Joe Joe Jim's Crazy Crazy Golf at Fletcher's Arcade in Cofton Hackett, Birmingham

A look back at our visit to play at Joe Joe Jim's Crazy Crazy Golf course at Fletcher's Arcade in Cofton Hackett, Birmingham.

We visited Joe Joe Jim's Crazy Crazy Golf course at Fletcher's Arcade in South Birmingham back in August 2018. The course was the 829th overall course visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006. It was the 791st course visited in the UK and the 491st we've played.

Joe Joe Jim's Crazy Crazy Golf course was a unique and quite frankly ludicrous minigolf course! The course and game-play had to be seen and experienced to be believed. It really was Crazy Crazy Golf! What's extra special about the layout is the inspiration the course owners and designers have drawn from the local area, history, their business and their own interests. Fletcher's Arcade has been on the same site since 1920, with the Crazy Crazy Golf course an addition in 2017.

Hole 1 involved a number of 'putting' styles, including a rope pulley

This was the first - and to date, only - time I've putted using a spirit level

The final putt was played with a normal club

My favourite hole at the course - Wac-Man!

Emily playing the plain 'Just Crazy Golf' hole

Hole 1 - The Man Hole

Hole 2 - The Longbridge Job

Hole 3 - Two Tongued Toad Hole

Hole 4 - Middle Earth

Hole 5 - WAC Man

Hole 6 - Just Crazy Golf

Hole 7 - Rock N Roll

Hole 8 - Blind Fold Hole - yes, you do have to play it blindfolded. Your opponent has to guide you on how to play it, as the score you make is added to THEIR total!

Hole 9 - Whole Lot of Laughs - you tee-off while sat on Jasper Carrott's funky moped!

As well as the Crazy Crazy Golf course Fletcher's Arcade had a number of great retro arcade games including Pac-Man, Track & Field, Space Invaders and Defender. It was well worth a visit.

Playing Pac-Man

Find out more.

Check out Joe Joe Jim's Bar and the Fletcher's Arcade website for more information.

Little Pro Family Golf Games.

The arcade was also home to one of only two Little Pro Family Golf Games made by Bromley. What a treat it was to see it and have a play on it!

Link:

• Joe Joe Jim's Bar and the Fletcher's Arcade website

Putt It! Par-Tee at Mega City in Slough

You can play the Putt It! Par-Tee game at Mega City in Slough, Berkshire.

The Putt It! Par-Tee arcade redemption game is a mix of skee-ball and minigolf.

Find out more on the SEGA Arcade and Mega City websites.

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze game experience

Memories of playing The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze game experience in Tenby, Wales.

We played The Crystal Maze game at the CC2000 tenpin bowling & entertainment, near Narbeth in Wales back in 2009.

The Crystal Maze was a staple part TV diet during my childhood and teenage years, and it would've been brilliant to go on the show.

During our minigolfing road-trip around the Welsh coast in 2009 we took a break from playing Crazy Golf to visit the Oakwood Indoor Family Entertainment Centre - where we entered The Crystal Maze!

At that time it was the last remaining example of the 'Cyberdrome Crystal Maze' games in the UK. Sadly it closed for good in June 2010. It would've been brilliant to return for a few more games there.

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze was absolutely superb to play. We think more of them should have been built back in the day. There were only ever eight built - five in the UK, two in Japan, and one in Dubai.

Just like the TV show, games were played in four themed zones - Aztec, Futuristic, Medieval, and Ocean. But unlike the TV show players were guided around the maze by Merlin - a computerised Maze Master.

Aztec Zone

Futuristic Zone

Medieval Zone

Ocean Zone

We managed to win six of the nine games we played, and in the Crystal Dome itself we collected 103 Gold and 28 Silver 'tokens' for a grand total of 75. So we didn't win the "super-duper" prize.

In the Crystal Dome

However, we were first on the leaderboard for the day and got "1st of 1" printed on our souvenir certificate!

At that time the Cyberdrome Crystal Maze was the closest you could get to playing the real Crystal Maze. Now you can play The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience in London and Manchester. The Manchester venue is so close to us that we really ought to get a team together for a game there!

The Indoor Mini Golf course at The Palace Fun Centre amusement arcade in Rhyl, Wales

A look at the indoor Mini Golf course at The Palace Fun Centre in Rhyl, North Wales on Tuesday 2nd December 2025.

We first visited and played the Mini Golf course at The Palace Fun Centre in Rhyl on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in June 2019.

Find out more.

Visit The Palace Fun Centre and Amusement Arcade website to find out more about the course.

