturday 10th October.

The competitors in the CEMGC Open minigolf tournament

The tournament was won by Oxford’s Michael Smith with a total of 123(+15). Sussex’s Steve Lovell was runner-up with 129(+21), with Portugal’s Nuno Cunha finishing in third-place on 132(+24) after defeating Essex’s Mark Wood at the fifth hole of a sudden-death play-off.

Portugal's Nuno Cunha in action at the CEMGC Open

The three-round competition was organised by the Cambridgeshire & Essex Mini Golf Club, and co-tournament organiser Emily Gottfried said “The Dunton Hills course is unique and a real test for the pro players as it’s so different to other courses we play on the tour. We received a wonderful welcome from the team at Dunton Hills Family Golf Centre and the CEMGC really enjoyed organising and taking part in the event. We hope to come back soon.”

CEMGC Open Champion Michael Smith sinking the final putt of the tournament

Players from four other club teams, including Planet Hastings, The Midlands, Sussex Wasps and Kent made the journey to take part CEMGC Open and compete for the variety of cash and spot prizes on offer.

Full results of the Cambridgeshire and Essex Open Minigolf Championship can be found here.

For more information on the Cambridgeshire and Essex Mini Golf Club (CEMGC) please visit the club's Facebook page.

Further information on the Dunton Hills Family Golf Centre can be found on the course website.

Many of the competitors will be in action at the 13th annual World Crazy Golf Championships that will be held on the Arnold Palmer Putting Course at Hastings Adventure Golf on the 24th and 25th October.

CEMCGC / Dunton Hills Hall of Fame:
• CEMGC Invitational Tournament, Dec 2014 - Emily Gottfried won a two-round event with 99
• Dunton Hills Invitational, Feb 2015 - Richard Gottfried won a three-round event with 140
• Dunton Hills Invitational II, Aug 2015 - Steve Lovell won a three-round event with 140
• Cambridgeshire and Essex Open, Oct 2015 - Michael Smith won a three-round event with 123
• Cambridgeshire & Essex Mini Golf Club Championship, Oct 2015 – Mark Wood won a two-round event with 85

World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings

The 2015 World Crazy Golf Championships are fast approaching.



Emily playing the classic windmill obstacle in last year's event

The 13th annual World Crazy Golf Championships will be taking place on the 24th and 25th October in Hastings, East Sussex. The town has hosted the event since its first staging in 2003.



A crowd gathers to watch the Hole-in-One Shootout

Emily and I have competed in the tournament since 2007 - back when it was played out over two courses - and we'll be back for another crack at the world title again this year.



Playing in the final of the 2009 World Crazy Golf Championships

The Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course in Hastings was the 39th we played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and we've played countless rounds on the links course since 2007.



Playing hole 4 in the 2014 event

If you fancy having a crack at being the next World Crazy Golf Champion you can still sign-up to enter.

Simon Tompkins of Hastings Adventure Golf, said “We always look forward to this competition. There are players of all abilities, from top flight to complete novices, some crazy outfits and always a great spirit of fun over the whole weekend.”

Hastings Adventure Golf has been dubbed the ‘spiritual home of crazy golf’and the competition will see last year’s winner and three-time World Crazy Golf Champion, Chris Harding from Birmingham defending his title against a competitive field of players. You can follow the results live online and if you'd like to enter contact the BMGA.

There's a top prize of £1,000, with runner-up prizes of £750, £500, £200 and £100. For a shot at the title competitors must beat the windmill and water mill as well as negotiate the bends, twists and ramps on the traditional seaside course. Not to mention the British seaside weather in late October!

All entrants benefit from a free practice session on Friday 23rd October.

Links:
- Hastings Adventure Golf
- British Minigolf Association
- World Crazy Golf Championship blog posts

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter. You can also sign-up to receive our newsletter.

Officially Britain’s Craziest Golfer

Richard named ‘Officially Britain’s Craziest Golfer’ by Today’s Golfer magazine!

Crazy Golfer Richard Gottfried minigolfing on the Adventure Golf course in Littlehampton

What that makes Emily we don’t know.

You can read the interview about the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the November 2015 edition of Today’s Golfer.

The story is now also up on the Today's Golfer website at "This bloke has played 640 crazy golf courses. Just one question... why???"

Link:
- Today's Golfer magazine

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Richard Gottfried's Minigolf Player Profile

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter. You can also sign-up to receive our newsletter.

Adventure Golf at The Manor House & Ashbury

Photos of the Adventure Golf course at The Manor House & Ashbury near Okehampton, Devon.

Our friend and minigolf rival Adrian Amey recently sent us through some snaps of a course he'd played - and it's one we haven't been to on our tour.

The new Adventure Golf course is at The Manor House near Okehampton

Even though we haven't visited the course I was able to guess the location with my first try. What a skill.

Earlier this year we explored much of the South West of England and visited 62 minigolf courses in Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. Unfortunately The Manor House & Ashbury Hotels don't allow day visitors so it seems unlikely we'll get along to have a game on the course.

Another of our friends, and my Midlands Minigolf Club team-mate, Tiger 'Galactus' Pragnell is a big fan of The Manor House & Ashbury and has played both the old Crazy Golf course and new Adventure Golf on his holidays down there.

Fellow golf stuff collector Martin Vallance is a Greenkeeper at The Ashbury Golf Hotel and has a collection of over 70,000 logo golf balls! Crazy.

Link:
- The Manor House & Ashbury Hotels website

Related blog posts:
- Mini Golf in the South West of England
- Crazy About Minigolf Balls
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Putt In The Park Mini Golf at Battersea Park in London

Playing Minigolf at London's latest course.

On Monday 21st September* we made the 671st visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and played the 389th course since we began our Tour in September 2006. The location was London's newest course - Putt In The Park at Battersea Park.

We'll play minigolf whatever the weather

The 12-hole venue opened earlier this summer and is the second course from the team behind the Wandsworth Park Minigolf course.

Quite autumnal

In our match-up Emily defeated me by one shot - 36 to 37. I was incredibly fortunate that Emily was unlucky on the last hole or the margin of my defeat would've been much much worse!

Emily on the first

Richard tees-off

Emily shot a great 2 on the 2nd hole

The tricky 4th

Putting on hole 5

Emily on the 3rd - the wheels truly came off Richard's game at this hole!

Hole 11

Emily making easy work of the 4th

The Battersea Park course is three miles from its sister course at Wandsworth Park. That Putt In The Park venue was the 323rd played on our Tour.

For more information on the Putt In The Park courses, opening times and prices visit the Putt In The Park website.

When we began traveling around and playing minigolf there were an estimated 600 courses in the UK. This year we visited our 600th overall and 600th in the UK - at Swanage and Goodrington Sands respectively. On our road-trip around the South West of England we also visited the 650th course in the UK - in Padstow.

Having visited 21 miniature golf courses overseas means that the Putt In The Park course in Battersea became the landmark 650th we've visited in the UK.

Link:
- Putt In The Park website

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Mini, Crazy and Adventure Golf courses in and around London
- Putt in the Park Minigolf at Wandsworth Park, London
- Minigolf with The Putting Penguin at Putt in the Park

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

* It was apt that such a BIG minigolf course visit would take place on the 21st September as the date is always Miniature Golf Day!

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