Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Win a Dull Men's Club 2017 Calendar

With five months of the year gone how would you like to win a Dull Men's Club Calendar?


To celebrate the start of June we've got 12 of the Dull Men's Club 2017 Calendars to giveaway.

The Dull Men's Club's 2017 calendar
Win one of these

To win one, all you need to do is Like, Share and Comment on this Facebook post and Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Facebook Page. The competition closes at 6pm (UK time) on Friday 16th June, so there'll be plenty of time to put the calendar up in your office/kitchen/shed ready for the month of July where Emily and I are the 'pin-ups'.

Winners names will be drawn out of a hat and details will be posted on Facebook.

The Dull Men's Club's 2017 calendar
Where will you be sticking yours?

The Dull Men's Club is where dull men, and women who appreciate dull men, share thoughts and experiences about ordinary things.

The Dull Men's Club's 2017 calendar
The cast of characters in the 2017 calendar. Eagle eyes will spot there are 13 dull subjects on the calendar. That's because there's an extra one for January 2018

As well as our Crazy Golf adventures the Dull Men's Club 2017 Calendar also features a pencil enthusiast, cutlery sculptor, tombstone traveller, prefabricated buildings fan, lost glove spotter, a bubbleologist, giant pumpkin growers, a barbed wire enthusiast, a brown sign follower, village pump spotter, a vintage radio collector, and a couple who built a life-size railway station in their back garden.

Throughout the calendar you'll find obscure, odd and some might say 'slightly interesting' events and awareness days listed for your attention.

There was a lot going on on Saturday 13th May
There was a lot going on on Saturday 13th May. Don't worry if you didn't celebrate 'National Miniature Golf Day' then though, as Saturday 21st September is 'Miniature Golf Day'


Related blog posts:
- Dull Men's Club

Link:
- Dull Men's Club

Mini Golf at the King Street Festival in Manchester

Crazy Golf course at the King Street Festival in Manchester.


Manchester's King Street Festival is taking place this weekend, 3rd and 4th June, and will include Crazy Golf from the team at UrbanCrazy.

Between 11am and 8pm you can do battle with the fashion and history-inspired obstacles on a King Street-themed mini golf course set-up on Lower King Street.

UrbanCrazy Mini Golf course
On target on a previous UrbanCrazy city layout

Check out the King Street Festival website for more info on the events and entertainment taking place.

It says there's 'free fizz' at the festival too. Nice.

Links:
- King Street Festival
- UrbanCrazy

Related blog posts:
- Manchester
- UrbanCrazy

Crazy Golf tournament at Holey Molies in Skelton-in-Cleveland

One Year Anniversary Crazy Golf competition at Holey Molies Mini Golf in Skelton-in-Cleveland.

The team at Holey Molies Crazy Golf course in Skelton-in-Cleveland are organising a minigolf tournament to celebrate a successful first year for the course. The open event is offering a top prize of £1,000 to the overall champion.

Qualifying is taking place between Monday 10th July to Saturday 15th July, with the finals held on Sunday 16th July. More info on the format and rules can be found on the Mini Golf 1k Competition Facebook event listing.

Holey Molies is also home to the World's Longest Mini Golf Hole. The hole measures 264 feet and will be verified by Guinness World Records later in the year.

Check out Holey Molies website and Facebook Page for more details on the course.

Monday, May 29, 2017

Urban Axe Throwing at Whistle Punks in Manchester

The sport of urban axe throwing has hit Manchester.



Urban Axe Throwing at Whistle Punks in Manchester

We're always looking for new and interesting sports and games to play and on Friday we popped into Whistle Punks Urban Axe Throwing Arena at the Great Northern Warehouse while we were in Manchester for the Great City Games.

Urban Axe Throwing at Whistle Punks in Manchester
The lanes set up for some axe throwing

Chatting to the man there it sounds great fun and good value too, with an hour and a half of axe throwing for £20 per player off-peak. Check out the booking and FAQ pages on the Whistle Punks website for more info.

Urban Axe Throwing at Whistle Punks in Manchester
The board outside has taken a battering

I do enjoy target sports. Over the years I've played darts and archery (and archery tag) and competed in bun throwing, Christmas tree throwing and egg throwing. I've played some variations of skittles and bowling too.

As well as the Manchester site you can throw some axes for fun at the London venue. There's also a brand new Birmingham location that opened this month.

It looks like a fun sport and would be brilliant for a 'do'.

Link:
Whistle Punks Urban Axe Throwing

Related blog posts:
- Sports and games played to date

Another one for the Park Bench Appreciation Society

Nature is encroaching on this bench on Unthank Road in Norwich.

A bench and some nature on Unthank Road in Norwich
Another snap for the Park Bench Appreciation Society's members to enjoy

The park is fairly near to the wonderful Eaton Park. Well worth a visit and also home to a number of benches. As well as a Crazy Golf course, Grass Putting, a Miniature Railway and a marvellous pavilion and bandstand.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Eaton Park Miniature Railway in Norwich

Last Friday we visited the wonderful Eaton Park in Norwich. After we'd played the superb Crazy Golf course we went for a look at the Miniature Railway. It looked like a brilliant layout.

Eaton Park Miniature Railway in Norwich
Another miniature railway visited on our travels

Eaton Park's Miniature Railway comprises two tracks - an elevated track and a longer ground level track.

