Olivia Prokopová's minigolf book

Minigolf superstar Olivia Prokopová has a book and DVD out.

My friend, minigolf rival and all-round miniature golf superstar Olivia Prokopová has a book and DVD out and I've finally added them to my collection. While my Czech language skills are non-existent the book is still well worth a look as it is a great archive and chronicle of Olivia's career.

Google Translate tells me that "Cesta za Zelenym sakem" means "The path behind the green jacket"

Flicking through the pages there are lots of brilliant photos from tournaments and courses around the world and it was great fun spotting characters from the world of minigolf - past and present - in the book.

Olivia is the reigning and two-time World Crazy Golf Champion and has won a multitude of titles over her career. Visit Olivia Prokopová's website for more information.

Paradise Island Adventure Golf at Cheshire Oaks

Playing the Coral Cove course at Paradise Island Adventure Golf.

Inside this Art Deco style building are 36-holes spread over two Adventure Golf courses

On Saturday 22nd July we swung by the Paradise Island Adventure Golf centre at Cheshire Oaks for a game on the Coral Cove minigolf course.

The Coral Cove Adventure Golf course

Putting at Paradise Island

The layout was the 745th we've visited and 440th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Hole 1 of the Coral Cove

In the market

This was a horror of a hole to play

In our match-up I picked up the win with a score of 43 to Emily's 46. Neither score was enough to trouble the leaderboard for the PIAG Open competition which was running during our visit. Emily did manage to win a free game on the Lucky Last Hole though.

My favourite part of the course was the 'bottomless pit'!

We'll be back to play the Lazy Lagoon course in the future.

Emily playing the 18th

Check out the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website for further details, opening times and prices. There are also Paradise Island Adventure Golf courses in Derby, Glasgow, Livingston, Manchester and Sheffield.

Junkyard Golf in London

A visit to play the four Crazy Golf courses at Junkyard Golf on Brick Lane in London.

On my recent trip to London I got to play the four very crazy minigolf courses at Junkyard Golf on Brick Lane.

All the fun of the fear!

Each of the 9-hole courses has a quirky theme from films to music to the circus and it all adds up to a ludicrous miniature golf experience as you putt your way through, down and over all manner of different obstacles.

I had a merry go round the four courses at Junkyard Golf

Having played the current Junkyard Golf course in Manchester I'd seen some similar holes and obstacles, but others were unique to the London venue.

I like the spotlighting of the cups on the course

Playing into and through some bits of old cars!

Another gory construction on the circus and fairground themed course

Even though the courses have been built out of scrap and other reclaimed materials the holes are playable - although from some of the tee-off angles I can't help but think the designer/builder is left-handed. My scores were as follows:

• Pablo course = 22
• Bozo course = 20
• Gary course = 26
• Bruce course = 21

The courses were the 456th-449th played and 757th-760th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

People often think all crazy golf courses have clown's mouths to putt through. Very few actually do

The end of the Bozo course

I wasn't expecting to see a three-wheeler at the course!

I do like a bit of indoor blacklight minigolf

The team at Junkyard Golf are on the move in Manchester, with a new permanent venue opening on First Street in September. There's also a new Junkyard Golf course opening in Oxford and plans for more sites around the UK.

Nice and colourful

Check out the Junkyard Golf website for more info, opening times and prices.

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.

Swingers Crazy Golf in London

Playing Swingers Crazy Golf in London.

On my recent trip to London I met up with a bunch of mates and minigolf rivals to visit the indoor minigolf venue at Swingers Crazy Golf.

Swingers is home to two 9-hole Crazy Golf courses - The Lighthouse and The Windmill - and both were proving popular on Monday evening.

A view of The Lighthouse course

Swingers Crazy Golf is a superb venue with two great minigolf courses, excellent service and nice facilities. Everything from the putters to the scorecards have been created to the highest quality and it's a very pleasant place to spend a few hours playing Crazy Golf.

I just about got under the bridge on this hole

The bottom of the cups had a nice finish to them

Top notch putters

The Swingers Crazy Golf club courses became the 444th & 445th played and 755th & 756th visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Swingers Crazy Golf is a great venue

In our minigolf match-up on The Lighthouse course I tied with Gareth Holmes after we both shot a 20. Brad Shepherd was next with 25, while Alan Norman shot a 27 and Paul O'Conner hit a 33.

