Showing posts with label 2006. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2006. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

19 years of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Celebrating 19 years of our crazy minigolfing adventures.


The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour teed-off 19 years ago today!

Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea

How it started.

We played the Victory Trail course at Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea, Hampshire, England on this day in 2006.

At the end of our 9-hole round on Saturday 30th September I won a free game by firing the cannon on the lucky last hole!

My free game card from Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea - never used!
My free game card from Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea - it's never been used!

We've been putting on our crazy golfing adventures ever since.

Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea
Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea

From 600 courses in the the UK to more than 1,300.

When our crazy golfing travels began in 2006 there were around 600 miniature golf courses in the UK and wider British Isles.


Unfortunately, several courses have closed over the years. But on a brighter note, some others have been refurbished, redeveloped, or completely transformed into new layouts.

All of the changes and updates have meant that our minigolfing quest to visit every course is becoming never-ending!

When we originally set off to visit as many courses as possible the target list was 600 in the British Isles. And 19 years later, we've still got around 50 of those original courses to visit!

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We've now been to 1,099 courses overall in the last 19 years, with 1,038 of those locations in the British Isles.

Together with my brother Christopher - a charter member of the tour - and his family, we've visited a total of 1,152 courses.

Minigolf record makers.

Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book to see a lot more minigolf records too!

Minigolfing around the world.

Within the British Isles Emily and I have been to courses in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey and the Isle of Man. We've also travelled to minigolf courses in twelve countries - Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (including Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

Christopher and his family have travelled around the UK, as well as to courses in eleven countries - Croatia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain (Majorca), Thailand, Türkiye and the USA.

That's a combined total of 21 countries visited outside the UK/British Isles. Interestingly our tour has only been to two of the same countries in both branches - Spain and the USA!

Our list of miniature golf courses visited - 2006-2025.

You can see all of the courses we've visited on this Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list.

Blogging about minigolf around the world.

As well as the blog posts about our own crazy golf travels, we've also posted guest blogs from friends and family from their visits to courses around the world.

It's brilliant receiving photos, information and updates from - and about - crazy golf, minigolf, miniature golf putting, pitch & putt, adventure golf, and Putt-Putt courses around the world. There's such a wide-range and variety of courses out there.

We've met so many people and made some great friends on our travels since 2006. Many of whom have contributed to our travels by telling us about new courses, letting us know about course refurbs, or by sending over photos of courses they've been too. We've also received excellent photos of miniature golf courses from our family, friends, our networks, and course owners, managers, designers and builders themselves.

Minigolf guest blog posts from 30 countries - and international waters!

Over the last 19 years of blogging we've published guest blog posts about courses in England, Wales, Scotland, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Croatia, the Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Indonesia, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Oman, Portugal, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, the USA, on the high seas onboard the MSC Opera cruise ship (sailing from Italy - to Montenegro - to Greece), and even North Korea!

Where next on our crazy minigolfing adventures?

Where do you think we should visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour next? Do get in touch to let us know your suggestions and recommendations, or drop your top picks for minigolf places in the comments.

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Monday, December 23, 2024

18 years ago on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

A look back at the 10th course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.


We visited the 10th course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on a bitterly cold 23rd December 2006 Emily, my brother Christopher and I headed along to the Horse and Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire to have a game on their beer garden Crazy Golf course.

And what a course it was - we'd not seen anything like it before! And we haven't seen anything quite like it since!

Crazy Golf at the Horse and Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire - December 2006
Crazy Golf at the Horse and Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire - December 2006

We visited the course again in April 2011 and while it was a bit drier, it was still a very mossy layout.

Crazy Golf at the Horse and Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire - April 2011
Crazy Golf at the Horse and Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire - April 2011


Saturday, December 21, 2024

Blogiversary of the Ham and Egger Files

I've been blogging for 18 years today.


The Ham and Egger Files blog

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

The first post

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 amount of) sporting ability I had!

What is a Ham & Egger?

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 any purses won - were never able to afford to eat better than ham and eggs.

Lots of blogs

Since that first post 18 years ago I have published more than 5,900 posts and received more than 3.5 million pageviews!

Admittedly, a large number of the blog posts have been about minigolf.

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

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.

We've now been to over 1,000 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press).

When we began our travels there were around 600 courses in the UK. There are now more than 1,370, with new courses opening all the time.

Other sports & games are available

If you're wondering what happened to the quest to play lots of different sports, that has continued and I've participated in some very interesting events over the years!

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

Wednesday, October 02, 2024

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour keeps on rolling...

A look at our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour to date.


With a sign for The Original Crazy Golf course in Skegness
With a sign for The Original Crazy Golf course in Skegness

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,065 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

At the top of the Great Orme in Llandudno
At the top of the Great Orme in Llandudno

1,007 of the courses we've been to were in the British Isles, with 58 in 12 overseas countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

Playing Manx TT themed Crazy Golf in Ramsay on the Isle of Man
Playing Manx TT themed Crazy Golf in Ramsay on the Isle of Man

We've been able to play a total of 576 of the courses we've been to. Many of these have been played multiple times. Other courses we didn't manage to play include those we found to be abandoned, closed, out-of-season, or derelict, while others were flying visits as we didn't have time to play. Luckily we've returned to some of the courses that were closed or unable to be played on our initial visit.

