The Masters Putting Green in Southport - celebrating 60 years in 2025

The Masters Putting Green crazy golf course in Southport, Merseyside is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

The Masters Putting Green Crazy Golf course at King's Gardens in Southport in 2016

The 18-hole crazy golf course opened for business back in 1965.

The course on a very busy Miniature Golf Day in 2019

The Masters Putting Green in Southport is of the Arnold Palmer Putting Course variety, and opened under the Arnold Palmer branding in 1965.

Playing The Masters Putting Green at King's Gardens in Southport back in September 2009

Find out more.

You can find out more about The Masters Putting Green on the Southport Crazy Golf website.

The Masters Putting Green in Southport, 23rd November 2016

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Masters Putting Green in Southport was the 150th course we played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've revisited the course in October and November 2016, January and October 2018, and September 2019.

September 2009

October 2016

November 2016

A revisit is long overdue!

The Windmill at The Masters Putting Green in Southport, 23rd November 2016

Winning a FREE GAME at The Masters Putting Green Crazy Golf course at King's Gardens in Southport, 4th September 2009

Winning a FREE GAME at The Masters Putting Green Crazy Golf course at King's Gardens in Southport, 4th September 2009

The Masters Putting Green Crazy Golf at King's Gardens in Southport, 1st January 2018

The Masters Putting Green Crazy Golf at King's Gardens in Southport, 1st January 2018

Arnold Palmer Putting Courses.

Arnold Palmer Putting Courses are a design classic and include all the elements that make a Crazy Golf course great – the Windmill, the Waterwheel, an Obelisk, ledges, bunkers, traps, flat loops, hills and plateaus – everything laid out to make a course interesting, testing and most of all fun!

They're my favourite type of minigolf course and I've visited most of those that still remain in the UK.

The Arnold Palmer branded miniature golf courses were part of the Arnold Palmer Enterprises empire set-up in 1961 that saw the legendary golfer's name licensed and franchised to a wide-range of activities and products including Dry Cleaning centres and an Arnold Palmer brand foot detergent.

By 1966 there were 130 Arnold Palmer Putting Courses in the USA, with ten in Japan and some in South Africa.

Southport's Crazy Golf course lays claim to being the first Arnold Palmer Putting Course in the UK (there is also some information that a course in Coventry opened as the first in 1965 and was part of an Arnold Palmer Driving Range in the city). An Arnold Palmer Putting course was also located at a Driving Range in Sheffield.

Take a look at my blog post about "Arnold Palmer Putting Courses in the UK" for further information.

The Arnold Palmer Putting Course in Cleethorpes

A look back at a visit to play the Arnold Palmer Putting Course in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire.

The recent run of sunny summer weather has got me thinking back to our visit to a very sunny Cleethorpes back in 2018.

I've played a lot of minigolf courses on my travels and my favourite type is the classic Arnold Palmer Putting Course.

There aren't too many examples left in the UK, but the majority of those still out there are in very playable condition. They are superb fun and a real test of putting skill.

I highly recommend giving them a play the next chance you get to have a game of miniature golf.

One of my all-time favourite courses is the Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. I played it a lot on our last trip to the seaside resort.

Holes 1-9

I'm looking forward to returning!

Holes 10-18

Bognor Regis Mini Golf in West Sussex

It's always fun finding Arnold Palmer Putting Courses on our travels, and the Bognor Regis layout is a superb example.

Bognor Regis Mini Golf

We first visited this particular Crazy Golf course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in October 2011 when it became the 275th course played.

Bognor Regis Mini Golf

I replayed the course in September 2022. It's a challenging layout, and while it does offer some nice hole-in-one opportunities there are some very tricky holes and obstacles on it.

The Bognor Regis Mini Golf course was built in 1993 and was the last new Arnold Palmer Putting Course layout to be created.

Check out Bognor Regis Mini Golf on Facebook for more information.

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

A replay of the Prestatyn Crazy Golf course.

I played the excellent Prestatyn Crazy Golf in Prestatyn, North Wales on 'National Miniature Golf Day' back in May.

I managed to capture this shot of the superb course and its classic crazy golf colours during a gap in players on the course during a busy and very warm summer afternoon

The course was originally the 147th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2009.

At Prestatyn Crazy Golf

As one of our local seaside towns we used to head to Prestatyn a few times a year. We went there in December 2021 during the pandemic and before that the last visit was in June 2019.

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

The Prestatyn Crazy Golf course is one of our favourite locations and is an excellent Arnold Palmer Putting Course.

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

I very much enjoyed my two rounds on the 18-hole layout and scored a 40 (+4) on each round. Not too bad considering how rusty my putting is!

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

It's a course that is well worth a visit and I'm very much looking forward to another game there in the future.

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

Miniature Golf Days

Each year there are two 'minigolf days', the second of which is Miniature Golf Day. It is always on the 21st September.

The other is National Miniature Golf Day, marked on the second Saturday in May. Planning ahead to next year that will be Saturday 10th May 2025.

Arnold Palmer Mini Golf course in Southend

Here's a look at the Arnold Palmer Mini Golf course in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

We revisited the 18-hole Arnold Palmer Mini Golf course on the Esplanade in Southend-on-Sea on our trip to the seaside town in April 2023.

The course was originally the 16th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in March 2007 and we've returned a number of times since then.

The layout at the site is the 'East course' and is one of what were two courses there. When we first visited the remains of the 'West course' could still be seen.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,064 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. 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 (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

When added to the courses my brother Christopher 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 1,111 courses visited!

A scorecard from Prestatyn Crazy Golf

A look at a scorecard from Prestatyn Crazy Golf.

Photos of the Prestatyn Crazy Golf course

I revisited and replayed the excellent Prestatyn Crazy Golf in Prestatyn, North Wales on National Miniature Golf Day in May this year.

I managed to capture this shot of the superb course and its classic crazy golf colours during a gap in players on the course during a busy and very warm summer afternoon

The course was originally the 147th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2009.

At Prestatyn Crazy Golf

The Prestatyn Crazy Golf course is one of our favourite locations and is an excellent Arnold Palmer Putting Course.

I very much enjoyed my two rounds on the 18-hole layout and scored a 40 (+4) on each round.

It's a course that is well worth a visit and I'm very much looking forward to another game there in the future.

Playing at Prestatyn Crazy Golf

A revisit to the Prestatyn Crazy Golf course.

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

I revisited and replayed the excellent Prestatyn Crazy Golf in Prestatyn, North Wales on National Miniature Golf Day in May.

I managed to capture this shot of the superb course and its classic crazy golf colours during a gap in players on the course during a busy and very warm summer afternoon

The course was originally the 147th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2009.

At Prestatyn Crazy Golf

As one of our local seaside towns we used to head to Prestatyn a few times a year. We went there in December 2021 during the pandemic and before that the last visit was in June 2019! Where's the time gone since then!

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

The Prestatyn Crazy Golf is one of our favourite courses and is an excellent Arnold Palmer Putting Course.

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

I very much enjoyed my two rounds on the 18-hole layout and scored a 40 (+4) on each round. Not too bad considering how rusty my putting is!

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

It's a course that is well worth a visit and I'm very much looking forward to another game there in the future.

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

Prestatyn Crazy Golf