Minigolf consultancy

As marketing and sales professionals Emily and I use our extensive knowledge and skills in supporting and promoting the game we enjoy as a hobby.

Since 2006 we have visited more than 900 minigolf courses in the UK and overseas. This has given us an insight into many aspects of minigolf, from course operators, pop-ups, competitions, clubs, national associations, international federations, suppliers, designers, builders and technology providers.

At our 900th course visit - the North Bay Mini Golf course in Scarborough

Our involvement in the world of minigolf includes blogging, media relations, sponsorship, course design, advice and consultancy, event organisation and promotion, and participation in tournaments around the world.

The Ham & Egger Files blog contains over 3,000 posts that have attracted 1.5 million page views.

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

As a volunteer I served three terms on the Executive Committee of the British Minigolf Association and was a member of the World Minigolf Sport Federation’s Marketing and Media Committee for six years.

Putting at Lane7 in Newcastle

Please do get in touch to find out how we can help with your minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf activities.

You can also buy my ebook 'The Minigolfer’s Guide to Marketing' on Amazon and Kobo.

Link:
- Marketing consultancy

Related blog posts:
- Minigolf
- Marketing

Player profiles:
- Richard Gottfried
- Emily Gottfried

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook

My ebook to help minigolf players better market themselves, their clubs, tournaments and courses is now available to purchase from Kobo.

You can also buy The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook on Amazon.

I've been so pleased to see the book bought and used by a number of competition players, course owners and managers, bloggers, course reviewers, minigolf associations and federations around the world.

As a minigolfer with over a decade of experience as a tournament competitor and years of experience in marketing and communications I designed the guide so that anyone interested or involved in minigolf could help promote the game. It's a niche title, but an audience and subject I know a lot about.

Playing in the World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings

Writing the book was brilliant and enabled me to bring two areas of my life together. I've worked in marketing since 2003 and have played minigolf since I was a child. Stepping up to compete on the national minigolf tour circuit and in international tournaments opened my eyes to the potential of the game. I’ve also had the honour of serving on the committees of the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) and the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF).

Minigolf is a sport for all. People of all ages, sexes, backgrounds and abilities can pick up a putter and play the game.

When Emily and I began travelling around the country on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour there were around 600 courses in the UK. We've now visited 918 courses, including 39 overseas, and there are still many more for us to play. The game is really booming and not a week goes by without the announcement of a new course opening.

At our 900th course - the North Bay Mini Golf course in Scarborough

There are a huge amount of interesting and fun stories to tell and positive aspects to highlight to potential players, the media, sponsors and the wider sporting community. The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing should give federations, associations, clubs and our fellow players ideas, inspiration and support in their marketing efforts.

Much of the guidance could also be applied to a number of other sports clubs and organisations to help raise their profile and boost memberships.

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing is available on Amazon and Kobo

A very BIG thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of the book to date. It's very much appreciated.

Links:
- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook on Amazon
- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook on Kobo

Related blog posts:
- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing
- Marketing
- Minigolf

Stockport's Giant Leap

There's a new Frog Art Trail to follow around Stockport town centre.

Edgeleap, the Stockport County frog

Totally Stockport, the team behind Stockport's Business Improvement District (BID), rolled out a new art trail at the weekend, with Stockport's Giant Leap consisting of 19 decorated giant frog sculptures dotted around the town centre.

A frog decorated by Girlguiding Stockport

Each of the frogs has a different Stopfordian theme and have been designed by local artists, schools, businesses and community groups.

Stagecoach's 192 bus frog

I've managed to find 15 of the frogs in my two most recent wanders around town.

Sir Norman Frogster at the bottom of the infamous and historic Mealhouse Brow

Frog's were chosen as the 'things' to follow as they highlight the £1bn programme of investment and development that is regenerating Stockport, a giant leap forward for the town.

Strawberry Fields the frog, celebrating Strawberry Studios home in Stockport

The froggy art trail ends on the 28th September. Check out Stockport's Giant Leap website for more information.

