Live, Laugh, Loft Social in Stockport

Loft Social - a new competitive socialising venue - is open in Stockport town centre.

We spotted this new sign for the venue today

Loft Social is home to indoor archery, curling, deck shuffle and pétanque, and can be found on the 3rd Floor of The Courts (above Sports Direct near the market place).

Playing Pétanque.

We're big fans of Pétanque so it's interesting to know there's a place to play in Stockport.

Find out more.

Check out Loft Social's Facebook Page for more information.

Related blog posts:

• Loft Social
• Stockport
• Petanque
• Competitive Socialising

Roxy Ball Room opening in High Holborn, London

A new Roxy Ball Room is opening in High Holborn, London in 2026.

Next year will see a new Roxy Ball Room venue opening in High Holborn, London.

Roxy Ball Room in High Holborn will be the second London location for the competitive socialising brand, following the opening of Roxy Ball Room at St Mary Axe.

Roxy Ball Room venues have a range of competitive socialising games including American Pool, Ping Pong, Beer Pong, Shuffleboard, Karaoke, Ice Free Curling, Darts, Crazy Pool, Shooting Galleries, Crazy Golf, Duck Pin Bowling, Shuffleboard, Tenpin Bowling and more.

It'll be interesting to see what games will be on offer at Roxy Ball Room in High Holborn.

Roxy Ball Room, Merrion Street in Leeds (May 2025)

Find out more.

Check out the Roxy Leisure website for more information.

You can currently find 20 Roxy Ball Room venues in Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and York.

Visiting Roxy Ball Rooms.

We've visited several Roxy Ball Room locations on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and played Crazy Golf and Crazy Golf there, as well as games of shuffleboard and pool.

Crazy Pool at Roxy Ball Room Deansgate in Manchester (July 2025)

We're looking forward to a return to Roxy Ball Room Deansgate (one of two locations local to us in Manchester) for a game of Tech Darts - as it includes a minigolf mini-game within it!

Tech Darts and Karaoke at Roxy Ball Room Deansgate in Manchester (July 2025)

Related blog posts:

• Crazy Pool at Roxy Ball Room Deansgate in Manchester
• Roxy Ball Room

Loft Social in Stockport

There's a new competitive socialising venue in Stockport town centre.

Loft Social is home to indoor Archery, Curling, Deck Shuffle and Pétanque.

Loft Social can be found on the 3rd Floor of The Courts (above Sports Direct near the market place).

Find out more.

Check out Loft Social's Facebook Page for more information.

Playing Pétanque.

We're big fans of Pétanque so it's interesting to know there's a place to play in Stockport.

Related blog posts:

• Stockport
• Petanque
• Competitive Socialising

Mini Golf Scorecard and Loyalty Apps

Information about Mini Golf scoring and loyalty apps.

A look at minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf scorecard and loyalty apps.

We've used several apps to keep the score in our games on our travels to 1,083 courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We've seen several venues have introduced a mobile app to compliment or replace the traditional paper scorecard. Some of these apps are really good and help to enhance the experience.

We're still fans of pencil and paper to score our rounds and have amassed a large collection of scorecards from our travels. That said, when we find an app that works well we're more than happy to download and use it. We've found the best ones are at courses that have both traditional and digital options for marking your scores as it keeps everyone happy.

The minigolf apps we've found offer a range of scoring functions, loyalty and reward schemes, games, reviews, contests, information and tips.

Links to minigolf apps.

