Happy birthday Putt-Putt

Today marks the 64th anniversary of the first Putt-Putt course, set-up by Don Clayton in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA back in 1954.

To mark the occasion I've spoken to a number of my fellow miniature golf enthusiasts and bloggers and they've shared photos of some of their favourite Putt-Putt courses.

Putt Putt in Richmond, Indiana. Photo by Tom & Robin at A Couple of Putts

Putt-Putt is the only patented game of miniature golf and began in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1954. In the 1960's Putt-Putt franchises began opening outside of the US, in locations such as the one on the postcard shown below, as well as Australia and Japan. You can read the Putt-Putt story on the Putt-Putt Fun Centres website.

The Putt Putt Fun Center course in Hickory, North Carolina photographed by Pat Sheridan of The Putting Penguin minigolf website

Putt Putt Pro Matt Bellner playing the course in Arlington, TX

Matt Bellner playing the Putt Putt course in Lake Charles, LA, USA

On the competitive side of the game, Putt-Putt tournaments have been played since 1959. You can read about the history of the PPA and APA on the Professional Putters Association website.

Putt Putt Fun Center in Richmond, Indiana. Photo by Tom Loftus and Robin Schwartzman at A Couple of Putts

Unfortunately the closest Emily and I have got to playing a Putt-Putt course is a postcard, some game tokens, a jigsaw puzzle and a photo one of my family took while in South Africa!

A Putt-Putt postcard from South Africa

I do have a lot of Putt-Putt tokens in my collection

The Putt-Putt course at Three Anchor Bay in Moullie Point/Sea Point in Cape Town, photo by Adam Trigg

A Putt-Putt Puzzle of a very crazy Miniature Golf course. Published by Hallmark Cards Inc. Many thanks to our friend 'Hacksaw' Jon Drexler for sending it across the pond to live in the Crazy Golf Museum

There used to be Putt-Putt brand minigolf courses in the UK, but they're long gone.

Check out the Putt-Putt website for more information on Putt-Putt brand minigolf. You can find out more information about Putt-Putt tournaments on the Professional Putters Association website.

Between 1958 and 2000 there were a number of newsletters and magazines produced and the online archive is a mine of information. My favourite Putt-Putt World cover is definitely that of the Summer 1982 edition (volume 24, number 3)!

Related blog posts:
- A Putt-Putt Postcard from South Africa
- Putt-Putt at Three Anchor Bay in Moullie Point/Sea Point in Cape Town
- A token blog post

Links:
- Putt-Putt
- Professional Putters Association (PPA)

Happy Birthday Pac-Man

Today is Pac-Man's 38th birthday!

Pac-Man was originally launched in Japan on the 22nd May 1980. His first appearance in the USA was on the 10th October.

The last place I saw Pac-Man was at Level in Preston while visiting the new Crazy Golf course there

I'm a big fan of Pac-Man and have seen him (and some of his clones) a fair bit on my travels.

'Pac-Man' on a shop sign in Preston

Check out all the other Pac-Man related blog posts on the Ham & Egger Files. I think Credit Cruncher in Bristol is my favourite bootleg Pac-Man shop sign.

From Stockport to Stockholm on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

A Crazy World of Minigolf Tour update from our trip to Sweden.

The 800th course we've visited - Swing by Golfbaren

Last weekend we headed to Stockholm for a mini-minigolfing trip to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the opening of the excellent Swing by Golfbaren miniature golf course run by our friend and minigolf rival Hans Olofsson.

Hans and me at his minigolf course in Aspudden

While in Sweden we managed to visit nine courses in 42 hours. The visit to Swing by Golfbaren was also the 800th course visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

At Golfbaren Aspudden

The nine minigolf courses we visited on the trip were:

• 798 (29th overseas) Solna, Sweden (Solna Bangolfklubb) - Eternit Miniature Golf

The Eternit Miniature Golf course at Solna Bangolfklubb

• 799 (30th overseas) Solna, Sweden (Solna Bangolfklubb) - NIFO Steel Minigolf

This was the first NIFO Steel minigolf course we've seen

• 800 (31st overseas and 472nd played) Vasastan, Stockholm, Sweden (Swing by Golfbaren) - indoor minigolf course and speakeasy

Emily on the 'secret' downstairs course at Swing by Golfbaren 

• 801 (32nd overseas and 473rd played) Solna, Sweden (Mall of Scandinavia) - Sports World Minigolf at O'Leary's

Playing Ice Hockey on the indoor minigolf course at the Mall of Scandinavia

• 802 (33rd overseas) Vasastan, Stockholm, Sweden (Bangolf Vasaparken) - Swedish Felt Minigolf

The Bangolf course at the Vasaparken in Stockholm

• 803 (34th overseas) Kristineberg (Golfbaren Kristineberg) - Minigolf

Golfbaren Kristineberg - it's right next to Kristineberg railway station!