Related blog posts:

• Rhyl
• Indoor Mini Golf
• Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
• Mini Golf at the Palace Fun Centre in Rhyl

Video:

• The indoor Mini Golf course at The Palace Fun Centre arcade in Rhyl, Wales

Blockbuster Golf & Games and Block Party

A look back at Blockbuster Golf & Games and Block Party venues in the USA.

With the news that the first Netflix House location will be home to a mini-golf course among the activities on offer, it's interesting to note how it's predecessor Blockbuster Video had some similar concepts back in the 1990s.

Blockbuster Golf & Games

Blockbuster Golf & Games was an entertainment centre that gathered together mini golf, batting cages, a giant arcade and more in one location. It didn't go as far as Netflix House in its use of popular brands and licences from the world of TV, film and entertainment though, with the Blockbuster branding being prominent.

Blockbuster Golf & Games was located in Sunrise, Florida, USA and opened in 1994. It closed in the year 2000.

Every so often old golf balls from Blockbuster Golf & Games appear for sale, however there isn't a lot of information or photos of the actual course available online.

Block Party

Also in 1994 Blockbuster Video opened two 'Block Party' locations - one in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and another in Indianapolis, Indiana. They closed in 2002.

Block Party was an indoor entertainment centre that brought together recreational activities in a retail environment including virtual reality games, laser tag, arcade games, indoor rides, 4D experiences and more.

Dead Mall Walking did a nice deep-dive into Block Party (and includes Blockbuster Golf & Games) and you can watch it at this link and the video below.

Did you ever visit Blockbuster Golf & Games or Block Party? Do you have memories of the place and the minigolf course at Blockbuster Golf & Games?

Blockbuster Video nostalgia

Nowadays there is nostalgia for the Blockbuster brand, and while there is still one solitary Blockbuster Video store still operating - in Bend, Oregon - you are more likely to see the Blockbuster name adorning pop-ups at events. One of the more recent was a collaboration with KitKat.

Blockbuster Crazy Golf

Interestingly there are 'Blockbuster' store-themed minigolf holes in the UK! They're part of the Golf Fang indoor crazy golf courses. This was the one at The Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham back in 2017.

Blockbuster Video crazy golf hole at Golf Fang in Digbeth, Birmingham (November 2017)

The remains of Blockbuster Video in the UK

I've enjoyed researching the lost brand and seeking out remnants of old Blockbuster stores over the last few years.

I found the preserved remains of a Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in 2019. Sadly that location was demolished in January 2024. This is what it looked like shortly before it was lost forever.

During the pandemic my interest in lost brands and retail history was piqued and since then I've been to several former Blockbuster Video stores around the UK, as well as finding some other old, and some still open, video shops on our travels!

Blockbuster Video store in Nuneaton, Warwickshire (May 2021)

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster Video stores around the world. 500+ of which were in England, Scotland and Wales. Interestingly in Northern Ireland the Xtra-Vision brand was used by the owners in-line with the Republic of Ireland. The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013.

Memories of The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze game experience

We played The Crystal Maze game at the CC2000 tenpin bowling & entertainment, near Narbeth in Wales back in 2009.

The Crystal Maze was a staple part TV diet during my childhood and teenage years, and it would've been brilliant to go on the show.

During our minigolfing road-trip around the Welsh coast in 2009 we took a break from playing Crazy Golf to visit the Oakwood Indoor Family Entertainment Centre - where we entered The Crystal Maze!

At that time it was the last remaining example of the 'Cyberdrome Crystal Maze' games in the UK. Sadly it closed for good in June 2010. It would've been brilliant to return for a few more games there.

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze was absolutely superb to play. We think more of them should have been built back in the day. There were only ever eight built - five in the UK, two in Japan, and one in Dubai.

Just like the TV show, games were played in four themed zones - Aztec, Futuristic, Medieval, and Ocean. But unlike the TV show players were guided around the maze by Merlin - a computerised Maze Master.

We managed to win six of the nine games we played, and in the Crystal Dome itself we collected 103 Gold and 28 Silver 'tokens' for a grand total of 75. So we didn't win the "super-duper" prize. However, we were first on the leaderboard for the day and got "1st of 1" printed on our souvenir certificate!

At that time the Cyberdrome Crystal Maze was the closest you could get to playing the real Crystal Maze. Now you can play The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience in London and Manchester. The Manchester venue is so close to us that we really ought to get a team together for a game there!

Photos of The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in Tenby (2009).

Being set a task by Merlin

Aztec Zone

Futuristic Zone

Medieval Zone

Ocean Zone

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

Inside the Crystal Dome ready to 'collect' some prize tokens