World Music Day

Today is World Music Day.

We've seen and played some musical-themed courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour over the years.

Musical minigolf

One of my favourites is this Garden Minigolf course in East Finchley, London where you have to putt into a 'musical shed'!

The 503rd course we played on our travels was the indoor Rock N Golf Crazy Golf course at One Adventure in Droylsden, Tameside. The 12-hole layout has a rock music-theme.

The 529th course we played was Puttshack super tech mini golf at White City in London. One of the holes there requires you to play your shot over five drums. Emily aced the tricky shot.

Emily playing a musical hole at Puttshack

My friend and world traveller PJ Goedhals sent me some snaps from his visit to the music-themed minigolf course at O'Learys sports bar in Norrtull, Sweden in 2019.

Hole 5 of the Minigolf course at O'Learys Norrtull in Sweden. Photo by PJ Goedhals

Last summer there was a music and theatre themed pop-up minigolf course at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee. Our friend and minigolf rival 'Hacksaw' Jon Drexler was lucky enough to have a game there.

The green on the Memphis: The Musical hole. Photo by Jon Drexler

The video for the song Windmills by US-band Dracula's Miniskirt features a Crazy Golf windmill.

Our friends at A Couple of Putts in the USA let us know about a minigolf-themed song called Putt Putt Butt Butt by Koo Koo Kanga Roo.

One of the latest minigolf courses to open in the UK is Pop Golf - a pop-music themed indoor crazy golf venue at Boxpark Wembley in London.

Today is Ghostbusters Day

Happy Ghostbusters Day.

Ecto-1a and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man at the Eden Square shopping centre in Urmston, Greater Manchester at Halloween in 2019

Ghostbusters was released in the USA on this day in 1984.

Slimer at Ghetto Golf at Hoults Yard in Byker, Newcastle

Slimer and a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man on a tenpin bowling themed hole at Ghetto Golf in Liverpool

This week is MuseumWeek

Happy MuseumWeek 2021.

MuseumWeek was created in 2014 and is the worldwide festival for cultural institutions on social media. It has grown to include over 60,000 participants from 100+ countries.

Each day of MuseumWeek has a themed hashtag, kicking off with #OnceUponAtimeMW

MuseumWeek 2021's themed days are:

• Monday, June 7: #OnceUponAtimeMW
• Tuesday, June 8: #BehindTheScenesMW
• Wednesday, June 9: #ChildrensEyesMW
• Thursday, June 10: #EurekaMW
• Friday, June 11: #CaptionThisMW
• Saturday, June 12: #ArtIsEverywhereMW
• Sunday, June 13: #WordsForTheFutureMW

Check out the MuseumWeek website for more information.

As the Curator of the Crazy Golf Museum I'm always keen to spread the word about the game of minigolf.

Once upon a time the pastime and sport didn't exist. That changed in 1867 when the world's first miniature golf course was created at St Andrews in Scotland.

Emily playing the world's first miniature golf course

The Himalayas Putting course at St Andrews was created in 1867 specifically for female players to use. Emily and I visited and played the layout on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in 2012. It's a wonderful course in a marvellous setting, and a must-play course for fans of minigolf.

Some of the other key dates in world minigolf are:

• 1916 - The first minigolf course in the USA. James Barber opened the 'Thistle Dhu' layout in Pinehurst, NC.
• 1926 - The very first Crazy Golf course in the UK opened on South Parade in Skegness, Lincolnshire, England.
• 1926 - The first artificial miniature golf course in the USA. Garnet Carter created the 'Tom Thumb' miniature golf course near Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, TN.
• National Miniature Golf Day always falls on the second Saturday in May.
• Miniature Golf Day is always on the 21st of September.

The Crazy Golf Museum

The Crazy Golf Museum is celebrating it's eleventh year in 2021. The worldwide archive of miniature golf memories, histories and ephemera opened its online doors to the world on the 15th July 2010.

Visit the Crazy Golf Museum website, Facebook Page & Group, Twitter and Instagram to see more.