These are the adventure golf, crazy golf and minigolf apps available on Android and iPhone that we've found on our miniature golfing adventures:

• Adventure Island Mini Golf in Birmingham
• Bangolf Arena tournament scoring systems
• Congo River Golf Scorecard App - eight locations in the USA
• Dinton Adventure Golf
• Eingelocht: Minigolf Scorecard
• Four Ashes Golf Centre in Dorridge, Solihull
• Golf Fang / Big Fang Collective (formerly Ghetto Golf)
• GlowGolf® Score-App
• Golf Kingdom in Romford - home of Moby Golf
• Hastings Adventure Golf
• Hollywood Drive-In Golf, Orlando, Florida
• International Pitch & Putt Association (IPPA)
• Inky’s Mini Golf at Sirenian Bay in Belize
• Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby
• Mini Golf App
• Mini Golf Score Card
• Monster Mini Golf Scorecard App in the USA
• My Mini Golf Scorecard
• Nyborg Minigolf in Denmark
• Oasis Fun in Bournemouth
• Paradise Adventure Golf in Täby Centrum, Sweden
• Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Cheshire Oaks, Derby, Glasgow, Livingston, Manchester, Plymouth, Rushden Lakes and Sheffield
• Peter Pan Mini Golf, USA
• Play Minigolf App - four courses in Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, Czech Republic, Italy, Netherlands and Belgium
• Playing tips for mini golf
• Popstroke, USA
• PuttBrothers Mini Golf
• Puttstars
• Rainforest Adventure Golf in Dundrum, Ireland
• Roxy Ball Room (for their Crazy Pool courses at various locations)
• Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf in Bournemouth
• Stagecoach Greens, San Francisco, USA
• Swingers Crazy Golf
• TallyHo Golf App
• Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry
• The Clubhouse Stoke
• The Putter King game
• The Putting Penguin minigolf review site
• Tipsy Putt (various locations in California, USA)
• Volcano Falls Adventure Golf in Castleford
• We Are Minigolf

Your view of minigolf apps.

Do you know of any other minigolf apps, games or scoring systems? What do you think of them? Do you use them when you visit a course? Do you have a favourite? Let us know in the comments below.

Mini Golf Scoring and Loyalty Apps

A look at minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf scorecard and loyalty apps.

On our travels to 1,077 courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour we've used several apps to keep the score in our games.

We've seen a number of venues have introduced a mobile app to compliment or replace the traditional paper scorecard. Some of these apps are really good and help to enhance the experience. We're still fans of pencil and paper to score our rounds and have amassed a large collection of scorecards from our travels. That said, when we find an app that works well we're more than happy to download and use it. We've found the best ones are at courses that have both traditional and digital options for marking your scores as it keeps everyone happy.

The minigolf apps we've found offer a range of scoring functions, loyalty and reward schemes, games, reviews, contests, information and tips.

These are the adventure golf, crazy golf and minigolf apps available on Android and iPhone that we've found on our miniature golfing adventures:

• Adventure Island Mini Golf in Birmingham
• Bangolf Arena tournament scoring systems
• Congo River Golf Scorecard App - eight locations in the USA
• Dinton Adventure Golf
• Eingelocht: Minigolf Scorecard
• Four Ashes Golf Centre in Dorridge, Solihull
• Ghetto Golf
• GlowGolf® Score-App
• Golf Kingdom in Romford - home of Moby Golf
• Hastings Adventure Golf
• Hollywood Drive-In Golf, Orlando, Florida
• International Pitch & Putt Association (IPPA)
• Inky’s Mini Golf at Sirenian Bay in Belize
• Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby
• Mini Golf App
• Mini Golf Score Card
• Monster Mini Golf Scorecard App in the USA
• My Mini Golf Scorecard
• Nyborg Minigolf in Denmark
• Oasis Fun in Bournemouth
• Paradise Adventure Golf in Täby Centrum, Sweden
• Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Cheshire Oaks, Derby, Glasgow, Livingston, Manchester, Plymouth, Rushden Lakes and Sheffield
• Peter Pan Mini Golf, USA
• Play Minigolf App - four courses in Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, Czech Republic, Italy, Netherlands and Belgium
• Playing tips for mini golf
• Popstroke, USA
• Puttstars
• Rainforest Adventure Golf in Dundrum, Ireland
• Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf in Bournemouth
• Stagecoach Greens, San Francisco, USA
• Swingers Crazy Golf
• TallyHo Golf App
• Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry
• The Clubhouse Stoke
• The Putter King game
• The Putting Penguin minigolf review site
• Tipsy Putt (various locations in California, USA)
• Volcano Falls Adventure Golf in Castleford
• We Are Minigolf

Do you know of any other minigolf apps, games or scoring systems? What do you think of them? Do you use them when you visit a course? Do you have a favourite? Let us know in the comments below.