At a very very Crazy Crazy Golf course in Cofton Hackett
At a very very Crazy Crazy Golf course in Cofton Hackett

When added to the courses my brother Christopher (a founding member of the tour) and his family have visited around the British Isles and Türkiye, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA, the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stands at a combined 1,112 courses visited!

A treacherous hole in Aberavon, Port Talbot
A treacherous hole in Aberavon, Port Talbot


Putting at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing
Putting at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing

We avoided the LIVE ALLIGATORS in Chorley
We avoided the LIVE ALLIGATORS at Gator Adventure Golf in Chorley

A scary indoor hole at Putters Adventure Golf in Warrington
A scary indoor hole at Putters Adventure Golf in Warrington

Playing the Crazy Putting Challenge course at Hamptworth Golf Club
Playing the Crazy Putting Challenge course at Hamptworth Golf Club

Playing a shot at Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Manchester
Playing a shot at Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Manchester

Miniature Golf Grass Putting in Douglas, Isle of Man
Miniature Golf Grass Putting in Douglas, Isle of Man

Trying my luck on the last hole at Hastings Adventure Golf
Trying my luck on the last hole at Hastings Adventure Golf

Minigolfing in Lyme Regis
Minigolfing in Lyme Regis

Playing Mini Championship Golf at Pirate Pete's in Ayr
Playing Mini Championship Golf at Pirate Pete's in Ayr

Having a whale of a time at Moby Adventure Golf in Romford
Having a whale of a time at Moby Adventure Golf in Romford

Teeing-off at Adventure Island Golf in Mundesley
Teeing-off at Adventure Island Golf in Mundesley

Playing out a hole at Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby
Playing out a hole at Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby

Putting between the sights at Landmark Adventure Golf in New Brighton
Putting between the sights at Landmark Adventure Golf in New Brighton

Playing at Pirate Adventure Golf in Belfast
Playing at Pirate Adventure Golf in Belfast

'Putting' with a 'cue' of sorts on the Crazy Crazy Golf course at Joe Joe Jim's Arcade in Cofton Hackett
'Putting' with a 'cue' of sorts on the Crazy Crazy Golf course at Joe Joe Jim's Arcade in Cofton Hackett

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - taking in 27 countries to date

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour has seen us visit 27 countries so far.


Mini Golf at Leopoldpark in Blankenberge, Belgium. Photo by Emily Gottfried
Mini Golf at Leopoldpark in Blankenberge, Belgium. Photo by Emily Gottfried

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,065 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

Hotel Pinija Mini Golf in Croatia. Photo by Christopher Gottfried
Hotel Pinija Mini Golf in Croatia. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

1,007 of the courses we've been to were in the British Isles, with 58 in 12 overseas countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

Mini Golf at the Farm House Pub in Ixia, Rhodes, Greece. Photo by Christopher Gottfried
Mini Golf at the Farm House Pub in Ixia, Rhodes, Greece. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

We've been able to play a total of 576 of the courses we've been to. Many of these have been played multiple times. Other courses we didn't manage to play include those we found to be abandoned, closed, out-of-season, or derelict, while others were flying visits as we didn't have time to play. Luckily we've returned to some of the courses that were closed or unable to be played on our initial visit.

Höfner Stübl Minigolf in Sasbachwalden, Germany. Photo by Christopher Gottfried
Höfner Stübl Minigolf in Sasbachwalden, Germany. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

When added to the courses Christopher (a founding member of the tour) and his family have visited around the British Isles and Türkiye, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA, the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stands at a combined 1,112 courses visited!

Mini Golf at the Resort Horizont & Splendid in Pula, Croatia. Photo by Christopher Gottfried
Mini Golf at the Resort Horizont & Splendid in Pula, Croatia. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

Minigolf in Carcassonne - Lac de la Cavayère, France. Photo by Christopher Gottfried
Minigolf in Carcassonne - Lac de la Cavayère, France. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

Time Machine Minigolf in Warsaw, Poland. Photo by Emily Gottfried
Time Machine Minigolf in Warsaw, Poland. Photo by Emily Gottfried

Countries visited on our minigolfing adventures since September 2006:

  1. England
  2. Northern Ireland
  3. Scotland
  4. Wales
  5. Australia
  6. Austria
  7. Belgium
  8. Croatia
  9. Finland
  10. France
  11. Germany
  12. Greece
  13. Hong Kong
  14. Indonesia
  15. Isle of Man
  16. Italy
  17. Jersey
  18. Luxembourg
  19. Netherlands
  20. New Zealand
  21. Poland
  22. Singapore
  23. Spain (including Lanzarote and Majorca)
  24. Sweden
  25. Türkiye
  26. USA
  27. Chile

Check out the full list of courses we've been to on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Monday, September 30, 2024

18 years of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Celebrating 18 years of our minigolf adventures.


Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea

We played the Victory Trail course at Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea, Hampshire on this day in 2006 and at the end of our 9-hole round on Saturday 30th September I won a free game by firing the cannon on the lucky last hole!

