Happy April Fools' Day!

Minigolf Monday WILL continue to be on a Monday. Obviously.

#MinigolfMonday

Happy Minigolf Monday!

Today is the last time Minigolf Monday will be celebrated on a Monday. From next week #MinigolfMonday will be held on a Tuesday.

Balls

My April Fools' Day story yesterday may have been a load of balls, but chipping in a rugby ball shaped golf ball might've got me closer to the hole than all these shots with pro minigolf balls.

At the Blackpool Pleasure Beach Adventure Golf course in 2008. Time has certainly flown by since that visit

Happy April Fools' Day!

Happy April Fools' Day!

Did you get reeled in by our egg-shaped minigolf story or not?

A spoof story about an egg-shaped golf ball on April Fools' Day AND Easter Sunday was impossible to resist

New regulation minigolf ball

We've heard there's going to be a new shape of golf ball allowed in minigolf tournaments - it's oval!

The egg-shaped ball will certainly add to the unpredictable nature of Crazy Golf tournaments.

Who knows who hatched the ingenious plan to inject more fun into the sport of minigolf. Hopefully we'll find out later today

Popular in our antipodes, the balls are used for the game of Golf Cross aka Kiwi Ball and enjoyed a short trial run at Adventure Island Mini Golf in Birmingham back in 2013 thanks to minigolf star Tiger Pragnell. Unfortunately the test event ended prematurely with myself and team-mate Adam Kelly in the lead. I'm looking forward to using the ball again - even though it rendered any course notes irrelevant with it's ludicrous bounce and roll.

There are thousands of different specialist minigolf balls available for use in tournament play, with hundreds more produced each year. I own a fair few - including a special Ball of Fame created to celebrate the second time the Midlands Minigolf Club won the British Club Championships

With the sport gaining momentum down under it's little surprise that the strange new ball is going to be used in competitions more often. The New Zealand Mini Golf Federation recently hosted the second NZ Minigolf Open competition at Lilliputt's T Rex Alley and Safari mini golf on Tamaki Drive in Auckland. The pro event was won by Australia's Allan 'The Putter King' Cox.

I bet my mate, minigolf rival and North West rugby correspondent Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley will be pleased to hear about the move too.

We've played quite a few variants of 'golf' including most kinds of miniature golf, although we're yet to play the Putt Putt brand of the game. Some of the versions include Pitch & Putt, FootGolf, Crazy Golf Pool, FootPool and Pit-Pat.

Happy April Fools' Day

Were you taken in by this morning's blog posts about a forced name change for minigolf and the banning of trainspotting, or did you see through them straight away?

Let me know if you fell for any other stories, or played some great pranks of your own.

What's in a name - from Minigolf to Crazy Golf

The triggering of Article 50 and the UK's divorce from the European Union will have an unexpected consequence for UK minigolfers. In 24-months from today all UK 'minigolf' courses will need to be renamed 'Crazy Golf' courses, regardless of whether or not they have wacky theming and obstacles including windmills and clown mouths.

Crazy Golf was invented in England in 1926. Here's the sign that proves it

The move is sure to divide fans of the miniature game.

The Crazy Golf course in Aberystwyth, Wales. In Europe this type of course is known as Swedish Felt, or Feltgolf. From 2019 it'll only be known as Crazy Golf on these shores

Crazy Golf is often used as a generic name for the game in the UK, and while some of our more serious European neighbours prefer to call it Minigolf, there are parts of Europe where you can still get a game of Crazy Golf. However, with the UK regaining its sovereignty it means these non-UK courses will also lose the right to be called 'Crazy Golf' or any variant of the name, such as Krazy with a 'K'.

No matter how crazy Minigolf courses like this one in Vista Alegre in Porto Cristo, Majorca look, they'll have to be called 'Minigolf'

2017 marks the 150th anniversary of the game's invention and the UK's first Miniature Golf course is still in operation at The Himalayas in St Andrews, Scotland. Quite what they'll make of the decision to rebrand the course as Crazy Golf I don't know!

It's hilly at The Himalayas in St Andrews, but it's not crazy. But it'll soon have to be

On our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour we've seen a lot of types and variants of the game. We're glad we managed to chalk up so many synonyms since 2006 as the British landscape is about to get a lot more boring.

Laying down the law. One of the many ways to say Crazy Golf in Welsh

Wales is perhaps going to be the hardest hit of the home nations. As a dual language country there are a lot of different ways to describe the game. We've visited almost all the courses in Wales and seen it called Golff Gwyllt, Golff Giamocs, Golff Gwallgof, Golff Gwirion, Minigolff, Golff Bach, Golff Mini, Maes Golff, Golf Byr, Cwrs Golff and Golff Anturus. That's a lot of signage which will need to be changed to say 'Golff Gwyllt'. It's all rather gwirion if you ask me.

No more trainspotting

In what could spell the end for my train nerdery I've heard word that trainspotting is to be banned next year!

Don't walk this way. Trainspotting ban to be enforced next year

Until recently train nerds were more than welcome to indulge in their passion for spotting the wide variety of different engines and rolling stock on our rails, no more so than at Stockport station.

Signs like these will be a thing of the past in a year today

But from 1st April 2018 - the same year the withdrawal of Pacer Railbuses is due to begin - Northern, along with other rail operators, will not allow non-travellers on the platform, bringing an end to a much loved (though often maligned) pastime.