Crazier Golf and Crazier Nolf at Boom Battle Bars

A look at Boom Battle Bars offering Crazier Golf and Crazier Nolf.

Emily recently visited Boom Battle Bar in Bournemouth and saw Crazier Nolf there. A first for our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Boom Battle Bar calls its crazy golf courses 'Crazier Golf' (and we've played the location in Norwich). Crazier Nolf is Crazier Golf, but played without putters!

Hole 2 of the Crazier Nolf course at Boom Battle Bar Bournemouth

There are currently 29 Boom Battle Bars in the UK! Each of them offers a range of games, with most (23) home to a Crazier Golf layout at the venue. Other games include shuffleboard, augmented reality darts, axe throwing and more.

Hole 3 of the Crazier Golf course at Boom Battle Bar Norwich 

Here's the list of Boom Battle Bars:

1. Aldgate East - Crazier Golf
2. Bath - Crazier Golf
3. Birmingham Broad Street - Crazier Golf
4. Bournemouth - Crazier Nolf
5. Canterbury - Crazier Golf
6. Cardiff - Crazier Golf
7. Chelmsford - Crazier Golf
8. Coventry - Crazier Golf
9. Ealing - Crazier Golf
10. Eastbourne - Crazier Golf
11. Edinburgh - Crazier Golf
12. Exeter - Crazier Golf
13. Glasgow - Crazier Nolf
14. Ipswich - Crazier Golf
15. Lakeside - no golf or nolf
16. Leeds - Crazier Golf
17. Liverpool - Crazier Golf
18. London Oxford Street
19. Manchester - no golf or nolf
20. Norwich - Crazier Golf
21. Plymouth - no golf or nolf
22. Sheffield - Crazier Golf
23. Southampton - Crazier Golf
24. Southend-on-Sea - Crazier Golf
25. Stevenage - no golf or nolf
26. Swindon - Crazier Golf
27. The O2 - Crazier Golf
28. Wandsworth - Crazier Golf
29. Watford - Crazier Golf

Visit the Boom Battle Bar Bournemouth website for more information.

InterFun Expo Guide for UK Operators

I contributed a feature on marketing in the time of Covid-19 for operators in the UK entertainment sector in the new InterFun Expo Guide.

The whole publication is well worth a look, but you can also jump directly to my piece at Top 20 tips for operators.

The InterFun Expo will next be taking place at New Dock Hall in the Royal Armouries complex in Leeds on the 26th and 27th April 2022. I'm looking forward to speaking at the event and seeing developments in the sector from a range of suppliers and colleagues.

Links:

• InterFun Expo Guide for UK Operators
• InterFun Expo
• InterGame Video Insights, Episode 01: Mini-golf in the time of Covid-19

Minigolf scoring and loyalty apps

A look at minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf scorecard and loyalty apps.

On our travels to 956 miniature golf courses we've seen a number of venues that have introduced a mobile app to compliment or replace the traditional paper scorecard. Some of these apps are really good and help to enhance the experience.

The minigolf apps we've found offer a range of scoring functions, loyalty and reward schemes, games, reviews, contests, information and tips.

Relatively new minigolf venues including Puttshack and Puttstars use electronic scoring systems with micro-chipped balls, or electronic score-pads and screens at the course.