National VCR Day

Today is National VCR Day.

Do you still own or use a Video Cassette Recorder? I do.

There are still some great and rare films and programmes that can only be seen on video tapes these days, so I'm glad we've still got our TV/Video combination set.

Over the last year or so we've been documenting the remains of Blockbuster Video stores in the UK - visiting 19 of the former video shop locations so far.

The QuikDrop box on the old Blockbuster Video store in Southampton

We were also lucky to find a video shop still operating and renting out tapes last year! It's in Little Lever, Bolton.

Happy National Cheese Day 2021

Today is National Cheese Day!

Did you know there's a minigolf obstacle called Käse? It can be found on Eternit Miniature Golf courses.

The Käse obstacle on the Kelsey Park Mini Golf course in Beckenham

The official name of the obstacle / lane is "Schrager kreis mit hindernis" (Oblique circle with obstacle). Sometimes the obstacle is "schrager kreis mit niere" (oblique circle with kidney).

Miniaturegolf / Miniaturgolf courses (also known as Eternit / Eternite) are a type of course made using a thin concrete material. Courses consist of 18 holes made from a selection of 28 standardised designs.

Checking in the Overview for Beginners to Miniaturgolf booklet, the Käse obstacle is "erstaunlicherweise eher im norden verbreitet" (surprisingly more common in the north of Germany).

We don't have too many Eternit Miniature Golf courses here in the UK and some of those that do exist have been modified over the years.

Miniature Golf course at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry

We have played two Schrager kreis mit hindernis holes where the obstacle was Käse. One was at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry, Shropshire, the other was in Kelsey Park in Beckenham, Greater London.

Miniature Golf course at Kelsey Park in Beckenham

International Coeliac Day

Today is International Coeliac Day.

About Coeliac Disease

Coeliac Disease (Celiac in the US and Canada) is a lifelong autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to gluten and the only treatment is to adhere to a strict lifelong gluten free diet.

In the UK it's estimated that 1 in 100 people have the condition.

Living a gluten free life

Having suffered from a range of symptoms for around ten years I finally received a positive diagnosis of Coeliac Disease following some 'interesting' and in-depth tests and procedures in 2008. It came as a relief to finally have a name for the mysterious cause of my illnesses and ailments, but at the time I was only given a brief summary and told that I'd have to "cut down on bread and beer". It was only later when I met with a Gastroenterologist and a dietitian that I found out that the only treatment for people with Coeliac Disease is a strict, life-long gluten free diet.

Coeliac Awareness

The month of May is Celiac Awareness Month and this week has been Coeliac UK Awareness Week.

Happy National Miniature Golf Day!

Today is National Miniature Golf Day.

National Miniature Golf Day is always marked on the second Saturday in May.

Miniature Golf Day

Each year there are two 'minigolf days', the second of which is Miniature Golf Day. It is always on the 21st September. This year that will be a Tuesday.

National Miniature Golf Day Eve

Tomorrow is the BIG day!

There are two annual minigolf 'days' dedicated to celebrating the game each year. First up is National Miniature Golf Day. It is always marked on the second Saturday in May. This year the date is Saturday 8th May.

The world's first miniature golf course

The first miniature golf course in the world opened in St Andrews, Scotland in 1867. The Himalayas Putting Course is still open and is a marvellous place to have a round.   

Jabba the Putt

Happy Star Wars Day.

Jabba the Putt at Trailer Trash Jim's Crazy Golf at Level Preston in May 2018

Today is Star Wars Day

May the 4th Be With You.

A selection of Star Wars characters and props I've seen on my travels - clockwise from top left at the Merseyway Comic Con in Stockport, at Collectorabilia in Leeds, at Stockport Comic Con, at Milton Keynes Outdoor Market, at Dunstable's Party in the Park, in an action figure box at John Lewis in the Trafford Centre, on a speeder bike at the Merseyway Comic Con, in a games shop in Norwich, on the planet moon of Endor at Warrington's Geeky Christmas Market 

May is Celiac Awareness Month

This month is Celiac Awareness Month.

