Monday, July 22, 2019

Update on the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool

The Princess Parade Crazy Golf course project in Blackpool is moving forward.


Hole 1 of the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool
The project to reopen the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course is underway

The teams at Blackpool Fulfilling Lives and Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels have joined forces to refresh and reopen the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore. Work has recently started down on the site with initial clean ups and litter picking having taken place.


Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool 2019. Photo by Blackpool Fulfilling Lives
How the course looked before the project started

The minigolf project is helping homeless people in Blackpool by giving them the chance to work on the Crazy Golf course so it is playable and then staffing it for the season. It's a wonderful plan to give people the opportunity to receive work experience, while also bringing an historic, but disused, miniature golf course back to life.


Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool 2019. Photo by Blackpool Fulfilling Lives
How the course looked after the initial clean-up

It was brilliant visiting the course in May where I joined representatives from a number of agencies, including Blackpool Fulfilling Lives and Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels, Blackpool Council and the Blackpool Civic Trust for a tour of the site. We also had a round to play-test the holes as they were and to look at ways to refurbish, repair and update the damaged holes and obstacles.

Blackpool Princess Parade Crazy Golf course - project team 20 May 2019 Photo by Blackpool Fulfilling Lives
At the course in May 2019

We've been to the course a number of times over the years, but have never been able to play it. We're looking forward to playing on the course when it reopens. You can see photos of the course from my visit in May in my North Shore Crazy Golf course in Blackpool blog post.

The North Shore Crazy Golf course in Blackpool, August 2018
How the course looked in August last year

The North Shore Crazy Golf course in Blackpool, September 2009
This was how the course looked on our first Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit in September 2009

More information on the project can be found on the Blackpool Princess Parade Crazy Golf Facebook Group and via Blackpool Fulfilling Lives and Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels.

It'll be superb once the course is up and running again. We've got 21 postcards showing the North Shore Crazy Golf course with ten different views. Some of the cards have been postally used, while others are unused. It's lovely to see the photos of it in its heyday.

Blackpool Crazy Golf course, North Shore. PT18819 by Photo Precision Limited. Unused
Blackpool Crazy Golf course, North Shore. PT18819 by Photo Precision Limited. Unused

The card below is the earliest posted example we have of the course. It was sent to Manchester on the 4th June 1969.

Crazy Golf Course and North Pier, Blackpool postcard. The Photographic Greeting Card Co Ltd. London. Posted to Manchester
Crazy Golf Course and North Pier, Blackpool postcard. The Photographic Greeting Card Co Ltd. London. Posted to Manchester