There are a number of minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf apps available on Android and iPhone (all apps are for UK courses unless otherwise stated):

• Adventure Island Mini Golf in Birmingham
• Bangolf Arena tournament scoring systems
• Congo River Golf Scorecard App - eight locations in the USA
• Dinton Adventure Golf
• Eingelocht: Minigolf Scorecard
• Four Ashes Golf Centre in Dorridge, Solihull
• Ghetto Golf
• GlowGolf® Score-App
• Golf Kingdom in Romford - home of Moby Golf
• Hastings Adventure Golf
• Hollywood Drive-In Golf, Orlando, Florida
• International Pitch & Putt Association (IPPA)
• Inky’s Mini Golf at Sirenian Bay in Belize
• Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby
• Mini Golf App
• Mini Golf Score Card
• Monster Mini Golf Scorecard App in the USA
• My Mini Golf Scorecard
• Nyborg Minigolf in Denmark
• Oasis Fun in Bournemouth
• Paradise Adventure Golf in Täby Centrum, Sweden
• Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Cheshire Oaks, Derby, Glasgow, Livingston, Manchester, Plymouth, Rushden Lakes and Sheffield
• Peter Pan Mini Golf, USA
• Play Minigolf App - four courses in Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, Czech Republic, Italy, Netherlands and Belgium
• Playing tips for mini golf
• Popstroke, USA
• Puttstars
• Rainforest Adventure Golf in Dundrum, Ireland
• Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf in Bournemouth
• Stagecoach Greens, San Francisco, USA
• Swingers Crazy Golf
• Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry
• The Clubhouse Stoke
• The Putter King game
• The Putting Penguin minigolf review site
• Volcano Falls Adventure Golf in Castleford
• We Are Minigolf

Do you know of any other minigolf apps, games or scoring systems? What do you think of them? Do you use them when you visit a course? Do you have a favourite? Let me know in the comments below.

Putt18 World Pro League - Week 5 Results

Results from week 5 of the Putt18 World Pro League.

Provisional scores for my four rounds in week 5 of the Putt18 World Pro League are:

- Round 1 = 76

- Round 2 = 83

- Round 3 = 83

- Round 5 = 85

Total = 327

My scores to date:

- Week 1 = 328

- Week 2 = 290

- Week 3 = 321

- Week 4 = 299

- Week 5 = 327

About the Putt18 World Pro League

During the coronavirus pandemic players from Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand and the USA are competing in individual and team events on the Putt18 golf game putting mat.

There are two more weeks remaining of the inaugural seven event series.

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More information on the Putt18 golf game mat can be found on the Putt18 website.

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Putt18 World Pro League - Week 3 & 4 Results

Results from weeks 3 and 4 of the Putt18 World Pro League.

Play has been completed in the third and fourth weeks of the Putt18 World Pro League.

During the pandemic players from Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand and the USA are competing in individual and team events over seven events on the Putt18 golf game putting mat.

Week 3 - top 3

1. Matt Ansley (NZL) - 251
2. John Ansley (NZL) - 261
3. Dave Gomm (GBR) - 265

Week 4 - top 4

1. Matt Ansley (NZL) - 245
2. John Ansley (NZL) - 256
3. Dave Gomm (GBR) - 262

I finished week 3 at the bottom of the pile of players who completed their rounds with rounds of 69, 87, 79 and 86 for a total of 321 and 12 points.

I fared better in week 4 with scores of 79, 70, 74 and 76 for a total of 299 and 25 points to finish 17th of 20 players.

Putt18 World Pro League Table after 4 events:

1. Matt Ansley, NZL
2. Dave Gomm, GBR
3. John Ansley, NZL
4. Cameron Couper, NZL
5. Nathan Lamplough, AUS
6. Faye Ansley, NZL
7. Steve Lovell, GBR
8. Josh Mars, AUS
9. Pat Sheridan, USA
10. Allan Cox, AUS
11. Luke Lord, AUS
12. Cameron Fincher, GBR
13. Tom Loftus, USA
14. Aaron Kaminski, USA
15. Matt Roadhouse, USA
16. Richard Gottfried, GBR
17. Shelley Cooper, GBR
18. Gary P Shiff, USA
19. Randy Rice, USA
20. Karl R Barth, USA

Week 5 of the 7 event Putt18 World Pro League series tees-off on Wednesday 2nd September.

