Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick

A visit to the miniature golf courses at Hope Park in Keswick, Cumbria.


Our mammoth minigolf roadtrip in April 2012 took us to Keswick in Cumbria and the three miniature golf courses at Hope Park.

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
Hitting and hoping at Hope Park in Keswick

The lovely weather meant the Obstacle Golf course was incredibly busy, with queues of people lining the course.



As we were pushed for time we had a game on the 18-hole Putting green where I picked up a one-shot victory over Emily 48 to 49. Although by the time we started playing our round we noticed the players thinning out on the Obstacle Golf. It's a course to return to in the future.

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
Obstacle Golf and Putting at Hope Park in Keswick

The courses were the 466th, 467th and 468th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, with the Putting course becoming the 288th played.

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
Emily tees-off at Hope Park

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
On the Putting Green

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
Emily Putting next to the Petanque piste

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
Lining up a Putting Green shot while hindered by an Obstacle Golf hole

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
A view of the miniature golf courses at Hope Park

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
Obstacle Golf in the foreground, then the Putting, with the Pitch & Putt in the distance

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
What a view

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
This looks like a tricky shot

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
A rocky hole

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
The Obstacle Golf course and part of the Putting Green next to it

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
A dogleg hole on the Obstacle Golf course

Mini Golf at Hope Park in Keswick
The Pitch & Putt course at Hope Park

Visit the Hope Park, Keswick website for more information. Looking on the site there is also a Petanque piste in the park.

Related blog posts:
Visiting a further 49 Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in England and Scotland
Unplayed Minigolf Courses on our Roadtrip to Scotland & Back
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
- Hope Park, Keswick website

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. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Monday, February 27, 2017

Petanque at the Parkway Hotel & Spa in Cwmbran, Wales

Blog about the Boules piste at the Parkway Hotel in Cwmbran.


Looking through our photo archive for my recent blog post about the old Petanque piste at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester I spotted a couple of snaps from one of our stays at the Parkway Hotel & Spa in Cwmbran, Wales and the 'Boules Pitch' they have there.

Petanque at the Parkway Hotel & Spa in Cwmbran, Wales
They play petanque differently in Wales!

Petanque at the Parkway Hotel & Spa in Cwmbran, Wales
The Boules Pitch at the Parkway Hotel in Cwmbran

Back in 2009 we competed in a Boules Invitational Tournament at The Mumbles in Swansea. The competition against our friends and minigolf rivals the Kukielka family took place prior to the first-ever Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament) and during our BIG minigolf roadtrip around the Welsh coast.

Petanque at The Mumbles in Wale
Boules Invitational Tournament champion Seve 'Steve' Kukielka on his way to victory at The Mumbles

We've found quite a few petanque terrains and boules pistes on our travels and since we moved up to the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport last summer we've been members of the Woodstock Petanque Club in Edgeley.

Related blog posts:
- Petanque
- Boules
- Cwmbran
- Wales

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole

Playing the minigolf course at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole, Cumbria.


During our minigolf roadtrip back in April 2012 we swung by the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole, Cumbria for a game on the Crazy Golf course there.

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere
Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre

The Brockhole Crazy Golf course became the 286th played and 461st visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. There was also supposed to be a grass Putting course at the Lake District Visitors Centre, however this wasn't yet open for the season.

Mini Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere
The Putting area

View from the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere
There were marvellous views from parts of the course

In our minigolf match-up on the Brockhole Crazy Golf course Emily picked up the win by one shot 37 to 38.

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere
Choose your weapons!

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere


Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere

Crazy Golf at the Lake District Visitor Centre in Brockhole on Windermere

We've since played similar layouts to the Brockhole Crazy Golf course in Torquay and Liverpool.

Visit the Brockhole on Windermere Lake District Visitors Centre website for opening times and prices.

Related blog posts:
Visiting a further 49 Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in England and Scotland
Unplayed Minigolf Courses on our Roadtrip to Scotland & Back
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
- Brockhole on Windermere Lake District Visitors Centre website

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. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Games at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester

Minigolf and Pétanque at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester.

Since we moved up to Greater Manchester towards the end of last summer Emily and I have started playing pétanque ‏with the Woodstock Pétanque ‏Club based at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport.

Playing with the Woodstock Petanque Club at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport last August
Playing with the Woodstock Petanque Club at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport last August

There's a growing pétanque ‏scene in the area, with the Trafford Pétanque‏ Club doing a lot to promote the game and mixing it up in some friendly melee's with Mirfield Pétanque Club, Huddersfield Pétanque Club and Heckmondwike Pétanque Club.

Aly and Chris from Trafford Pétanque‏ Club recently recce'd Wythenshawe Park and found an abandoned boules terrain there. They asked me if I remembered it from when we visited a few years back. Off the top of my head I didn't.

Petanque was not listed on the sign at the Games Pavilion in Wythenshawe Park
Boules / Petanque was not listed on the sign at the Games Pavilion in Wythenshawe Park. It wasn't on the price list either

However, looking through our photo archive I found we had indeed visited the petanque piste while at Wythenshawe Park to play the minigolf course back in 2009!

The Petanque terrain at Wythenshawe Park - and a handy How to Play sign!
The Petanque terrain at Wythenshawe Park - and a handy How to Play sign!

We'll have to head over to Wythenshawe Park to have a look at the Crazy Golf course considering it's now our most local layout! In the meantime here are a couple of snaps from our visit to the course on the 25th July 2009. We were in the area to compete in the Miniature Open tournament held at Playgolf Manchester - we'd finished first and second in the event earlier in the day.