Sir Hopsalot

  

Cornelius, the pyjamas wearing Holiday Inn frog

We're big fans of tickable lists and also followed the Totally Stockport Ice Trail last December. We're also ticking off the Invader pixel mosaic tile art in Manchester (and in London and Newcastle), as well as the Stockport green space list and the railway stations in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport (two left to visit) and Greater Manchester (lots to go). There is one Stockport tickable list we won't be attempting to complete though!

This froggy character by Totally Stockport was part of the Ice Trail last December

Our main tickable list challenge is our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - where we've now visited 911 courses. When we began there were around 600 in the UK!

Links:
- Totally Stockport
- Marketing Stockport

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook

Marking two years since the publication of my marketing ebook.

Time certainly flies when you're having fun!

Two years ago today I published The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing, my ebook guide to promoting the brilliant sport of miniature golf.

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing could help you wow the crowd in the crazy world of miniature golf

It's amazing how fast the last two years have flown by. I'm so pleased to have seen the book bought and used by a number of competition players, course owners & managers, bloggers, course reviewers, minigolf associations and federations around the world.

Check out the Amazon listing for The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing to read a preview and see reviews of the book.

As a player with over a decade of experience as a tournament competitor and years of experience in marketing and communications I designed the guide so that anyone interested or involved in minigolf could help promote the game. It's a niche title, but an audience and subject I know a lot about. 

Writing the book was brilliant and enabled me to bring two areas of my life together. I've worked in marketing since 2003 and have played minigolf since I was a child. Stepping up to compete on the national minigolf tour circuit and in international tournaments opened my eyes to the potential of the game. I’ve also had the honour of serving on the committees of the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) and the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF).

Minigolf is a sport for all. People of all ages, sexes, backgrounds and abilities can pick up a putter and play the game.

When Emily and I began travelling around the country on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour there were around 600 courses in the UK. We've now visited 865 courses, including 38 overseas, and there are still many more for us to visit. The game is really booming and not a week goes by without the announcement of a new course opening.

There are a huge amount of interesting and fun stories to tell and positive aspects to highlight to potential players, the media, sponsors and the wider sporting community. The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing should give federations, associations, clubs and my fellow players ideas, inspiration and support in their marketing efforts.

Much of the guidance could also be applied to a number of other sports clubs and organisations to help raise their profile and boost memberships.

A BIG thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of the book to date. It's very much appreciated.

Links:

- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Amazon
- RG Marketing & Events
- Minigolf Consultancy

Related blog posts:
- Minigolf
- Marketing
- Exhibition Minigolf
- Richard Gottfried's minigolf player profile
- The Crazy World of Minigolf - the story so far

Exhibition minigolf

Looking for a way to engage with delegates at events, then use minigolf.

We've played a number of portable and pop-up minigolf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, many of which were at business events and exhibitions.

Putting courses and obstacles are a popular addition to stands at trade shows and exhibitions. Way back in May 2007 I played an UrbanCrazy minigolf hole at the International Direct Marketing Fair at Earl's Court.

As a marketer I'm all for innovation. Over the years I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly of events.

Putting on the nice portable minigolf course at The Golf Show by American Golf at EventCity in Manchester

Crazy Golf is experiencing a boom and gaining popularity as a business tool. UrbanCrazy's range of minigolf games and course layouts have been going strong for well over a decade. Putterfingers also offer Crazy Golf layouts for a number of different business and leisure events. While the team at HM Adventure Golf have a modular minigolf course layout that is being used for events and temporary courses.

At the International Direct Marketing Fair at Earl's Court way back in 2007. This was the first portable course I saw being used at a business event

Putting a Putter in the hands of a delegate at an event is a great way to keep them on your stand, break the ice, have a chat and generate some friendly competition.

Emily's friends and colleagues were at the Electronic Retailing Association's Great Ideas Summit in Orlando, Florida and found there was a miniature golf course set up for a Tee Up Tuesday Evening Reception! Photo by Liezl van Zyl

The Trade On Tap Hole-in-One challenge at the CIH Housing 2016 Exhibition. I scored a hole-in-one

Minigolf courses have also been hired by a number of venues to increase footfall. Among these are shops, shopping centres, retail parks, schools, colleges, universities, office developments and even a brewery!

