Minigolf collectables from the Lost City Adventure Golf course in Nottingham

As my friends, family and regular readers of the blog will know, I'm a BIG fan of minigolf merchandise and ephemera.

The Lost City Adventure Golf course in Nottingham is a great place for minigolf ephemera

On our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour travels we've collected hundreds of scorecards, leaflets, postcards, pencils, balls, badges, t-shirts, tokens and whatnots.

The great branded scorecards and coasters at the Lost City Adventure Golf in Nottingham

A classic way to encourage repeat visits in the miniature golf business is to employ a 'Lucky Last Hole' where, as a bonus, you can try and win a free game - we've played a fair few on our travels, and won on some of them.

You're very likely to find a 'Top Hole' on an Arnold Palmer Putting Course and the Free Game Cards are great. They're well made and often draw on the history of the putting franchise.

In this day and age most courses that give out free games for Lucky Last Hole wins use a paper or card based 'token', and very few still give metal coins to winners.

Except for the Lost City Adventure Golf course in Nottingham. If you're skilled - and lucky - enough you might just win a piece of treasured Inca Gold!

The Lost City Adventure Golf's Temple Trail and Sacred Skull Pass courses were the 330th and 331st we played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. The 36-hole indoor layout has two Lucky Last Holes - both are actually the 18th hole of the course, rather than standalone holes.

The lucky last hole on the Sacred Skull Trail

The 18th Top Hole on the Temple Trail course

When we've played as members of the general public we've not been able to master the lucky last holes at Nottingham, and when we've played there in national tour competitions we've only used one course and skipped the 18th, replaying the 1st hole instead. So unfortunately we've never won a free game there.

I did win a bronze medal at the Midlands Invitational Tournament at the course last year though

But the team at the Lost City were kind enough to send me a nice package that contained a branded pen and two magnificent tokens in a cardboard slip case. Fantastic additions to my collection.

Two pieces of prized Inca Gold from Nottingham

A nice Lost City branded pen

What's more, the Lost City Adventure Golf also has it's own handstamp applied to its mail! Absolutely brilliant to see. There aren't nearly enough minigolf stamps, postmarks or handstamps in circulation.

The Lost City Adventure Golf have really gone to town on their branding - on our travels to 675 courses it's the only place we've seen with an Adventure Golf table! Marvellous.

The theming in Nottingham is brilliant

Check out the Lost City Adventure Golf's website for more details, opening times and prices.

The Lost City Adventure Golf course is well worth a visit

Links:
- The Lost City Adventure Golf
- The Crazy Golf Museum

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Ephemera
- Merchandise
- Token
- Tokens
- The Lost City Adventure Golf at The Cornerhouse in Nottingham
- Revisiting The Lost City Adventure Golf course in Nottingham
- A gift from Paradise

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.

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We Sell Xmas Trees

Driving home from work the other evening I had to take a detour through Luton town centre and spotted a sight that brought a smile to my face. I knew I'd have to head back in the daylight to get a snap of me next to it! And so I did.

You can buy Christmas Trees at The Windmill pub on Gipsy Lane in Luton

Looking at my Facebook Year in Review 99.9% of the photos show me next to, on, or inside something ridiculous! Long may it continue.

In a little hut at Brynbuga Castle in Usk

Having a whale of a time in Worthing

On some sort of podium in Nottingham

Celebrating Bedfordshire Day

Another day, another mascot

Related blog posts:
- Airdancer
- Christmas
- Christmas Tree
- Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-man

Gluten free beer update

Earlier this week I spotted that Twitter had introduced a new Poll function, so immediately asked a question.

The result of the poll is this blog post - on a topic I haven't posted about in a little while.

The Beer Cave and Westerham Brewery Co

En route to Hastings for the recent World Crazy Golf Championships we made a stop in Tunbridge Wells and while having a wander to stretch out legs we spotted a chalkboard sign advertising the Beer Cave. We heeded the instructions and found ourselves in the underground beer shop.

