Happy Birthday Butlin's!

Today marks the 80th birthday of Butlin's Holiday Camps. On the 11th April 1936 Billy Butlin opened his first camp in Skegness, Lincolnshire - and the business is still going strong today.

I love the British seaside with all its quirks, eccentricity and traditional entertainment. I grew up on holidays at Butlin's holiday camps in Minehead, Bognor Regis and Ayr - and spent many summers in the 80's and 90's at the Barry Island Holiday Camp which used to be a Butlin's camp.

I spent many great holidays at Butlin's Minehead. It was nice finding these badges at Hitchin Market recently

In fact my parents met at a Butlin's! At the Clacton-on-Sea camp way back in 1975 and this year they are celebrating their ruby wedding anniversary.

It's probably in no small part because of our childhood stays at holiday camps - and all the fun they had to offer - that Emily and I have spent the last ten years travelling around the UK coast on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We also visited Butlin's Minehead (formerly Somerwest World) on one of our first holidays together in 2004.

As well as being home to the first Butlin's holiday camp, Skegness is also the site of England's first Crazy Golf course.
It opened in 1926

Over the years we've built up a great collection of miniature golf postcards, and we always keep an eye out for Butlin's cards. They're such colourful and fun cards, and seeing the monorail at Minehead brings back so many happy memories.

Within our postcard collection we've got a great selection of old and new Butlin's postcards. The images on the classic John Hinde are fantastic and it's been great to receive cards from our family when they've been to the camps in recent years. The oldest Butlin's card we have was posted on the 4th June 1951. It shows the Putting Green at Butlin's Luxury Holiday Camp in Pwllheli, Wales

Look at the size of the golf ball on the tee at the Butlin's Putting Greens. The monorails were marvellous too

Last summer we visited Skegness, and while we've not been inside that camp (yet) our friend Peter Jones was coincidently there at the same time for a Five Star concert and managed to buy me a stack of great badges for my collection.

Good luck to Butlin's and all the best for the next 80 years...

Links:
- Butlin's
- Butlin's blog
- John Hinde postcards

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Postcards

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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

Derelict Minigolf course in Ayr

Finding another unplayable miniature golf course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

The 230th course NOT played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

When we arrived in Ayr we had a wander around the town and headed for the seafront. It was too late in the day to play the Mini Championship Golf course at Pirate Pete's, or the Crazy Golf and Mini Golf Putting on the seafront, but we scouted them out ready for a play on Monday.

Continuing just along the prom from the Crazy Golf and Putting I noticed a kiosk with a blanked out sign and guessed that it might be another Minigolf course. What I didn't realise was that it'd be a derelict 18-hole course!

On close inspection of the 'ghost sign' on the hut it said "Putting & Crazy Golf"! There was no sign of the Putting on the site anymore

The layout was a Miniaturegolf/Eternit type of course, with felt added to the concrete base. Quite a find!

The derelict Minigolf course in Ayr was the 230th course we've visited but not played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, and the 572nd visited overall since September 2006.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Scotland
- Ayr

Golf Putting in Ayr, Scotland - 18-hole seafront course

Playing the seafront Putting course in Ayr.

After playing the Crazy Golf course on the seafront in Ayr we headed over the fence for the second round of minigolf on the site and the 18-hole Putting course.

In our Putting match-up I defeated Emily by one shot, 42 to 43.

The seafront Putting Green course in Ayr became the 342nd played and 570th visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The course was well maintained and good fun to play. There is also a second-round-half-price deal at the two courses - both are well worth a play if you're in Ayr.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Scotland
- Crazy Golf in Ayr, Scotland - 18-hole seafront course

Crazy Golf in Ayr, Scotland - 18-hole seafront course

Playing the seafront Crazy Golf course in Ayr.

At the seafront Crazy Golf and Putting courses in Ayr

After playing the Mini Championship Golf course at Pirate Pete's in Ayr on Monday 28th July we headed down to the beach for a walk on the sand, before returning along the promenade to play on the Crazy Golf and Putting courses we'd spotted upon arriving in Ayr on the Saturday.

The Ayr seafront Crazy Golf course looks good and has a mix of wooden and fibreglass obstacles (upon its wooden frame)

The Crazy Golf course is in a great location just off the promenade

Emily playing a shot on the seafront Crazy Golf course in Ayr

About to score a hole-in-one on the Ayr Crazy Golf course

Emily plays a shot on the Ayr course. There are some great views from the layout

An unfortunate shot landed me in a tricky spot!

Putting at Ayr Crazy Golf

In our Crazy Golf match on the course I beat Emily 43(+7) to 47(+11).



The seafront Crazy Golf course in Ayr became the 342nd played and 570th visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

I really liked the clubs in use at the course, they were really high-quality putters.

Right next to the Crazy Golf course is a very good 18-hole Putting Course that we played too. The courses have a great deal where your second round (on either course) is half-price.

The seafront Putting course in Ayr lies just beyond the Crazy Golf course

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Scotland
- Golf Putting in Ayr, Scotland - 18-hole seafront course

Pirate Pete's Minigolf in Ayr, Scotland

Playing the 9-hole Mini Championship Golf course at Pirate Pete's in Ayr.

On the Mini Championship Golf course at Pirate Pete's in Ayr

The Mini Championship Golf course at Pirate Pete's in Ayr became the 341st played and 575th visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when we had a game there on the 28th July 2014.

The 9-hole course is at Pirate Pete's Family Entertainment Centre at The Pavilion on Ayr Seafront and each of the holes is based on a famous hole in 'big' golf.

 

Our match-up - played over 18-holes as one £4 play of the course allows you two 9-hole rounds - saw me beat Emily 41 to 45.

A nice looking and fun to play course that is well worth a visit if in Ayr.

Links:
- Pirate Pete's

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Scotland