An UrbanCrazy Mini Golf course at the Camden Town Brewery in London

Lyle & Scott created a Woolly Mini-Golf course as part of Wool Week

UrbanCrazy created a special Crazy Golf course for the Ipswich Building Society - this was one-third of it, set-up in the Sudbury branch

A Minigolf & Games temporary layout at the Garden Square shopping centre in Letchworth Garden City

A Putterfingers layout at the Oswestry Games in Shropshire

The beauty of minigolf is that it's such a fun and easy, pick up and play game.

There are a number of suppliers of portable minigolf course and I've listed those whose courses I've played on below:

• HM Adventure Golf
• Minigolf & Games
• Putterfingers
• Putting Edge
• UrbanCrazy

Below is a selection of photos showing the portable minigolf courses we've played at events over the years.

The teeofftimes.co.uk's incredibly lengthy Long Putt Challenge at The Golf Show by American Golf

The Chrizy Golf pop-up course in Manchester

Lyle & Scott's Carnaby Street shop in London used an UrbanCrazy course for a special Minigolf Hole-in-One Challenge

  

UrbanCrazy's Signature Course at the London Golf Show at Earl's Court

Playing UrbanCrazy's Signature Minigolf Course at Regent's Place in London

Crazy Golfing at the Pier Head in Liverpool on a summer pop-up course 

Bridlington's Foreshore Sands has a semi-portable Crazy Golf course from UrbanCrazy. It looks great, plays well and attracts people to that part of the seafront

If you enjoy minigolf and marketing crossovers you'll like my ebook too - check out The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Amazon.

If you'd like to know more about my marketing work and how I can help you and your business please do get in touch via my website.

To date we've visited 859 minigolf courses. You can view them on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list.

Related blog posts:
- Business
- Marketing
- Indoor Minigolf
- Portable Minigolf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Tandy in Hitchin

Spotting some old Tandy branding in Hitchin.

We were recently back in Hitchin, Hertfordshire and spotted the electronics shop at Churchgate had closed down. Electronic Universe had been trading in the town since 1982 and closed due to retirement last February. The old shop signs had been taken down and luckily for us we were able to see some even older branding from when the shop was a Tandy dealer! A nice blast from the past.

A once familiar sight on UK high streets. Circa 1990

While visiting Hitchin Market back in March 2016 I spotted a great old Tandy sign at the back of the shop at Biggin Lane that brought back happy memories for me.

The Tandy sign round the back of the shop

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names. Halcyon days.

In 2001 Tandy said goodbye to the UK high street as the last of the shops were converted after their acquisition by Carphone Warehouse.

I thought the Tandy brand name was still defunct, but it's not as Tandy lives on as an online retailer of electronic components and kits!

Interestingly the name Tandy comes from one of the founders of a leather goods company called Tandy Leather - a business that later became RadioShack.

There is still a RadioShack trading in the UK. It's in Lytham Saint Annes.

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing

Marking a year since the publication of my marketing ebook.

A year ago today I published The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing, my ebook guide to promoting the great sport of miniature golf.

Find out how to wow the crowd in the crazy world of miniature golf

It's amazing how quickly the last year has flown by and I've been really pleased to see the book bought and used by a number of players, courses, bloggers, associations and federations around the world.

Check out the Amazon listing to see a preview and read reviews of the book.

The marketing and communications guide was designed for anyone interested or involved in minigolf. It's certainly a niche title, but an audience and subject I know a lot about. 

Writing the book was brilliant and enabled me to bring two areas of my life together. I've worked in marketing since 2003 and have played minigolf since I was a child. Stepping up to compete on the national tour circuit and in international tournaments opened my eyes to the potential of the game. I’ve also had the honour of serving on the committees of the British Minigolf Association and World Minigolf Sport Federation.

Minigolf is a sport for all. People of all ages, sexes, backgrounds and abilities can pick up a putter and play the game.

There are a huge amount of stories to tell and positive aspects to highlight to potential players, the media, sponsors and the wider sporting community. The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing should give federations, associations, clubs and fellow players ideas, inspiration and support in their marketing efforts.

A lot of the guidance could also be applied to a number of other sports clubs and organisations to help raise their profile and boost memberships.

