Blogiversary of the Ham and Egger Files

I've been blogging for 18 years today.

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.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK? (Update: December 2024)

There are lots of new minigolf courses being built, in development or planned to open in the UK.

Minigolf is an incredibly popular activity for all ages and there are new courses opening up all the time in a wide-range of outdoor and indoor locations.

Whereas the game in the UK has traditionally been a seaside pastime, over the last decade it has grown to be a game enjoyed by people in more and more towns and cities - with many catering to a late night audience.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK?

As at December 2024 there are approximately 1,370 minigolf courses around the UK and British Isles (including Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and other islands). This includes public courses, as well as those at pay to enter attractions, holiday parks, hotels and other 'non-standard' locations.

Developments over the last two decades

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the British Isles. Only two of those original courses were indoor venues. Both of these were on the East Anglian coast (in Felixstowe and Great Yarmouth). The indoor course at Manning's Amusements in Felixstowe has recently been removed and is being replaced by a brand new layout that is set to open in the same location at Easter 2025.

Now the indoor game is booming and you can find minigolf courses indoors at shopping centres, retail parks, and in town and city centres around the country.

The game was traditionally played on days out, short breaks and holidays, either at the seaside or on holiday camps. While the game has always been enjoyed by people old enough to pick up a putter, it has become a game played as much by groups of adults as it is by families.

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've now been to a total of 1,072 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, with 1,014 of them in the British Isles. 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!

Of the original list of 600 we've still got to visit 39 of the public courses. In addition there are a further 150 courses at pay to enter attractions, hotels and holiday parks that we've not yet been to.

On top of these 189 courses from the original list there are hundreds more courses that have opened over the last 18 years! We tracked 320 courses that opened between May 2020 and July 2023. Between August 2023 and September 2024 a further 150 courses have opened, or are in development. And between September 2024 and December 2024 another 27 new courses have been announced.

More new courses to come

There are 100+ new courses being created each year - some are on old sites/locations, some are completely new venues, while others are in planning/development, or under construction.

There are quite a few other minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf courses that are short-term 'pop-ups', some of which have been used as proof of concept businesses and developed into permanent courses. 

A few things to note

Please note that minigolf in the UK is not an exact science and courses are opening, in planning/development, and being 'lost' quite often. Others are being refurbished, and some are completely renovated to the point where they could be considered entirely new courses.

Find new courses

For information about new minigolf, crazy golf, and adventure golf courses opening in the UK take a look at the posts with the New course tag here on the Ham & Egger Files minigolf blog where I regularly post updates about new places to play the game.

Let's talk minigolf

If you know of a new course opening in the UK please do get in touch and let me know.

Mini Golf at Worthing Winter Fest

There will be a pop-up mini golf course at Worthing Winter Fest this Sunday.

Globetrotters Golf will have a pop-up mini golf course at the Worthing Winter Fest event at Montague Place this Sunday, 22nd December.

Find out more on the Worthing Town Centre Initiative website.

King Pins Mini Golf at Trafford Palazzo in Manchester

A look at the new King Pins Mini Golf course at the Trafford Palazzo shopping and entertainment centre in Manchester.

King Pins Mini Golf at Trafford Palazzo in Manchester

An indoor mini golf course is part of the set-up at the King Pins tenpin bowling and entertainment venue at the Trafford Palazzo in Manchester.

The 9-hole King Pins Mini Golf course opened at the Trafford Palazzo in July this year.

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 3

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 6

Hole 7

Hole 7

Hole 8

Hole 9

Hole 9

Find out more about King Pins locations on the King Pins website.

The King Pins Mini Golf course at Trafford Palazzo became the 1,072nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Earlier this year we played Mini Golf at King Pins at the Manchester Arndale.

Merry Puttsmas

'Tis the season - for festive Putting!

Have you played or seen any festive minigolf courses this holiday season?

We've heard about a few Christmas-themed minigolf courses either popping-up, or permanent courses being festively decorated in the run-up to the big day.

We also managed to have a game on the Christmas-themed minigolf course from Lancashire Crazy Golf at the 2024 Northwich Christmas Extravaganza in Northwich, Cheshire.

The Christmas-themed Crazy Golf course in Northwich, Cheshire

Crazy Pool at Roxy Lanes in Bristol

Roxy Lanes on Union Street in Bristol has added Crazy Pool to its range of activities.

A new 9-hole Crazy Pool layout has been added to the games and activities on offer at Roxy Lanes on Union Street in Bristol.

Crazy Pool is a mix of crazy golf and cue sports, with the game played on a table using a golf ball to tackle obstacles, and played with a cue rather than a putter.

This is one of the Crazy Pool tables/holes at our local Roxy Ball Room in Manchester

Visit the Roxy Lanes website for more information.

Treetop Golf at Cabot Circus in Bristol

The new Treetop Adventure Golf venue is opening at Cabot Circus in Bristol today, Tuesday 17th December 2024.

The venue is home to two 18-hole indoor adventure golf courses.

You can find other Treetop Adventure Golf courses in Cardiff, Manchester, Leicester, Birmingham and Gateshead.

Visit the Treetop Adventure Golf website for more information.

Puttify Golf opening at Bath Sports and Leisure Centre

Bath Sports and Leisure Centre will soon be home to the UK's first Puttify Golf course.