A great bit of advertising

If I see an independent beer shop I'll always pop in on the off chance that I'll find a gluten free beer, ale or lager that I haven't seen or tried before

The Beer Cave

I was in luck on this occasion as the chap at the Beer Cave let me know about Scotney Pale Ale from the Westerham Brewery Co! I had to buy a bottle at the reasonable price of £2.80.

Scotney Pale Ale by the Westerham Brewery Co

Find out more about Westerham Brewery Co's range of gluten free beers on their website. They do a fair few.

Check out the Beer Cave website and if you're walking along the High Street do make sure you head down the alley for a look around.

Flatstick Pub

Another gluten free beer I've only recently heard about is from the Ghostfish Brewing Co based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It's served at the Flatstick Pub in Kirkland, Washington, a place that is on my must visit list!

The main four gluten free beers from the Ghostfish Brewing Co are:
- Grapefruit IPA
- Shrouded Summit Witbier
- Vanishing Point IPA
- Watchstander Stout

They also have Taproom Exclusives.

Not only does the Flatstick Pub serve gluten free beer, but they've also got a minigolf course and an array of pub games, two of which I'd never seen before - Duffleboard and Puttskee!

Gluten free beers around the world

With the addition of the Ghostfish Brewing Co beers I've now found out about 108 gluten free beers, ales, lagers, stouts, porters etc. since I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 2008. Check out the full list on my blog post here.

Links:
- The Beer Cave
- Westerham Brewery Co
- Flatstick Pub
- Ghostfish Brewing Co
- The Puttskee
- Coeliac UK

Related blog posts:
- Details of gluten free ale, beer and lager found since being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease
- Gluten Free Ales, Beers and Lagers
- Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in Pub Beer Gardens
- Pub Games

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter. You can also sign-up to receive our newsletter.

Grünerløkka Minigolf Park in Oslo, Norway

Finding out about a Miniature Golf course in Norway.

As regular readers of the blog will know I do like a bit of post. Especially if it's minigolf-related. So I was very pleasantly surprised with a nice piece of ephemeral advertising that recently dropped through my letter box.

The Grünerløkka Minigolf Park can be found in Oslo

Many thanks to Anthony Pope from Splash Point Mini Golf course in Worthing, West Sussex for posting the leaflet from the Grünerløkka Minigolf Park in Norway to me. Anthony tells me he visited the Oslo course in December. Sadly it was closed when he arrived. It sounds like one of our visits on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

The inside of the promotional leaflet

The course is an 'Eternit' style of Miniature Golf and the 18-hole layout is approved for competitions by the Norwegian Minigolf Federation. Hopefully we'll get to give it a play one day.

The front, back and a bit of the middle

Emily and I actually appear on a minigolf promotional item - down in Dorset the courses put together a leaflet that asked the question "Where is the best Crazy Golf course in Dorset?"

Links:
- Grünerløkka Minigolf Park website
- Christiania Minigolf Club website
- Norges Minigolf Forbund website
- Splash Point Mini Golf website

Related blog posts:
- Ephemera
- Advertising
- Leaflet
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Anthony Pope
- Splash Point Mini Golf
- Eternit

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.

Ribenary Crazy Golf

Crazy Golf in Ribena's new marketing campaign.

I was excited to hear about the new marketing campaign from Ribena as it includes Crazy Golf!

Hole 1 is called Blackcurrant Forest. That looks like a tricky loop-di-loop (and a sneak 'Pro' shot being played around the obstacle)

The three-hole Crazy Golf course is showcasing the Ribena Flavour range - with a hole for Strawberry, Blackcurrant and Mango. As well as offering a game of Crazy Golf the Ribenary campaign team are also giving out samples of the drinks. I've heard that the course has also used scent technology to give players a whiff of the different flavours as they play.

Make sure to grab a drink after your round of Ribenary Crazy Golf

The Ribenary Crazy Golf course looks really good and it's a nice touch that they've got scorecards for players to use and keep.

Over the rainbow bridge on the Strawberry flavoured hole 2. Hole 3 features a 'Mango Maze'!

The campaign has been running since the end of July and will continue into September. So far the Ribena-themed Crazy Golf course has popped up in Cardiff, Bristol, Reading and Swindon.