Links:

- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Amazon

- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Ganxy

Mr D's Magnificent Pie Machine at Cheltenham Market

As a fan of fun business and marketing gimmicks I enjoyed spotting Mr D's Magnificent Pie Machine at Cheltenham Market last week. The steampunk inspired stall is certainly eye-catching.

Mr D's magnificent pie machine stall has a lot of bells and whistles on it

Check out Mr D's Pie Machine website, Twitter and Facebook for more info.

Links:
- Mr D's Pie Machine
- Cheltenham Market

Related blog posts:
- Market
- Marketing
- Business
- Cheltenham
- Shopping
- Pie
- Pies

Have a break...

...have a KitKat.

It looks like this in-store promotion took the brand's tagline literally.

Back soon

Related blog posts:
- Funny
- Business
- Marketing
- Chocolate

Links:
- KitKat
- Nescafe

Crazy Golf at the Mid Sussex Business Expo

Golf-themed business expo in Burgess Hill, West Sussex this Thursday.

The team at Network Xpress are organising the golf-themed Business Expo at The King's Centre in Burgess Hill this Thursday, 7th September. The Sussex-based business event organisers are offering a fresh approach to networking with new, fun and themed-events. In addition to the 60 exhibitors, keynote speakers, workshops and seminars there will be a Crazy Golf tournament running all day.

It sounds great.

Information about the Network Xpress Mid Sussex Expo 2017

Visit the Network Xpress website for more information on the Mid Sussex Expo and other events they run.

As a marketer I'm all for innovation in business and events. Over the years I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly of events and so it'll be interesting to hear the feedback from the Mid Sussex Expo.

Crazy Golf is experiencing a boom and is getting more poplar as a business tool. The team at Putting Edge are receiving a number of bookings from the corporate market and for events in my local area in the North West, while UrbanCrazy's range of minigolf games and course layouts have been going strong for well over a decade. One of the first portable courses I played was an UrbanCrazy layout at the International Direct Marketing Fair in May 2007. Our friends at Putterfingers also offer Crazy Golf layouts for a number of different business and leisure events.

The Trade On Tap Hole-in-One challenge from Plumb Center and Parts Center at the CIH Housing 2016 Exhibition

More recently I played a very nice bespoke minigolf hole at the CIH Housing Conference and Exhibition at Manchester Central and a two-hole layout at the Prolific North Live Show at EventCity.

The Putting Edge layout at the Prolific North Live Show earlier this year

If you enjoy minigolf and marketing crossovers you'll like my ebook too - check out The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Amazon. There's a preview of the book below.



If you'd like to know more about my marketing work and how I can help you and your business please do get in touch via my website.

Related blog posts:
- Business
- Marketing
- West Sussex
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing

Mobike in Cheadle Hulme

The new Mobike cycle hire scheme recently launched in Manchester and this morning I spotted one of the fancy bikes parked up/abandoned/awaiting collection in Cheadle Hulme.

I'm pretty sure this constitutes bad parking etiquette in the Mobike rulebook. Not that anyone really uses phone boxes anymore. But still

Check out the Mobike website for further details of the scheme and how you can hire one of the bikes.

The Mobikes look pretty cool. I wouldn't mind having a go on one, even if I'm more of a BMX man myself

There have been reports in the news and by police that bikes have been abandoned. However, unlike the London 'Boris Bikes' the Mobikes don't have docking stations, they are simply left in the open ready for collection by the next user.

Handy to know that I can collect one in the outer reaches of Greater Manchester here in the leafy Cheshire/Stockport borderlands.

RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes

Last April I blogged about Tandy after my memory was jogged seeing an old sign for the brand at the back of an electronics shop in Hitchin.

Well, at the weekend I found another remnant of the once prominent high street brand - a RadioShack shop in Lytham Saint Annes!

RadioShack on the Fylde coast high street - still weathering the stormy retail sector 

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names.

Great to see the Tandy logo still on display

Stepping into the RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes was like a time warp. It was brilliant having a chat to the man behind the counter about Tandy and RadioShack too.

They stock a lot of formats of tape at RadioShack

Looking online there are only three RadioShack shops left in the UK. The others are in Chester and Wrexham. As a fan of 'tickable list' challenges I fancy visiting the other two stores to complete the list.