My free game card from Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea - never used!
My free game card from Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea - never used!

We've been putting on our crazy golfing adventures ever since.

Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea
Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK. There are now more than 1,000, and there are lots of new places to play the game opening all the time. Several courses have closed over the years, while others have been refurbished, redeveloped or completely transformed into new layouts.

All of the changes and updates means our minigolf quest to visit every course is becoming never-ending! When we originally set off to visit as many courses as possible the target list was 600 in the British Isles. We've still got around 50 of those original courses to visit.

We've now been to 1,065 courses overall in the last 18 years, with 1,007 of those locations in the British Isles.

Together with my brother Christopher - a charter member of the tour - and his family, we've visited a total of 1,112 courses.

Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book to see a lot more minigolf records too!

You can see all of the courses we've visited on this Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list.

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've been to 1,044 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006.


997 of them have been in the British Isles.

Crazy Golf on Southend Pier - 1.3 miles out to sea!
Crazy Golf on Southend Pier - 1.3 miles out to sea!

It's been brilliant to see such a wide-range and variety of places to play the game.

See the list of courses we've visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour page.

Saturday, September 30, 2023

17 years of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Celebrating 17 years of our minigolf adventures.


Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea
Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea

We played the Victory Trail course at Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea, Hampshire on this day in 2006 and at the end of our 9-hole round on Saturday 30th September I won a free game by firing the cannon on the lucky last hole!

My free game card from Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea - never used!
My free game card from Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea - never used!

We've been putting on our crazy golfing adventures ever since.

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK. There are now more than 1,000, and there are lots of new places to play the game opening all the time.

We've now been to 1,030 courses overall in the last 17 years, with 983 of those courses in the British Isles.

You can see all of the courses we've visited on this Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list.

Friday, June 24, 2022

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - courses we've visited to date

Information about our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Details of the miniature golf courses we've visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

At the Crazy Golf course in Prestatyn (photo by Seth Thomas)
At the Crazy Golf course in Prestatyn

A wide-range of minigolf courses.

We've seen the good, the bad and the ugly of minigolf courses on our travels, but feel that each and every one of them is worth a look in its own right.

The game of minigolf is one of fun and frustration and mixes skill and luck to tackle the obstacles set-up to trip you up and trick you as you play.

A BIG minigolf thank you.

We'd like to thank course owners, operators and suppliers everywhere for building, running and maintaining miniature golf courses of all shapes, sizes and types and look forward to playing and revisiting courses for more minigolfing fun in the future.

We'd also like to thank our family, friends, minigolf rivals, the wider minigolf community, and everyone who has let us know about a course over the years!

Southend Pier Crazy Golf course
Visiting the Crazy Golf course at the end of the Pier in Southend-on-Sea

How many minigolf courses have we visited so far?

Below is the list of the 1,111 miniature golf courses visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour to date. 1,050 of them have been in the British Isles.

As well as playing minigolf in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (including Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

We've been able to play a total of 594 of them as many have been found to be abandoned, closed, out-of-season or derelict on our initial visit. Luckily some courses that were closed on our original visit have since been played. And we've played some of these courses many many times over as they're so good. It's interesting to return to a course some time later to see what has, or hasn't, changed.

Richard & Emily Gottfried at the World's First Miniature Golf Course - The Himalayas Putting Course in St Andrews, Scotland
The Himalayas at St Andrews - the world's first Miniature Golf course

The list of minigolf courses we've been to.

Please be aware that courses come and go and this list is not a 'live' list of miniature golf courses. If you find that a course is no longer there, or has significantly changed, please let us know by leaving a comment.

Here's a list of the courses we have played between the 30th September 2006 and the 17th October 2025.


Here's a list of the courses we have visited, but not played between the 30th September 2006 and the 17th August 2025.


Crazy Golf course in Ayr
An abandoned Crazy Golf course in Ayr



* Due to closure, flooding, dereliction, or a number of other reasons. Some of these layouts have since been revisited and played.

Another branch of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

My brother Christopher was with us when we played the first minigolf course on what would become the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Christopher and his family have visited courses around the British Isles as well as visits to courses in Türkiye, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA.

The Minigolf course at Vista Alegre in Porto Cristo, Majorca by Nina Dukes 120415
The Minigolf course at Vista Alegre in Porto Cristo, Majorca

Here's a list of minigolf courses visited by Christopher Gottfried on he and his family's branch of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour 2011-2025.


The combined Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The combined total of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour is now at 1,165 courses visited!

New minigolf courses in the UK.

Minigolf is an incredibly popular leisure and sporting activity for all ages, and we're seeing an exciting boom in new courses opening up across the UK. From vibrant indoor venues in towns and city centres to sprawling outdoor adventure golf parks, the game continues to evolve and captivate players all year round.

While minigolf was traditionally a seaside summer pastime in the UK, the last decade or so has seen its growth into more urban settings, with many venues now catering to a late night audience. It can be the perfect activity for groups of friends, families, and young and old alike.

The UK minigolf landscape: How many courses are there?

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