Eaton Park Miniature Railway in Norwich
The elevated track on the Larch End loop above the line out of Parkside station

Subject to weather conditions the miniature trains operate every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday between 1 and 5pm (April to October).

Eaton Park Miniature Railway in Norwich
 
Eaton Park Miniature Railway in Norwich
The ground level track cutting through a park pathway

Eaton Park Miniature Railway in Norwich
A view of Parkside station, a signal box and a tunnel

Eaton Park Miniature Railway in Norwich
The turntable at Parkside station
 
Eaton Park Miniature Railway in Norwich
Larch End station on the elevated track line

Hopefully next time we visit Eaton Park we'll be there on a day the miniature railway is open.

Links:
- Norwich & District Society of Model Engineers
- Friends of Eaton Park

Related blog posts:
- Miniature Railways
- Norwich
- Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Crazy Golf in Viz comic issue 266

Jack Black & his Dog Silver in the Crazy Golf Mystery.

I've been a fan of Viz for many many years and eagerly await each issue and this month I was incredibly surprised to see a minigolf story! Get to the shops now and pick up issue 266 to read Jack Black & his Dog Silver in the Crazy Golf Mystery. The tale features Kim Jong-un on his visit to the seaside resort of Twilight-on-Sea!!!

Jack Black & his Dog Silver in the Crazy Golf Mystery in Viz issue 266, July 2017
Jack Black & his Dog Silver in the Crazy Golf Mystery in Viz issue 266, July 2017

The adventure is not all that far from the truth as the North Korean dictator does indeed have his own Miniature Golf course. Check out the blog post 'Mini Golf in Pyongyang, North Korea' to see snaps of the course my friend Dylan Harris took on a trip there in 2015.

Kim Jong-un's Miniature Golf course in Pyongyang, North Korea. Photo by Dylan Harris at Lupine Travel, September 2015
Kim Jong-un's Miniature Golf course in Pyongyang

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Disused railway stations - Felixstowe Beach in Suffolk

As a bit of a train nerd I recently joined the Disused Stations group on Facebook and last weekend found the perfect station location to take a photo of for the group while revisiting Felixstowe in Suffolk.

As we were driving over the level crossing on our way to the seafront we remembered there was an old platform to the left of us.

The disused Felixstowe Beach railway station
The disused Felixstowe Beach railway station on a sunny Sunday in May

Felixstowe Beach railway station taken closed to goods in 1966 and passengers in 1967. The station buildings were demolished in 2004.

Links:
- Disused Stations website
- Disused Stations Facebook Group

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

A visit to the minigolf courses at Eaton Park in Norwich.


On Friday 19th May we visited the superb Crazy Golf course and Putting Green at Eaton Park in Norwich.

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

The weather hadn't been great in the morning so we weren't sure if the courses would be open. As we parked up we noticed a sign on the side of the kiosk, thankfully it said 'Open'!

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

After collecting our putters, balls, scorecard and pencil from the man in the hut we hit the 18-hole course for a great, fun round of minigolf.



It was a close contest, but a disastrous five on the 17th did me in to gift Emily the victory with a 43 to 44 scoreline.

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

After our first round the man (Rob) was eager to hear our scores and was impressed we'd shot fairly low scores. Rob told us the course record stood at 36. If we'd played a few more rounds we could've got close and maybe even beaten it. The first three holes are great ace opportunities, although there are some holes you really need to concentrate on or else you could pick up a four or five.

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

As the course was so good we had a second round and this time tied on 40 shots apiece. Although that did mean Emily won by one-shot overall.

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

While we didn't have time to play the Putting course this time, we will head back for a round in the future.

Eaton Park Putting Green in Norwich

Eaton Park Putting Green in Norwich

Eaton Park Putting Green in Norwich

Eaton Park Putting Green in Norwich

The Crazy Golf course was the 432nd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. The layout was the 734th visited overall and the 707th we've been to in the UK.

Playing Crazy Golf at Eaton Park in Norwich

Eaton Park Crazy Golf has the right mix of hole-in-one opportunities and tricky second putts. The skill-based layout was unique and well maintained, with each of the holes presenting a different challenge. It's one of those courses I could happily play all day long.

Playing Crazy Golf at Eaton Park in Norwich

Check out the photos below to view the 18-hole Crazy Golf course and visit the Eaton Park Crazy Golf website for more info, opening times and prices.

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 1

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 2

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 3 
Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 4



Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 5

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 6

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 6

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 7

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 7

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 8

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 9

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 9

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 10

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 11

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 12

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 12

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 13

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 14 
Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 14



Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 15

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 16

Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 17 
Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich
Hole 18



Eaton Park itself is a large heritage park and is also home to a pitch & putt course, a miniature railway, cafe, bandstand, gardens and a very impressive pavilion.

The pavilion and bandstand at Eaton Park in Norwich
The pavilion and bandstand

Parkside station on the Miniature Railway line at Eaton Park in Norwich
Parkside station on the Miniature Railway line

Links:
- Eaton Park Crazy Golf
- Friends of Eaton Park

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Videos:
View of the Eaton Park Crazy Golf course in Norwich
- Playing hole 9 at Eaton Park Crazy Golf course in Norwich
- View of the Eaton Park Crazy Golf and Putting courses in Norwich
- View of the Eaton Park Putting and Crazy Golf courses in Norwich
- Hole-in-one on hole 13 at Eaton Park Crazy Golf course in Norwich
- Hole-in-one on hole 15 at Eaton Park Crazy Golf course in Norwich

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