They've got a lot of VHS tapes in stock at RadioShack

Visiting the shop was a bit like the classic shopping trip Alan Partridge makes to the Tandy in Norwich in Knowing Me Knowing Yule.

I treated myself to a new blank VHS tape

In 2001 Tandy said goodbye to the UK high street as the last of the shops were converted after their acquisition by Carphone Warehouse.

I thought the Tandy brand name was still defunct, but no - a search found that Tandy lives on as an online retailer of electronic components and kits!

Interestingly the name Tandy comes from one of the founders of a leather goods company called Tandy Leather - a business that later became RadioShack.

You can find the RadioShack at 47 St Anne's Road West, Lytham Saint Annes, FY8 1SB.

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing

As a keen marketer, writer and minigolfer I've written an ebook to help promote the great game.

You can now buy The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Amazon and Ganxy. There's a preview of the book below.



If you'd like to know more about my marketing work and how I can help please do get in touch via my website.

The Geoff Capes Driving School in Stockport

I reckon you'd have a strong chance of passing your test if you learn to drive with Geoff Capes!

What a scrap metal van!

I spotted this Scrap Metal van in Cheadle Hulme earlier and had to get a snap of it. There's so much going on on it!

Let Stevie Scrap move your cr*p!

Inflatable advertising man at United Carpets and Beds

While driving out of the Borough for a weekend away in Hastings we spotted a great piece of inflatable advertising at United Carpets and Beds on Buxton Road in Hazel Grove, Stockport.

While the United Carpets and Beds inflatable is not of the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube variety he is still attention grabbing

It's the second inflatable spotted since we moved to Stockport. Last Christmas I saw a Santa Claus wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man advertising the sale on at Terry's Fabrics in Cheadle Heath.

On our recent roadtrip we saw a couple of other interesting ways to advertise beds. Vic Smith Beds in Enfield is currently using a tank on his roadside advertising on the M25, while Sussex Beds in Bexhill is using a dinosaur outside their store to entice people in.

We've spotted a lot of inflatable advertising and wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men on our travels over the years. Unfortunately I haven't had a need to hire or buy a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man for my own marketing business. Not yet anyway...

Swingers Crazy Golf London Open

Swingers London hosting a new Crazy Golf Open tournament.

This summer London Crazy Golf course Swingers is hosting its first Crazy Golf Open championship - The Swingers Open.

The team at the Institute of Competitive Socialising is inviting corporate teams to compete in The Swingers Open, with the champions winning a luxury trip to Paris.

The Swingers Open will take place over 14 qualifying events starting on the 24th April, leading to the semi-final on the 4th September and culminating in the grand final a week later on Monday 11th September.

Businesses are asked to enter two teams of four players who will compete in a competition against other businesses from the same industry. The first event will see teams from the Tech industry tee-off.

Look at the size of that loop-di-loop!

Each of the winning teams from the qualifying rounds will receive a luxury Tanqueray No. TEN hamper.

The overall champions will win a trip to Paris including first class Eurostar travel, a night at Le Grand Pigalle, dinner and a Tanqueray experience. The championship winning team members will also get the chance to wear The Swingers Open green jackets, made exclusively by tailor Gresham Blake, and will receive The Swingers Open trophy!

Entry to the tournament costs £160 per team. Full details and entry forms are available on the Swingers London Crazy Golf website.

We haven't played the two new Swingers Crazy Golf courses yet, but in September 2014 we played a round on the Swingers Crazy Golf pop-up course in Shoreditch, East London. The course became the 581st miniature golf course visited and 347th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Playing at the original Swingers Crazy Golf course in 2014

Check out the Swingers Crazy Golf website for more information, opening times, prices and tournament entry details.

It's great to hear about a London miniature golf tournament taking place. Back in 2009 I competed in a tournament double-header at the London Open and Weymouth Open - I finished as runner-up in both events! I was also the runner-up in the 2011 London Invitational Tournament. I have some history of winning in London as well and hold the Crazy Golf with Bompas & Parr Championship June Playoff title, as well as the overall Selfridges course championship which I won in 2012.

Winning

Link:
- Swingers Crazy Golf

Related blog posts:
- Crazy Golf in London
- Playing Swingers Crazy Golf in Shoreditch

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. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.