Two things of the past - no more railbuses and no more train nerds in 2018

At least my YouTube Channel is well stocked with vids of the wide range of trains we get up north. Enjoy them while you can, as you won't see the likes of this cracker from next year.



I'll have to take up a new pursuit - any suggestions on what is a step-up/down from trainspotting or minigolf course hunting?

Related blog posts:
- Train Nerdery
- Dull Men's Club

Happy April Fools' Day!

Hope you've had a fun morning of spoof stories and joke news.

Of course there are going to be more courses built this year (and long into the future).

One of the many many many excellent courses to play in the UK

We're looking forward to playing more on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour as we near the 700 courses mark!

At the site of England's first-ever Crazy Golf course. It's in Skegness

Related blog posts:
- April Fools' Day

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.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

No new minigolf courses being built this year

New course construction halted for 2016.

In news released today we've heard that no further miniature golf courses will be opening this year!

According to the European Minigolf Union no new mini, crazy or adventure golf courses will be approved until after the EU referendum on Thursday 23rd June.

Emily playing at a newish indoor Adventure Golf course in Sheffield in February

Hans Zoff of the EMU has said "While we know the game of minigolf is gaining in popularity around the world, and especially in the UK, we are unable to sanction the design, planning or construction of any further courses until after the result of the Brexit poll in June."

It's a real shame that there aren't going to be any new courses opening until after the polls have closed, but at least there are over 700 courses to visit and play around the UK.

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.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Happy April Fools' Day from 'The Kentish Town Mini Golf Club'

Setting up a new minigolf club in the UK.

Emily and I have decided to set-up a new minigolf club - the Kentish Town Mini Golf Club.

Minigolf characters Richard and Emily Gottfried in Margate, Kent

I have played for the Midlands Minigolf Club since my rookie season in 2007, while Emily was most recently a member of the Cambridgeshire and Essex Mini Golf Club.

There were two main reasons for us creating a brand new club on the exciting and action packed British minigolf scene.

• Emily works in Kentish Town and is a mere eight minute walk away from the Clarence Way Crazy Golf course that we finally managed to play in 2012
• Since we moved from Luton to Leagrave in 2013 our local sports team is Kent Athletic Club - home to north Luton's number one football team, Kent Athletic FC

Last month we both competed for our respective former clubs in the BMGA British Club Championships and did well in the event. Now the time is right to build a new legacy. Starting today.

Richard playing the Clarence Way Crazy Golf course in Camden. Near Kentish Town

Back in 2011 Kent Athletic Club held a Bank Holiday Fun Day and one of the activities was Crazy Golf! The course became the 267th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the first we'd played on a football pitch.

A Crazy Golf course, with a windmill, set up on a football pitch, in Leagrave

We held the inaugural Kent(ish) Invitational Tournament on that course visit and the victory went to me with a score of 34 to Emily's 42.

The code of conduct of the Kentish Town Mini Golf Club is summarised below:

• Action - our events will be action packed 
• Playability - we'll play at any course. Anywhere
• Rankings - we'll set up the Kentish Town MGC ranking list for our members
• International - we welcome players from around the world to represent the KTMGC
• Lifestyle - we recognise minigolf is a lifestyle choice and we will have as much fun as possible while doing it
• Fun - see above
• Original - from it's name down, the KTMGC will be original in all it does
• Official - it is
• Longevity - we're in this for the long haul. Oh yes

The Kentish Town Mini Golf Club is open to all and for today only is offering free membership (the normal subs price will be £5 per player, per season). If you're interested in joining please get in touch via the comments below or on Twitter.

News of the British minigolf scene hasn't gone unnoticed. Mr Uri Foal from Kentish Town Council said "The forming of a new sports club in Kentish Town is always a cause for celebration. Having two fine minigolfers, Emily and Richard, committing their futures to the KTMGC is a sign of things to come."

Check out the links below for websites and Facebook pages of the other UK minigolf clubs.

Links:
- Kent Minigolf Club
- Midlands Minigolf Club
- Cambridgeshire and Essex Mini Golf Club
- Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Club
- London Minigolf Club - not online
- Splash Point Mini Golf Club
- Sussex Wasps Mini Golf Club
- British Minigolf Association
- European Minigolf Sport Federation
- World Minigolf Sport Federation

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Finally Playing the Camden Crazy Golf Course
- Crazy Golf in Luton - Charity Fun Day at Kent Athletic Club
- Richard Gottfried player profile
- Emily Gottfried player profile

'Squire' Richard Gottfried receives O.B.E. Honour

Services to Crazy Golf pay off for Luton Minigolfer.

Luton Minigolfer 'Squire' Richard Gottfried has received the prestigious honour of being bestowed with an O.B.E.!

The award was announced today in a letter passed On By Emily.

'Squire' Richard Gottfried - Out Standing in his Field

Long Live The Ham and Egger Files!

Of course The Ham and Egger Files will continue to be the home for all the news and updates from our Adventures on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour (and in other sports and games).

http://hamandeggerfiles.blogspot.com/

Gottfried Wins and The Ham & Egger Files Closes its Doors

Following my BIG 'win' at the Luton Sports Awards I've decided that the 'Ham and Egger Files' title for the Blog is no longer relevant - therefore, as of today, you can visit us at The Steak and Chip Files!

http://steakandchipfiles.blogspot.com/