Playing Crazy Golf on Southend Pier

A visit to the miniature golf course at the end of Southend Pier.

On Saturday 25th June we headed to the seaside town of Southend on Sea for a day out of fun and games. Starting with a visit to the new Southend Pier Crazy Golf course - 1.3 miles out at sea!

Olga the Octopus

Emily in action on the pier's latest attraction

The 12-hole layout is on the world's longest pleasure pier and is brilliant fun.

Putting through Olga the Octopus

It's a great layout and even though there are some tough holes and obstacles, there are still plenty of hole in one opportunities.



The course became the 402nd played and 683rd visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

A hole in one

During our visit we competed in a 12-player contest to crown the end of the pier champion. Featuring a cast of veterans, GB internationals, national tour champions and a sprinkling of rookies, the highly competitive event saw me take the win. Former British Master Chris Jones and regular 'do' champion Brad Shepherd were second and third.

The competitors give the course a double thumbs up

Results of the Southend Pier Invitational Tournament 2016:
1st ‘Squire’ Richard Gottfried – 31
2nd Chris ‘Stretch’ Jones – 34
3rd Brad ‘The Fist’ Shepherd – 37
4th (tied) Lionel ‘The Spoon’ Bender – 39
4th (tied) Gareth ‘Lemsip’ Holmes – 39
6th (tied) Marc ‘The Roller’ Bazeley – 42
6th (tied) Alan ‘Stormin’ Norman – 42
8th Taji ‘Not Seth’ Rafferty – 44
9th Emily ‘Lemony’ Gottfried – 46
10th Paul ‘Flip Flops’ O’Connor – 50
11th Cat ‘Helter Skelter’ Patterson – 52
12th Lhurlyn 'Hole-ing' Holmes – 59
DNS Madeleine 'The Caddy' Bender
DNS Steve 'F1' Gow

The tournament in full swing

Gareth on hole 1

Brad teeing-off

Chris lining up a putt

Lionel in action

Brad on a tricky obstacle

 

Chris and Lionel putting

Emily on the tee

Marc on a very tough middle hill hole

Emily on the pier

Emily and Olga

Lhurlyn finishing her round with a hole in one

Paul O'Connor on the last hole

The Southend Pier Crazy Golf course is well worth a play and it's a great addition to the entertainment on offer in the town. Visit the Southend Pier Crazy Golf course website for prices and opening times.

The pier Crazy Golf course

Video:
- Southend Pier Crazy Golf course hole in one

Links:
- Southend Pier Crazy Golf website
- Southend Pier Crazy Golf on Facebook

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Southend
- Southend Pier Crazy Golf course

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

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Hot Dog mascots of Southend

On our day out in Southend we spotted quite a few Hot Dog fast food mascots - three of which were in Adventure Island, and two of those were of a style we'd not seen on our travels before.

Not a Burger

A new type of happy hot dog man mascot - this one is covered in tomato sauce, or tomato ketchup

And another - this one is mustardy

Another example of the classic self- condimentising hot dog man

We also spotted a fair few cannibal chip men too.

Don't forget that July is National Hot Dog Month!

Related blogs posts:
- Hot Dogs
- Hot Dog Man

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Buzzworks Scottish Open Putting Championship 2016 in Prestwick

Putting Plus miniature golf course in Prestwick to host the Buzzworks Scottish Open Putting Championship.

The team at the Putting Plus Putting Green in Prestwick, Scotland have let me know that the course will once again be hosting the Scottish Open Putting Championship. This year the tournament takes place from the 9th to the 17th July.

The competition is open to all - with a number of different categories. Check out the Putting Plus Facebook page for more information about the event.

Good luck to all the competitors taking part.

You can find the seafront Putting Green on Prestwick's Promenade. We're hoping to play the course one day!

A view of the Prestwick Putting Course in 2014

Links:

- Putting Plus on Facebook
- Putting Plus on Google+
- Buzzworks

Related blog posts:
- Golf Putting Green in Prestwick
- Putting
- Key Mini Golf dates for 2016

Fantasia Adventure Golf course on Sea Road in Felixstowe

We had a great visit to the nice 9-hole Fantasia Adventure Golf course on Sea Road in Felixstowe, Suffolk on Sunday.

Emily on hole 5 - Rocky Tube

Arriving at the course at half ten we were lucky enough to have the course to ourselves for what would be our umpteenth game on the layout.

Hole 9 - Home & Away

Emily teeing off on the 9th

Back on the 19th November 2006 the course became the 7th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.



In our match-up I scored the win with a round of 22 compared to Emily's 26.



The Fantasia Adventure Golf course is well worth a visit and is nicely priced at £2.50 a round for adults. As we were leaving the course was starting to get busy so we'd timed it just right for a perfect start to a day out at the seaside.

On the green on hole 1 - The Puzzler

One the long dog leg 2nd hole

Emily on hole 8 - The Steps

  

Another fine addition to the Crazy Golf Museum. One of the old scorecards we have has a number in the 110,000's on it

Related blog posts:
- Felixstowe
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Fantasia Adventure Golf in Felixstowe

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

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Photos of Abingdon's Crazy Golf course

A revisit to the first Crazy Golf course I ever played.

At Abingdon's Crazy Golf course

Last weekend I was back in my home town of Abingdon-on-Thames for the Bun Throwing tradition held to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday. While in town Emily and I made our last ever visit to play the Crazy Golf course in the Abbey Meadows.

Back in Abingdon for one final game

The course has been in the park since the 1950's, but at the end of the 2016 summer season it will be removed as part of a programme to upgrade and improve the area. It's a real shame the minigolf course won't be receiving a spruce up as part of it.

A view of the Abbey Meadows Crazy Golf course

I last visited the course in December 2014 and the last time I'd had a game there was in June 2012.

The 4th hole

In August 2007 the course became the 31st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Emily on the sunken green on hole 3

I overcooked my tee-shot on hole 4 and ended up in a big ditch

On hole 4

Hole 6

Hole 5

Emily on hole 8

Hole 7

Playing the 9th

Emily on the 9th

The course is a ten-holer

About to play one of the very last shots on the course

In our match-up on the course I managed to get the win over Emily with a score of 25 to 29. Not bad considering how tricky the playing surface is!

Emily on hole 2 - look at that tee-area!!!

One of the last scorecards to be issued by the course

Related blog posts:
- Last visit to Abingdon's Crazy Golf course
- Photos from Abingdon's Royal Bun Throwing
- Crazy Golf in Abingdon's Abbey Meadows

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.