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More information on the Putt18 golf game mat can be found on the Putt18 website.

Competitive socialising

A look at the world of competitive socialising.

Before the coronavirus pandemic the phrase 'competitive socialising' had become a popular way to describe going out and having fun, with a number of new businesses catering to the demand of a public who wanted to compete at something while eating and drinking in a nice setting.

Whether it was table tennis, darts, shuffleboard, bingo, tenpin bowling, arcade games, or my personal favourite crazy golf, people were finding new ways to quench their thirst, have fun and compete without signing-up to a full sports league or taking things too seriously.

But we all know you have to take competitive socialising seriously – right?

'Competitive socialising' may, for the time being at least, have been replaced on a lot of people's lips by 'social distancing'. But when we're able to safely and fully emerge from isolation and lockdown there will be an appetite for playing games, having fun and doing new things.

Some of those experiences may not actually be totally new though, as people will want to experience the things they enjoyed, or were good at before lockdown.

Similarly, competitive socialising taps into nostalgia, retro experiences and halcyon days. Things that could feel even more important to people in the next few years as the world gets to grips with the effects of social distancing and the impact of the pandemic.

Competitive socialising wasn't a new thing. Instead it was a new way to describe something humans have done for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. While many of the sports and games we enjoy were codified in the last 150 years or so, people have been competing against one another – for honour, pride, money and bragging rights – for centuries.

Read more about keeping social and competitive in the new world of physical distancing in my blog post Competitive socialising in isolation.

I've also collated a number of blog posts about the pandemic as well as topics including Retailtainment, Artainment and Minigolf in the Time of Coronavirus at The Coronavirus (Ham & Egger) Files.

Putt18 World Pro League - Week 3

I'll be teeing-off in week 3 of the Putt18 World Pro League at 4.45pm this Friday, 7th August.

You can watch my four rounds live on Facebook.

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More information on the Putt18 golf game mat can be found on the Putt18 website.

Related blog posts:
- Results from week 2 of the Putt18 World Pro League
- Results from week 1 of the Putt18 World Pro League
- Putt18

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Putt18 World Pro League - Week 2 Results

Results from week 2 of the Putt18 World Pro League.

Play has been completed in the second week of the Putt18 World Pro League.

New Zealand's Matt Ansley once again won the week, this time with a four-round total score of 253 after rounds of 65, 62, 62 and 64.

Great Britain's Dave Gomm was second with a total of 256 after rounds of 66, 67, 64 and 59. The round of 59 was, at the time made, the lowest competitive round scored, the lowest Putt18 World Pro League round and the British record.

However, New Zealand's John Ansley finished the week in third place scoring 263 with rounds of 70, 72, 58 and 63. The 58 setting the bar for the other competitors.

A total of 21 players from four countries are competing in the inaugural Putt18 World Pro League.

I finished this week's competition in 11th place having shot rounds of 69, 73, 76 and 72 for a total of 290 and 42 points. A nice improvement after my shaky start to the tournament with rounds of 81, 79, 84 and 84 for a 328 total last week.

Putt18 World Pro League Table after 2 events

1 - Matt Ansley (NZL) 215 (2)
2 - Dave Gomm (GBR) 178 (2)
3 - Cameron Couper (NZL) 150 (2)
4 - John Ansley (NZL) 149 (2)
5 - Nathan Lamplough (AUS) 125 (2)
6 - Faye Ansley (NZL) 120 (2)
7 - Steve Lovell (GBR) 117 (2)
8 - Luke Lord (AUS) 108.5 (2)
9 - Josh Mars (AUS) 105 (2)
10 - Pat Sheridan (USA) 99 (2)
11 - Allan Cox (AUS) 92.5 (2)
12 - Cameron Fincher (GBR) 70 (2)
13 - Tom Loftus (USA) 55 (2)
14 - Matt Roadhouse (USA) 46 (2)
15 - Aaron Kaminski (USA) 44 (2)
16 - Richard Gottfried (GBR) 43 (2)
17 - Shelley Cooper (GBR) 40 (2)
18 - Randy Rice (USA) 31 (2)
19 - Gary P Shiff (USA) 14 (2)
20 - Karl R Barth (USA) 7 (2)
21 - James Gilderdale (NZL) 5 (2)

