Miniature Golf at the Harbour Gardens in Morecambe

A 1930's view of the Harbour Gardens in Morecambe.

I found this wonderful old postcard showing the Harbour Gardens in Morecambe, Lancashire. What a spot it must've been to play minigolf.

Postcard showing Harbour Gardens, Morecambe. G.5021 by Allen & Sons, Blackpool 21A. The card was postally used on 19 August 1937 and sent to Leeds

Related blog posts:
- Postcard
- Postcards

The abandoned Crazy Golf course at Stamford Park in Stalybridge

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Stamford Park in Stalybridge.

This year has flown by and we've made visits to 64 more courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. One of those courses was local to us and a real bonus to find.

As we have been busy exploring our new local area since moving north in the summer of 2016 we've checked out local villages, towns and cities and also had a look at a number of parks in the area to see what we can visit. While looking at the Ashton-under-Lyne area we spotted what looked to be the outline of a minigolf course.

On the 4th February we finally made some time to visit Stalybridge to look for the Crazy Golf course there. We're glad we did.

The 9th hole of the abandoned Crazy Golf course in Stamford Park, Stalybridge - it was a unique layout!

The abandoned Crazy Golf course became the 797th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We're now up to 859 course visits on our travels since September 2006.

 

Following our trip to Stalybridge the next courses we visited were in Sweden.

Some of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stats:

• 859 courses visited overall
• 821 in the British Isles
• 64 visited in 2018
• 33 played this year
• 503 played overall since September 2006

Related blog posts:
- Stalybridge
- Abandoned
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Pat Regan's Putting Green in Broadstairs

Who was Pat Regan?

A look at a mysterious postcard from Pat Regan's Putting Green in Broadstairs.

I found this interesting old miniature golf postcard at the recent Stockport Postcard Fair.

The postcard is postally unused, but interestingly is signed by Pat Regan himself

Pat Regan's Putting Green on the Thanet coast in Broadstairs, Kent was in the same spot that is now Lillyputt Minigolf.

We visited and played the Lillyputt Minigolf course back in September 2007. It was the 35th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've now been to 859.

The Lillyputt Minigolf course in Broadstairs is a nice Arnold Palmer Putting Course layout

I haven't been able to find out anything about Pat Regan. Was he the course owner or a local golf pro? I'd love to know.

You can find out more about the course on the Lillyputt Minigolf website. One of the photos in the gallery section shows the area as Jack Nunn's Putting Green.

Related blog posts:
- Postcard
- Postcards
- Broadstairs

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We wish you a very merry Christmas.

This course is at the Solna Bangolfklubb in Stockholm. It was one of nine courses we visited on our 42-hour trip to Sweden back in February

Have a wonderful break and all the very best for the year ahead.

Happy Putting throughout 2019.

Richard and Emily

Blogiversary of the Ham and Egger Files

Today marks twelve years since the Ham and Egger Files began.

Twelve years ago today I began blogging - time has certainly flown by!

I've loved blogging for the last decade and a bit. Writing about the interesting places and weird and wonderful things we've done has been marvellous

I'm often asked how a blog that is mostly about minigolf has the name the 'Ham and Egger Files'? Well, it didn't initially start out life as a minigolf blog.

Back on the 21st December 2006 I published my first post about how I planned to participate in as many obscure and minority sports as I could and see what would happen with the limited sporting ability I have!

The term 'ham and egger' has connotations ranging from that of 'ordinary person' to that of 'loser'. The origin of the term comes from prize fighters whose modest skills wouldn’t let them win large purses. Therefore, the fighter or their manager - who received a percentage of purses won - were never able to afford to eat better than ham and eggs.

Since that first post I have gone on to publish 2,933 posts! Most of them have been about minigolf.

Our interest in minigolf and what would soon become our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour had actually begun on the 30th September 2006, but I didn't publish a post about the sport until the 29th January 2007 when I announced that I had joined the British Minigolf Association - a competition circuit I made my actual debut on in Southend-on-Sea on the 28th April 2007.

Since my first year of blogging Emily and I have now visited 859 miniature golf courses, played in hundreds of tournaments and competed in lots of different sports and games. I've won quite a few titles along the way too, not too bad for a Ham n' Egger.

This year I won the Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open - a title I'd wanted to win for years

A BIG thank you goes out to everyone who has ever read one of my posts, commented, shared, or guest blogged on the site, it's very much appreciated.

Emily and I are happy to hear about new minigolf courses, new sports and games, new places to visit and interesting things to write about. Get in touch if you have any ideas or suggestions for future posts.

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.

Happy Underdog Day 2018

Happy Underdog Day.

Happy Underdog Day to ham and eggers, journeymen, jobbers, local competitors, enhancement talent, jabronis, wildcards, second placers, also rans, palookas, runners-up, Mr Nobodies, silver medalists, and Average Joes everywhere.

The third Friday in December is the day to celebrate and honour unsung heroes, the second best among us and life’s runners-up. Not to forget those people that have made a name for themselves against the odds.

Check out the Dull Men's Club website for more details of Underdog Day.

Related blog posts:
- Underdog Day
- Dull Men's Club
- Day

A Crazy Golf 'holy grail'

Finding a rare Crazy Golf postcard.