This week the Ribenary Golf course is in Liverpool and Manchester. With the course rolling into Glasgow, Newcastle, Southampton, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Brighton, Sheffield and Leeds in the coming weeks.

On our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour we've played minigolf in most of the towns on the list. Cardiff, Reading, Southampton, Sheffield and Leeds are all on our 'to visit' list.

Check out the #RibenaryGolf hashtag on Twitter and the Ribena website for more information.

You can't get more Ribenary than a BIG strawberry on a Ribena-themed minigolf course!

I'm feeling thirsty now!

Links:
- Ribena website
- Ribena on Twitter
- Ribena on Facebook
- Ribena on YouTube
- Ribena on Google+

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Marketing
- Advertising

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.

Stonehaven, Kincardineshire Official Holiday Guide

Finding an old Official Holiday Guide, including Mini Golf Putting, for the town of Stonehaven, Kincardineshire.

While on a day out in Bedford I noticed an Antiques and Collectors fair going on at St Paul's Church so popped in to see if I could find any minigolf postcards or ephemera.

I was in luck as I found an interesting old Official Guide for visitors to the seaside town of Stonehaven.

The Stonehaven Official Guide, designed and produced under the authority of the Town Council by Mearns Publications. Printed by Langstane Press, Aberdeen

Flicking through the guide I spotted a half page photo of the Putting and Bowling Greens on page 19.

Some of the entertainment and leisure facilities on offer to visitors to the town

On page 22 it states there were two putting courses in the town, and on page 35 the cost per round is given as 6d.

Stonehaven is on the north east coast of Scotland and lies 15 miles south of Aberdeen. Stonehaven is now a part of Aberdeenshire as Kincardinshire lost its administrative status in 1975. I couldn't find any other dates of publication of the old guide, but it is pre-decimal (before 1971). Very interesting to see the old phone numbers listed too - only four-digits long!

At a guess I would say the guide was produced in 1966. A recent event shown is the reopening of the old tolbooth by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1963. There is also an advert on the inside back cover for Milne's Soft Drinks and Cordials - they are endorsed by Andy Ross, the 1965 winner of the Suffolk Point to Point.

Looking online the current official website for the town is the Stonehaven Guide. You can still find a Putting course at the Stonehaven Recreation Grounds Club. Its existence was confirmed by George McGillivray of the Stonehaven Guide.

The old guide is great find, with some nice minigolf and seaside holiday history.

Over the years Emily and I have enjoyed some very nice trips to Scotland on our travels.

Links:
- Stonehaven Guide website
- Stonehaven Guide on Twitter
- Kincardineshire
- The Crazy Golf Museum

Related blog posts:
- Putting courses
- Putting greens
- Scotland

Luton. Or is it?

A great new advertising campaign from easyJet.

Commuting isn't the most fun thing in the world, but a new advert from Luton-based airline easyJet recently brought a smile to my face on a recent trip home.

I've lived in Luton for 15 years and never seen the town's name written this way! 

It makes me proud to live in the northern region of Luton known as Lëagrâvé.

Links:
- easyJet
- London Luton Airport
- Thameslink

Related blog posts:
- easyJet
- Luton 

Where is the best Crazy Golf course in Dorset?

"Where is the best Crazy Golf course in Dorset?" - That's the question asked on a new promotional leaflet from the team at three Miniature Golf courses in Dorset.

A photo of Emily playing at Poole Park's Crazy Golf course appears on the leaflet

There's a photo of me playing a shot on the 12th hole at Poole Park's Crazy Golf course on the leaflet too

Over the years we've visited all three courses (including the course that was previously in Poole Park) and each is quite different. Rather than answering the question I'd suggest giving them all a play.

Playing Crazy Golf at Poole Park in October 2010

Emily at Boscombe Chine Mini Golf in July 2013

Playing at Sandbanks Crazy Golf in June 2009

On our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour we've visited over 570 courses and quite a few in Dorset. Check out my blog post 'Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in Dorset' for details of the courses we also played in Weymouth, Bournemouth, Southbourne and Fordingbridge between October 2008 and March 2013.