Week 3 of the Putt18 World Pro League tees-off next Wednesday.

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More information on the Putt18 golf game mat can be found on the Putt18 website.

Putt18 World Pro League - Week 2

I'll be teeing-off in week 2 of the Putt18 World Pro League at 4.15pm this Friday, 24th July.

You can watch my round live on Facebook.

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More information on the Putt18 golf game mat can be found on the Putt18 website.

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Putt18 World Pro League - Week 1 Results

Results from week 1 of the Putt18 World Pro League.

Play has been completed in week 1 of the Putt18 World Pro League. New Zealand's Matt Ansley won the week with a four-round total score of 266 after rounds of 67, 68, 65 and 66.

Cameron Couper of New Zealand is in second place in the ranking list, with Australia's Allan Cox in third-place.

Dave Gomm is the top British player in sixth position.

Pat Sheridan is the leading player from the USA and is in 11th place.

A total of 21 players from four countries are competing in the inaugural Putt18 World Pro League.

After a shaky start I'm in the basement alongside James Gilderdale of New Zealand and Karl Barth of the USA.

The Putt18 World Pro League ranking list after week 1

Week 2 of the Putt18 World Pro League tees-off next Wednesday.

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More information on the Putt18 golf game mat can be found on the Putt18 website.

Caddy Shack opening at Sol Central in Northampton

The new Caddy Shack Mini Golf course at Sol Central in Northampton is opening this month.

The new Caddy Shack indoor games venue is due to open on Friday 17th July. It was originally planned to open earlier this year.

Caddy Shack is a New York-themed venue and home to a minigolf course, tenpin bowling and darts and is part of the Gravity Activity Entertainment centre at Sol Central.

Check out the Caddy Shack website for more information.

We're looking forward to visiting Caddy Shack and playing the crazy golf course there on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

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Putting in the Kitchen

Pandemic Putting at Home has now moved into our kitchen.

Does that look an adverse camber to you?

I'm looking forward to competing in the new Putt18 World Pro League.

The season tees-off tomorrow, Wednesday 8th July and players from around the world will compete every two weeks for a total of seven events.

More information can be found on the Putt18 website.

Putt18 - World Pro League

New World Pro League announced for the Putt18 game.

The team at Putt18 have announced a new World Pro League for the indoor putting game.

The season tees-off on Wednesday 8th July and players will compete every two weeks for a total of seven events.

More information available via Putt18.

I'm looking forward to competing in the Putt18 World Pro League. It's a tricky and fun putting game to play.

Last month we played in the inaugural Putt18 4 Nations Cup international miniature golf putting competition.

Ghetto Golf heading to Sheffield

New Ghetto Golf venue could be opening in Sheffield.

Plans for a new Ghetto Golf indoor crazy golf course in Sheffield have been submitted.

The Ghetto Golf course in Byker, Newcastle was the 920th we've visited

There are Ghetto Golf minigolf competitive socialising venues in Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle upon Tyne. The team at Ghetto Golf also have plans for courses in Leeds and Glasgow.

The Ghetto Golf course in Sheffield is the third new course I've heard about during the pandemic. The others are a replacement for the old course in Andover, Hampshire and a new indoor minigolf course at the Bullring in Birmingham.

Check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions

Guest minigolf blog at Putter Madness

Check out my guest blog post on the Putter Madness website where I look at the crazy world of miniature golf and what the future holds for the game.