The new 9-hole indoor mini golf course will be opening at Bath Sports and Leisure Centre in Bath, Somerset on Friday 20th December.

Puttify Golf is a new type of interactive mini golf. You can find out more about Puttify Golf on the Greenspan website.

Puttify Golf at Bath Sports and Leisure Centre will be another new venue to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Indoor Adventure Golf at Tenpin Parrs Wood in Manchester

There's an indoor adventure golf course at the Manchester Tenpin centre in Parrs Wood.

The Tenpin centres at Parrs Wood Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton are all home to indoor Tenpin Putt crazy golf courses.

The Parrs Wood Manchester Tenpin centre now features a Prison Putt indoor adventure golf course.

Check out the Tenpin website for more information.

Crazy Golf at The Bear in Newton Abbot

The Bear in Newton Abbot, Devon will have a Crazy Golf course in 2025.

A new bar and restaurant has opened in Newton Abbot, Devon and it has plans to expand its offering to include Crazy Golf among several activities next year.

Find out more on The Bear's Instagram account.

It'll be another new course for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Bournemouth's Lower Gardens Mini Golf course

A revisit to the Lower Gardens Mini Golf course in Bournemouth.

We first visited and played the Mini Golf course at the Lower Gardens in Bournemouth, Dorset in June 2009 and revisited the course in July 2013 while in the area for the BMGA British Matchplay Championships that were to be played in nearby Boscombe.

Emily swung by for a look at the course on her recent trip to the seaside town.

The course location is one of the oldest sites of Miniature Golf in the UK. According to information on a board near the course a Putting Green was introduced to the Lower Gardens in 1931 and the present Mini Golf course was extensively remodelled in 2007.

We've got a fair few postcards in our collection showing the course over the years (here are links to a couple of them - 1 / 2). I've also got several photos of my parents playing the course in the 1970s!

The abandoned minigolf course on Bournemouth's Exeter Road

A look at the derelict minigolf course on Exeter Road in Bournemouth.

Back in June 2009 we found a derelict minigolf course in Bournemouth and when we revisited in July 2013 it was still there. On Emily's recent trip to the seaside town she found it was still in place.

The former 18-hole course is on Exeter Road and next to the cafe/restaurant.

The course is very similar in design to the busy course that can be found over the road in the Lower Gardens and the championship course in the Boscombe Chine Gardens, though in an entirely unplayable state.

Mini-Golf at Winter Funland in Manchester

There's a mini-golf course at the Winter Funland festive event in Manchester.

Winter Funland runs at the BEC Arena from Saturday 14th December to Thursday 26th December 2024.

Visit the Winter Finland website for more information.

Video rental shops in the UK (December 2024)

A look at movie rental shops in the UK.

By my reckoning there are four 'video shops' still in operation offering physical media movie rentals in the UK. They are:

• 20th Century Flicks in Bristol
• TVL Allstar Video in Haverhill, Suffolk
• Snips Movies in Bebington, Wirral
• Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Unfortunately B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton closed in July this year. We visited that particular video shop on Video Shop Day in 2020!

It's brilliant to see there are still businesses active in the sector though!

Signs and traces of video shops

There are still traces of former video shops to be found on the streets, shopping centres and retail parks of the UK. Most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores. But there are still signs of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky (and actually visit and rent from if you're really lucky!). Some of those I've snapped over the years include:

• Shahenshah Videos in Luton
• Deane Video Centre in Bolton
• Video Box Office at the Happy Shopper Wayfairer Discount Store in Ilkeston
• Video Future in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent
• The Movie Box in Manchester
• Jubilee Films in Ashton-under-Lyne
• B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton (closed in 2024)
• 20th Century Flicks in Bristol (still operating, but closed on the day of our visit)
• Video Express in Swansea
• Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
• Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds (still operating, but closed on the day of our visit)
• TVL Allstar Video in Haverhill (still operating)

Blockbuster Video shops

Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date include:

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Failsworth, Manchester
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Do you still have a video rental store near you? Please let me know in the comments if you do!

Crazy Golf at Strikes Bar in Rugby Central shopping centre

Strikes Bar at The Adventure Zone in Rugby Central shopping centre is home to a Crazy Golf course.

A sign for Strikes Bar in Rugby Central shopping centre

Check out The Adventure Zone website for more information and opening times.

Crazy Golf at Yum Yum World in Rugby

The Yum Yum Crazy Golf course at Bounce World in Rugby, Warwickshire is no longer open.

You used to be able to get a hole-in-one at Bounce World in Rugby

We visited the course location on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour last year.

There was no sign of the course this time

The building it was in used to be home to a Woolworths. You can see still see the Woolies ghost sign there.

Adventure Golf at Go Wild Axe & Golf (Wild Blades) in Haverhill

There's an outdoor Adventure Golf course at the Go Wild centre in Haverhill, Suffolk.

The location is home to both Axe Throwing and Adventure Golf activities.

There are four Go Wild locations in Windermere, Haverhill, Bury St Edmunds and Hartlepool. Adventure Golf is available at the Haverhill and Hartlepool locations where you'll find the 12-hole lumberjack themed courses.

Check out the Go Wild website for more information.