Coeliac Disease (Celiac in the US and Canada) is a lifelong autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to gluten and the only treatment is to adhere to a strict lifelong gluten free diet.

In the UK it's estimated that 1 in 100 people have the condition, in the USA the figure is 1 in 133.

Visit the Beyond Celiac website for more information.

Living a gluten free life

Having suffered from a range of symptoms for around ten years I finally received a positive diagnosis of Coeliac Disease following some 'interesting' and in-depth tests and procedures in 2008. It came as a relief to finally have a name for the mysterious cause of my illnesses and ailments, but at the time I was only given a brief summary and told that I'd have to "cut down on bread and beer". It was only later when I met with a Gastroenterologist and a dietitian that I found out that the only treatment for people with Coeliac Disease is a strict, life-long gluten free diet.

Coeliac awareness dates

The month of May is Celiac Awareness Month, International Coeliac Day is on Sunday 16th May and Coeliac UK Awareness Week runs from the 10th to the 16th May.

National Miniature Golf Day is on Saturday 8th May

There are two annual minigolf 'days' dedicated to celebrating the game each year.

National Miniature Golf Day

The first is National Miniature Golf Day. It is always marked on the second Saturday in May. This year the date is Saturday 8th May.

Playing the Championship Adventure Golf course in New Brighton, England on National Miniature Golf Day 2017

Miniature Golf Day

The second of the annual minigolf days is Miniature Golf Day. It is always on the 21st September. This year that will be a Tuesday.

The first miniature golf course

The world's first miniature golf course opened in St Andrews, Scotland in 1867. The Himalayas Putting Course is still open and is a marvellous place to have a round.

Playing The Himalayas course at the St Andrews Ladies' Putting Club 2012

Playing minigolf around the world

There are tens of thousands of miniature golf courses around the world and millions of people play the game each year.

When our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK and just two of those were indoor venues.

The game has boomed in recent years and there are now more than 1,000 adventure golf, crazy golf and mini-golf layouts in the country, with more new courses opening all the time. Traditionally they were outdoor courses in seaside towns, but now you can find courses in towns and cities around the UK.

Happy World Penguin Day

Today is World Penguin Day.

This obstacle is at the Surfside Amusements at Pensarn Beach in Abergele, Wales.

In September 2017 the Surfside Crazy Golf course at Pensarn Beach in Abergele became the 463rd played and 782nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

To mark the day why not check out The Putting Penguin minigolf course review website.

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.

It's Groundhog Day

Happy Groundhog Day.

Do you want to see six more weeks of Winter or an early Spring?

What day is it?

Today is Penguin Appreciation Day and National Cheese Lover's Day.

Are you aware of the Putting Penguin minigolf review website?

Pat, Mandy & Putt of the Putting Penguin team and guest contributors have reviewed 366 courses on the site since 2001.

A penguin obstacle on the Surfside Crazy Golf course at Pensarn Beach in Abergele, Wales

Did you know there's a minigolf obstacle called "Käse"?

It can be found on Eternit Miniature Golf courses.

The Käse on the Kelsey Park Mini Golf course in Beckenham

National Cheese Lover's Day is not to be confused with National Cheese Day in June.

Miniature Golf Day 2021

Miniature Golf Day is always on the 21st September. This year that will be a Tuesday.

National Miniature Golf Day 2021

National Miniature Golf Day takes place on the second Saturday in May. In 2021 that is Saturday, 8th May.

Here's to 2021 - dates for your diary

Now that 2020 is behind us, here's to 2021.

National Miniature Golf Day 2021

• National Miniature Golf Day takes place on the second Saturday in May. In 2021 that is Saturday, 8th May.

Miniature Golf Day 2021

• Miniature Golf Day is always on the 21st September. This year that will be a Tuesday.

We wish you all the very best for the year ahead.

Miniature Golf Day 2021

Date for your diary - Miniature Golf Day 2021.

Miniature Golf Day always takes place on the 21st September. Next year that will be a Tuesday.