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Friday, August 14, 2020

Gator Adventure Golf in Chorley

A visit to play Gator Adventure Golf at Escape Entertainment in Chorley.


Gator Adventure Golf at the Escape Entertainment Venue in Chorley

We played at the first new course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since February this year when we swung by Gator Adventure Golf at the Escape Entertainment venue in Chorley, Lancashire on Thursday 13th August.

Escape Entertainment Venue in Chorley

The Floridian-themed Adventure Golf course at Escape Entertainment in Chorley's Market Walk shopping and entertainment centre is an 18-hole indoor layout. It looked superb and the overall venue was nicely set-up.

Gator Adventure Golf at the Escape Entertainment Venue in Chorley
The entrance to the course

As our out-of-home putting adventures have largely been paused by the pandemic, Gator Adventure Golf was the first course either of us has played in the time of coronavirus.

Gator Adventure Golf at the Escape Entertainment Venue in Chorley

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Gator Adventure Golf became the 955th course visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

The last round I played was back on the 9th March while our last round together was on the 19th January!

Before our visit to Gator Adventure Golf the last totally new course played on our tour was back on the 25th February.

Minigolf in the time of social distancing

How times have changed since then - and not just the difference between playing wearing big coats for those winter rounds and masks for indoor entertainment now!

We have understandably been apprehensive about going out. We've started travelling a little further afield than Stockport in recent weeks to get a change of scenery and shake up our exercise routine.

Chorley isn't too far to drive to and we'd planned to have a nice socially distanced evening walk round the town to get our steps in for the day. We knew the Gator Adventure Golf course had opened in the new Market Walk entertainment and shopping complex last year and would've likely checked it out earlier this year if it hadn't been for Covid-19 stalling the world.

Escape Entertainment Venue in Chorley
There were a fair few sanitisation points around the venue

After parking up we headed to Escape Entertainment to have a look and see what it was like. After walking round the outside and seeing the open signs we popped inside, sanitised our hands and headed upstairs for a quick look.

Gator Adventure Golf at the Escape Entertainment Venue in Chorley
Just Alligators and Coronavirus to contend with!

The venue is operating adjusted hours to normal at the moment so was closing at 8pm. We arrived at 7.30pm and luckily were able to have a quiet round with the course to ourselves. It was actually the perfect way to get back into the swing of minigolfing and nice to pick up a putter again after so long.

Gator Adventure Golf at the Escape Entertainment Venue in Chorley
There was lots of social distancing signage. It was prominent but not too distracting

Teeing-off

Speaking of which, the process for getting us out on the course was straightforward and gave peace of mind. The three members of staff we spoke to - at a great distance - were all friendly and professional and our thanks go to them for helping us have a fun experience.

Gator Adventure Golf at the Escape Entertainment Venue in Chorley
All set to tee-off

After giving our details for track and trace to one member of staff at the desk near the entrance another member of staff was getting our cleaned putters, golf balls, pencil and scorecard over by the course. We were told to leave our clubs and balls in the bucket at the exit.

Gator Adventure Golf at the Escape Entertainment Venue in Chorley
Clean clubs

Gator Adventure Golf at the Escape Entertainment Venue in Chorley
Heed the warnings during your round

Gator Adventure Golf at the Escape Entertainment Venue in Chorley
At the end of the round

Playing again

After collecting our equipment we stepped onto the course and our first game of minigolf in the time of coronavirus got underway!

Gator Adventure Golf at the Escape Entertainment Venue in Chorley
Hole 3 - the airboat - was my favourite


The theming of the holes, the surroundings and artwork on the walls really add to the experience, as do the nice touches such as the lighting and sound effects on some of the holes.

Gator Adventure Golf at Escape Entertainment in Chorley
The course and surroundings look wonderful

There were some very tricky obstacles and hazards over the 18-holes including some volcanoes, plateaus and doglegs that were nigh on impossible to score a hole-in-one on.

Gator Adventure Golf at Escape Entertainment in Chorley
Hole 3 was a dogleg with a plateau!

Gator Adventure Golf at Escape Entertainment in Chorley
Hole 1 had a very tough green to putt up onto

Gator Adventure Golf at Escape Entertainment in Chorley
Part of the back 9 had a sea theme

Gator Adventure Golf at Escape Entertainment in Chorley
Hole 13 had an interesting obstacle on the green...

Gator Adventure Golf at Escape Entertainment in Chorley
...a vibrating disc to put you off your putt!

In our minigolf match-up I took the win with a score of 43 to Emily's 53. Ever since we started competing against each other there's either one shot between us, or ten!

Gator Adventure Golf at Escape Entertainment in Chorley

As well as the Gator Adventure Golf course Escape Entertainment in Chorley is home to tenpin bowling, a bar and restaurant.


Gator Adventure Golf at Escape Entertainment in Chorley

For more information, opening times and prices visit the Gator Adventure Golf at Escape Entertainment website.


Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stats:


  • 955 courses visited since September 2006
  • 916 courses visited in the British Isles
  • 543 courses played overall
  • 14 new courses visited in 2020
  • 7 new courses visited in the time of coronavirus
  • 36 courses visited in 2020, including revisits


When the pandemic lockdown hit the UK on the 16th March 2020 we had been to 948 courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006. We've now been to 955 minigolf courses. We've got 40 of the original 600 we set out to visit left and a lot of new courses to play at too!

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