The Crazy Golf course at Wythenshawe Park was an Eternit-style of Miniature Golf
The Crazy Golf course at Wythenshawe Park was an Eternit-style of Miniature Golf

Crazy Golf course at Wythenshawe Park
Quite a zig zag of a hole!

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Petanque
- Minigolf Course Visit No. 114 - Wythenshawe Park

Links:
- Trafford Pétanque‏ Club
- Woodstock Pétanque ‏Club
- Northern Pétanque Clubs
- Northern Pétanque
- English Pétanque Association

Scorecards and record scores from Rainforest Adventure Golf

Record low scores shot at Rainforest Adventure Golf in Dublin.


Thanks to my friend, rival, sometimes team-mate and fellow minigolf traveller Paul 'Johnson Paul Johnson' Johnson for posting me a couple of the scorecards from Rainforest Adventure Golf in Dublin, Ireland.

Minigolf scorecard from from Rainforest Adventure Golf at Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin, Ireland

Paul competed in the recent IMGA Irish Open minigolf tournament held on the Aztec Trail course at the indoor Rainforest Adventure Golf centre in Dundrum Town Centre and finished in tenth place.

Minigolf scorecard from from Rainforest Adventure Golf at Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin, Ireland

Minigolf scorecard from from Rainforest Adventure Golf at Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin, Ireland

During the tournament - the first held under the auspices of the Irish Mini Golf Association and the first Irish Open held in the Republic of Ireland - the world record low score for the 'Minigolf Open Standard' (MOS) classification of minigolf was broken as Pauli Kuikka of Sweden shot a round of 23(-13) during the tournament. That official score and record followed GB's Steve 'Sheila' Lovell's world record low round of 22(-14) which was shot the previous day.

Steve 'Sheila' Lovell's world record low round of 22(-14)
The best ever score on an indoor minigolf course

The previous best score on an Adventure Golf course was 24 - at Hastings Adventure Golf - this score remains the record low for an outdoor 'MOS' course.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the umbrella organisation of 63 Minigolf sports associations worldwide and recognises four types of minigolf - MOS, Concrete, Miniaturegolf and Feltgolf.

The aim in any round of competition minigolf is to score as many holes-in-one as possible, with Par for each hole regarded as two shots. Many courses have their own Par system, with some holes being a Par-3, 4 or 5. The world record lowest score on a course is a perfect 18 - 18 consecutive holes-in-one!

Emily has shot a 24 in competition - at the 2011 WMF Nations Cup in Sweden - which is still a national women's record score on the Miniaturegolf format of the game. On our visit to the Crazy Golf course at Bainland Country Park in Woodhall Spa I scored a 'perfect' round of 9 holes-in-one in a row. However, there were five cups to putt into on each of the holes!



Crazy Golf course at Bainland Country Park in Woodhall Spa
The only Crazy Golf course we've played with five cups to putt into

The 2017 IMGA Irish Open tournament was the third ever Irish Open and the first held in the Republic of Ireland. The first two Irish Opens were held in 2006 and 2007 at the Pirates Adventure Golf course in Dundonald, Belfast, Northern Ireland. For more information on the IMGA and WMF check out the links below.

Links:
- World Minigolf Sport Federation
- Irish Mini Golf Association
- Rainforest Adventure Golf

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. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Steam train at Davenport railway station in Stockport

Catching a glimpse of BR Standard 4 76084 Buxton Spa Express at Davenport railway station in Stockport.


Steam Engine 76084 aka the 'Lancashire Lazarus' (and 45690 Leander) passes through Davenport railway station in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport at 9.35am on Saturday 25th February 2017.



The BR Standard 4 2-6-0 locomotive and carriages formed 'The Buxton Spa Express' special charter mainline service.

76084 at Davenport railway station
76084 at Davenport railway station

The back of the last carriage forming the Buxton Spa Express
The back of the last carriage forming the Buxton Spa Express

Just as 76084 passed through a two-coach Northern rail Class 150 Sprinter (150116) called at the station heading north to Manchester and Bolton.

If this Class 150 Sprinter had been 30 seconds faster it would've ruined the view for the trainspotters on the other platform!
If this Class 150 Sprinter had been 30 seconds faster it would've ruined the view for the trainspotters on the other platform!

For further information visit the 76084 Standard 4 website.

76084 was preceded by a Class 185 TransPennine Express and followed by a Northern Class 142 Pacer Railbus.





Related blog posts:
- Stockport
- Train Nerd
- Trains

Friday, February 24, 2017

Minigolf courses at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere

A visit to the minigolf courses at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere.


During our minigolf roadtrip in April 2012 we visited the three miniature golf courses at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere.

A view of Lake Windermere from the Pitch and Putt course at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere
A view of Lake Windermere from the Pitch and Putt course

Unfortunately none were yet open for the season. The Crazy Golf, Putting course and Pitch & Putt became the 458, 459 and 460th courses visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf course at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere

Crazy Golf course at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere

Crazy Golf course at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere

Crazy Golf course at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere

Crazy Golf course at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere

Crazy Golf course at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere

Crazy Golf course at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere

Crazy Golf course at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere

Mini Golf, Tennis and Putting at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere
This way to the Mini Golf

Mini Golf, Tennis and Putting at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere
Or that way
   
Miniature Golf course at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere

Pitch & Putt Golf course at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere

Related blog posts:
Visiting a further 49 Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in England and Scotland
Unplayed Minigolf Courses on our Roadtrip to Scotland & Back
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

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. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.