Miniature Golf at Coronation Gardens in Polzeath, Cornwall

A look at the Putting Green at Coronation Gardens in Polzeath, Cornwall.

Many thanks to Dan Paynton for sending over some more photos he's taken of minigolf courses while on his travels.

'Bouncing Castles'!

This time Dan has been in Polzeath, Cornwall where he spotted a couple of minigolf courses "opposite the toilets in Coronation Gardens".

The course was closed when he arrived

Looks like an interesting layout with some ridges and hilly bits

We're looking forward to giving it a play in the future

A sign for the Crazy Golf course, but there was no sign of the course!

Dan was also recently at Flambards Theme Park in Helston, Cornwall where he spotted this 9-hole Adventure Golf course.

We haven't been there. Yet. The closest we got was the nearby service station. We didn't have time to justify buying a ticket to the park

They are three courses we failed to reach on our epic two-week road-trip around the south west coast back in 2015. We did manage to visit 62 others though.

A look at the new Jurassic Bay Adventure Golf course in Shanklin, Isle of Wight

The new Jurassic Bay Adventure Golf course in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight is now open.

Many thanks to my mate Dan Paynton for sending over these snaps from his visit to the new Jurassic Bay Adventure Golf course in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.

Dan visited and played both the new Jurassic course and the Pirates Cove course.

 

The Pirates Cove Adventure Golf course - when we first visited in 2008 this area was a grass Putting Course

It's crazy to see how many transformations the Jurassic course has had in the last few years!

The first version of hole 12 we saw in 2008

In 2008 we visited the Isle of Wight and the first course we played there - and our 63rd overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - was the Miniature Golf course on Shanklin Seafront. Since that visit the course has been refurbished and changed from the concrete 'Beton' style to an 'Arnold Palmer Putting Course'. We played that version of the course in 2016.

It'll be interesting to see how hole 13 has changed on the new dinosaur adventure golf course

A view of the course in 2016 - the windmill is now gone

Hole 10 in 2016

Hole 12 in 2016

Interestingly the base layout has remained largely unchanged in the three iterations. It must be the only minigolf course in the world that has had these particular changes made to it over the years.

This is how the large banked dogleg hole looked in 2008

This is how it looked in 2016

The 2018 version

Check out the post from our visit to the course in its last guise to see more of the differences and similarities.

Visit the Shanklin Seafront website for more information, opening times and prices.

Related blog posts:
- Shanklin
- Isle of Wight
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

The worst Christmas trees of 2016

A fine selection of the bad and ugly Christmas trees spotted this festive season.

During the festive season I've been engaged in discussion and competition with Marc Bazeley and Dan Paynton as to who has seen the worst Christmas Tree on their travels.

The Christmas tree that started the spotting - on a back street in Stockport. On the 9th of November

Among the dregs and dross of what passes for seasonal decorations we've noticed some common themes, most notably the erection of metal railings imprisoning the tree. Some of these barricades have also carried signs bearing that most traditional of greetings 'WARNING DANGER OF DEATH'. And while we may scoff at that message, at least the trees seen with that sign have at least had lights put on them!

So, after not much consideration our top three worst Christmas Trees of 2016 are as follows

In Chorley Marc found this delight.

The tree of Christmas past by the look of it

In Chale, near Ventnor on the Isle of Wight Dan snapped this beauty.

I think you'll agree this sums up Christmas perfectly

Dan quite liked the look of this sorry affair I spotted in Cheadle Hulme's Oak Meadow.

Lots of barriers

The best of the rest...

Not a bad tree per se, but while in Bolton I had to frame the photo like this to make it as ludicrous as possible.

Nothing says Christmas like some portaloos

And speaking of ludicrous I have no idea what was going on with this 'tree' in Stockport!

Interesting use of some street furniture

A selection of the others spotted by members of the newly formed Awful Tree Spotters (ATS) club.

Another railing, sorry Christmas tree, in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport. This one is in Adswood Local Centre

Marc's local Christmas tree in Askam. Glitzy

A Christmas tree in Barrow in Furnow. It doesn't look real

Neither does this one

This Christmas tree on a roundabout in Bramhall in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport looks like it's had a bit too much of the Christmas spirit

One of the first we spotted pop up in an odd location. Plugged into the street light too

  

One of the DANGEROUS Christmas trees in Cheadle Hulme

The little brother of the electrical Christmas tree above

The dark tree of Handforth

Ipswich Market's Christmas tree is bright. But it's also almost mostly hoarding

Wellingborough's effort is a bit of a spit and sawdust affair

The Christmas tree in Newport on the Isle of Wight looks a little bit lost

Northampton's Christmas tree is a big 'un. No decorations though

I spotted Stockport's Christmas tree just before it was lit

Emily spotted a couple of Christmas trees while in Vienna, Austria. However they don't count as they're actually nice.

Elegance and class

A little over the top on the decorations. But better than nothing

And while it's not a Christmas tree I'd like to finish this post with this lonesome decoration on the seafront in Felixstowe.

Related blog posts:
- Christmas Trees