One of the tricky jump and bunker hazards

Our game on The Windmill course saw Gareth record a 24 and Brad get another 25. Alan was next with a 28, while I shot a 29. Paul was again in the 30's, this time shooting a 38.

The final podium. Brad looking happy with his bronze medal position

In the overall contest Gareth took the victory with a score of 44. I was runner-up with a 49, with Brad third on 50. Alan shot a 55 while Paul ended with a 71 for the 18-holes!

Poor Paul, he would've been far better off NOT listening to Brad's advice

While we were competing in our own little tourney a qualifying round for Swingers' own Crazy Golf tournament was taking place, with dozens of players competing for the Swingers London Open title.

Back in September 2014 we played a round on the Swingers Crazy Golf pop-up course in Shoreditch, East London. That course became the 581st miniature golf course visited and 347th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

You can find Swingers Crazy Golf at 8 Brown’s Buildings (between Bury Street and St Mary Axe), London EC3A 8AL.

Check out the Swingers Crazy Golf club website for more information, opening times and prices.

Link:
- Swingers Crazy Golf

Related blog posts:
- Crazy Golf in London
- Playing Swingers Crazy Golf in Shoreditch

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.

Thorpe Park Adventure Golf course in Cleethorpes

A look at the Adventure Golf course at Thorpe Park Holiday Centre in Cleethorpes.

Many thanks to my friend Gemma Rogers for sending over some snaps of the Adventure Golf course at the Haven Thorpe Park Holiday Centre in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire.

Visit out the Thorpe Park Holiday Centre website for more info.

Emily and I visited Cleethorpes back in 2011. The seaside resort is home to a number of Crazy Golf courses - as is the Lincolnshire coast in general - and we did swing by the Thorpe Park Haven on our way to Mablethorpe. We're looking forward to a return visit to Cleethorpes in the future.

Check out these other guest blog posts from friends who have visited Haven Holiday Centres including the Golden Sands Caravan Holiday Park in Mablethorpe, Caister-on-Sea Holiday Park and Allhallows Leisure Holiday Park in Rochester.

Link:
- Thorpe Park Holiday Centre

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Cleethorpes
- Haven

The Oxford Place gluten free restaurant in Leeds

Dining out 100% gluten free at The Oxford Place restaurant in Leeds.

We recently visited Leeds specifically so we could once again dine out at The Oxford Place. The restaurant is superb. We had two brilliant evening meals and a great lunch. There are so many nice touches about dining at The Oxford Place. The service is excellent and the food is delicious. It's brilliant that the food is 100% gluten free and safe for Coeliacs. We're looking forward to our next visit already.

One of three excellent meals I had at The Oxford Place in Leeds over the weekend

Visit The Oxford Place website for more info, opening times and menus.

Related blog posts:
- The Oxford Place
- Gluten Free
- Leeds

Crazy Golf at Lowther Gardens in Lytham

Playing at the Lowther Gardens Crazy Golf course in Lytham.

The Lowther Gardens Crazy Golf course in Lytham

Prior to our trip to St Annes on the Sea to play in the last Mini Major tournament of the season at MiniLinks Golf we'd noticed that Lowther Gardens in Lytham was home to a Crazy Golf course - how we'd previously missed it we don't know as we've been visiting Blackpool and the surrounding seasides since 2008!

The 9-hole Crazy Golf course at Lowther Gardens was good fun and a unique layout.

In our minigolf match-up I picked up the win scoring a 28 to Emily's 35.

This was the first time we'd had printed tickets like this for our round of Crazy Golf! Putters and balls are hired from the Lowther Pavilion Theatre

The course was the 443rd played and 753rd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The sign at the park also lists Putting as an activity, but we couldn't see that course.

Lowther Gardens in Lytham is well worth a visit, it's a very pleasant spot

Photos of the 9-hole Crazy Golf course at Lowther Gardens.

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 6

Hole 7

Hole 8

Hole 9

Visit the Lowther Pavilion website for more information, opening times and prices.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Lytham St Annes
- Fylde

Videos:
- Lowther Gardens Crazy Golf - View 1
- Lowther Gardens Crazy Golf - View 2

- Lowther Gardens Crazy Golf - View 3

- Lowther Gardens Crazy Golf - Hole 3

- Lowther Gardens Crazy Golf - Hole 5
- Lowther Gardens Crazy Golf - Hole 9