As a keen postcard collector I'm always on the lookout for new views of miniature golf courses and while at the December postcard fair in Stockport I found something of a holy grail in the world of minigolf postcards.

The Eternit Miniature Golf course at Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Village. This Photo Precision Limited postcard was sent on the 8th July 1977

Not only is the card a full view of a Crazy Golf course, but it also has a message on the back about playing Crazy Golf! In the thousands of minigolf postcards I've got this is one of only a few that mentions playing the game and the only one specifically saying "Crazy Golf".

The sender was having quite the holiday in Prestatyn by the sound of it - playing Crazy Golf every day!

The Grand Hotel is now The Beaches Hotel. Sadly the Crazy Golf course is long gone. On our last holiday in Prestatyn we popped into the hotel bar for a drink. The patio area there has a nice sea view.

A view of the area in front of the hotel. The plot of land between the hotel and Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park is now a car park

Another view of where the Crazy Golf course once was

Luckily there is still a Crazy Golf course at Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park. It's near the main entrance and back in 2014 became the 348th played and 582nd visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Crazy Golf course at Pontins Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park

Related blog posts:
- Postcards
- Prestatyn
- Pontins

Exploring the Dull Men's Club

Check out Lossul's recent three-part series about the Dull Men's Club.

The pieces follow Elliot Windmill's exploration of the club, beginning at the Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening held in Preston back in May.

The Dull Men's Club is where dull men — and women who appreciate dull men — share experiences of enjoying everyday, mundane things, far from glitz and glam — "Celebrating the Ordinary".

I made a presentation about Crazy Golf at the Dull Summit in Preston

Somewhat controversially the 'Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening' was anything but. With a range of characters talking about their hobbies, pursuits and interests the group could've spent a long time sharing stories and ideas.

Check out Elliot's posts on the links below.

Links:
- Lossul
- Meeting The Dull Men of Great Britain – A True Story
- Meeting The Dull Men of Great Britain – The Event (Part One)
- Meeting The Dull Men of Great Britain – The Event (Part Two)

Related blog posts:
- Dull Men's Club

Puttshack indoor minigolf at Westfield London

A visit to Puttshack indoor minigolf at Westfield London.

While on a recent trip down to London I swung by Puttshack at Westfield London. The course is a new concept in miniature golf and features four 9-hole indoor minigolf courses featuring new technology to show real-time leader-boards, video highlights and interactive holes.

The venue was in full swing on my visit with plenty of Christmas parties going on in the large venue.

I didn't have time for a round on the interesting minigolf concept on this occasion.

Puttshack is a joint venture between ping pong venue Bounce and TopGolf. There are plans for more Puttshack courses to open in the City of London and Lakeside in Essex.

Check out the Puttshack website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more info.

Related blog posts:

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

- Crazy Golf in London

- Puttshack

Indoor minigolf course at Funspot New Hampshire, USA

A look at the indoor minigolf course at Funspot New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire Landmarks indoor minigolf course at Funspot New Hampshire. Photo by Adam Lueb

Many thanks to Adam Lueb, aka Retro Adam on Instagram, for sending me more photos of the indoor miniature golf course at Funspot in Laconia, New Hampshire. The snaps come a year after his last visit to the course.

Self-Service Mini-Golf - what a wonderful looking token dispensing machine. Photo by Adam Lueb

Funspot New Hampshire has been open since 1952 and is home to 'The Largest Arcade in the World'!

Minigolf at Funspot New Hampshire. Photo by Adam Lueb

Minigolf at Funspot New Hampshire. Photo by Adam Lueb

The leisure destination also boast's Central New Hampshire's only 18-hole indoor mini-golf course.

Minigolf at Funspot New Hampshire. Photo by Adam Lueb

The obstacles and features on the course come from Funspot's previous Landmarks of New Hampshire course which was open from 1964 to 2014. You can see a photo of that on Funspot's Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.

Minigolf at Funspot New Hampshire. Photo by Adam Lueb

Minigolf at Funspot New Hampshire. Photo by Adam Lueb

Minigolf at Funspot New Hampshire. Photo by Adam Lueb

Check out the Funspot website for more info about the arcade and minigolf.

Minigolf at Funspot New Hampshire. Photo by Adam Lueb

It certainly looks like my sort of place to visit as it's packed full of fun activities - the location is also home to the American Classic Arcade Museum! As the Curator of the Crazy Golf Museum I enjoy following ACAM on social media and especially like the #TokenTuesday posts on Instagram.

On our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour we've played indoor minigolf at Amusement Arcades in Felixstowe, Cleethorpes, Hunstanton, Brean, and Whitby. Our minigolf travels actually began in 'old' Hampshire!

Since his first visit to Funspot New Hampshire Adam has been kind enough to send over photos of his minigolf course visits to Bermuda Fun Golf and Dragon's Lair Mini Golf in North Wildwood, New Jersey. It's always brilliant to see different minigolf courses around the world.

Links:
- Funspot New Hampshire's website
- Retro Adam on Instagram
- NeonCade website

Related blog posts:
- Adam Lueb
- Guest blogs
- Indoor minigolf
- Amusement Arcades
- Indoor Minigolf at Funspot in Laconia, New Hampshire