• 804 (35th overseas) Hägersten, Sweden (Golfbaren Aspudden) - Minigolf

A great looking obstacle on a downhill hole at Golfbaren Aspudden

• 805 (36th overseas and 474th played) Täby, Sweden (Täby Centrum) - Paradise Adventure Golf, Inca course

Playing hole 2 of the Inca course at Paradise Adventure Golf course in Täby 

• 806 (37th overseas and 475th played) Täby, Sweden (Täby Centrum) - Paradise Adventure Golf, Explorers course

We're now up to 806 minigolf course visits since we began our travels in September 2006. There are a lot of new courses opening up too, so who knows what number we'll end the year on!

Minigolf course visit 800!

We've reached another big minigolf milestone - the 800th course visit on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

This weekend we were in Stockholm, Sweden to visit our friend, and minigolf legend, Hans Olofsson and help celebrate the 1st anniversary of his 1920's themed indoor minigolf course and speakeasy at Swing by Golfbaren.

Swinging into action on the brilliant indoor minigolf course

The course is one of the best we've ever played, it's a real must-visit venue.

We loved the 1920's theme at Swing by Golfbaren and really enjoyed the big celebration party on Saturday night

Check out the Swing by Golfbaren website for more info.

We had a brilliant time in Stockholm and visited a total of nine courses in 36-hours! What a wonderful trip on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We've got LOTS of great photos, videos and blog posts to follow from the trip.

Clown on a Moped

What better way to celebrate my brother Christopher's 30th birthday than with a surprise party in Worthing. And a Clown on a Moped!

Tommy Tickle's guest appearance at Christopher's surprise birthday party went down a treat

Christopher is a charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and on our travels we've putted through some clown's mouth obstacles.

The Clown obstacle at Luton's now demolished Wardown Park Crazy Golf course. One of the first we played on our tour

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour began at the Treasure Island Adventure Golf course in Southsea in September 2006. The town is home to a number of other miniature golf courses, including this one on Southsea Common 

Check out Tommy Tickle's Clown on a Moped website, YouTube Channel, and give him a like and a follow on Facebook and Twitter. He was brilliant entertainment - even two of three coulrophobes at the party enjoyed his act!

Brighton-based Tommy Tickle - the world's number one Clown on a Moped. Available for all sorts of functions

Tommy Tickle appeared in the brilliant BBC documentary Clowns, it's well worth a watch.



Link:
- Clown on a Moped website

Related blog posts:
- Christopher Gottfried
- Worthing

Crazy Golf in Hastings

A revisit to the Crazy Golf course in Hastings.

On the 21 March 2015 the minigolf course complex in Hastings, East Sussex celebrates its 40th birthday!

The first few holes of the Crazy Golf course in Hastings

On the 28 February we were back in Hastings ahead of the BMGA British Club Championships - held on the Pirate Golf course - and so took a look at the Adventure Golf course and the classic Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course.

Each October the course is home to the World Crazy Golf Championships, an event Emily and I have competed in since 2007

The lucky last hole on the left and the infamous 18th hole - the site of triumph, defeat and incredible moments in Crazy Golf over the years

  

A plateau hole on the Crazy Golf course

The classic windmill standing in the background

A view of the Crazy Golf course in Hastings. It was the 39th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

As well as the Crazy Golf course Hastings is home to an 18-hole Adventure Golf course and an 18-hole Pirate Golf course.

We've visited the town many times since 2007 and spent a lot of time putting around on the courses.

Minigolf adventurers in Hastings

Two of the courses we've played are no longer there. The Miniature Golf course on the seafront was removed and turned into the Pirate Golf course in 2011, while the Adventure Golf course at White Rock Gardens also closed in 2011 and was changed into an outdoor laser tag arena!

For more information, prices and opening times of the seafront miniature golf courses check out the Hastings Adventure Golf website.

Links:
- Hastings Adventure Golf website
- Hastings Adventure Golf on Facebook
- Hastings Adventure Golf on Twitter

Related blog posts:
- Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf in Hastings

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

- Hastings

Video:
- A walkround the 18-hole Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf in Hastings