Some of my most viewed videos on my YouTube Channel are from visits to Poole Park. Check out this 'Pro' shot hole-in-one video.

Many thanks to Mick 'The Man' Gisbourne for sending along the new promotional leaflet.

Playing the old 9-hole Crazy Golf course at Poole Park in October 2009

There's also a grass Putting Green at Poole Park

Emily and I aren't the only Minigolfers adorning a promotional leaflet for a course - Paul 'Johnson Paul Johnson' Johnson and Chris 'Who' Harding are in the flyer for the Quest Krazy Golf course at Merry Hill in Dudley!

For locations, contact information, prices and opening times of the Sandbanks, Poole Park and Boscombe Minigolf courses check out the links below.

Links:

- Sandbanks Crazy Golf
- Poole Park Crazy Golf
- Boscombe Mini Golf

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in Dorset
- Dorset
- Sanbanks
- Poole Park
- Revisit to Poole Park in Dorset - Crazy Golf & Minigolf
- Boscombe
- A great piece of Minigolf ephemera
- Ephemera
- Merchandise

A Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man in Ayr

Adding a sighting of a Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man to our collection.

While on holiday in Ayr we spotted a Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man at the Golden Disc Amusement Arcade on the seafront.

The Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man at the Golden Disc Amusement Arcade in Ayr, Scotland

It was the first Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man we'd spotted on our travels in quite a while!



Related blog posts:
- Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men
- Arnold Palmer Putting Courses, Crazy Golf and Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-men in Ayr!
- Ayr
- Scotland

An Advertising Airdancer Not Dancing in Boscombe

Another in the long line of sort of Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-men to add to my 'collection'.

The latest in the long line of Airdancers spotted on my travels was advertising payday loans at the Cash Converters in Boscombe, Dorset. It was lurching a fair bit when we first spotted it.

The not so Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-man in Boscombe

The following day it was a bit more upright, but needn't a bit more air.

A little more upright

Link: 

- Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man Related Blog Posts on the Ham & Egger Files

A Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man in Stretford

Another Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man added to my ‘collection’ in Manchester!

 

While in Manchester to play the Chrizy Golf course and various other shenanigans at the weekend I was driving from Old Trafford to the Trafford Centre via Stretford in Manchester when I spotted a Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man outside Gleave Tool Centre on Chester Road!

Me and the Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man at Gleave Tool Centre in Stretford

Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-men (or Airdancers to give them their technical name) are often used to help businesses in their advertising (as well as a few other things if you believe Family Guy's Al Harrington).

The Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man at Gleave Tool Centre in Stretford, Manchester

Once again the Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man did its job in raising awareness of Gleave Tool Centre (founded in 1833 when it traded as "Wooden Plane Manufacturers and Dealers of Tools and Sheffield Cutlery"!).

 

Links:
- Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man Related Blog Posts
- Gleave Tool Centre

- Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tubeman on Family Guy Wiki

A Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-man in Flimwell

While travelling to Hastings, East Sussex last Thursday ahead of the 2012 'Castle Golf' World Crazy Golf Championship we travelled through Flimwell and at the cross roads on Hawkhurst Road I spotted a Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-man!!!

A Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-man outside the Country Furniture Barn in Flimwell

I had to turn the car round to have a photo taken with them to add to my 'collection'. What was great that there wasn't just one of them outside the Country Furniture Barns, but two of them! And even better than that, they were double-sided!

The second Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-man outside the Country Furniture Barn in Flimwell. This one was by the car park.

The point of Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-men (or Airdancers to give them their technical name) are there to help advertise businesses (as well as a few other things if you believe Family Guy's Al Harrington).

A Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-man and a Blue Airdancer.

It certainly worked as we popped into the Country Furniture Bar shop for a browse and would recommend it for a visit as there were some nice home, kitchen & garden furnishings and decorations.

Links:

- Other Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-men Related Blog Posts on The Ham & Egger Files

- Country Furniture Barns in Flimwell, East Sussex

- Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tubeman on Family Guy Wiki