A revisit to a pub beer garden course in Cambridgeshire. Or not as it would turn out.
On our way home from a recent visit to Ipswich we stopped off at The Dolphin Pub in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire for a quick soft drink in the beer garden there.
Back in May 2010 we'd visited the pub to have a look at the derelict 4-hole Crazy Golf course there. It wasn't playable then (no putters or balls at the bar) and we were told it was "just there"!
The course is a nautical themed 9-hole Swedish Felt B-run type and was in good condition.
It was the first course we've played that had a huge Dolphin to putt through! The Sea Dweller's Crazy Golf in Chapel St Leonards that we played on our Lincolnshire roadtrip earlier this year was home to a smaller Dolphin obstacle.
In our Irregular Mini Golf Tour Match-up I defeated Emily 27-30.
Photos of the course:
There was also a small Putting Green/Course at the Golf Centre. However, we didn't play it.
On Saturday 25th June 2011 I decided to head to Melbourn in Cambridgeshire as I noticed they were holding their annual village fete (which I also attended last year).
While I was in the area it was also an opportunity to re-visit the other Minigolf, Crazy Golf and Putting courses in the vicinity.
First up, after visiting the Royton Parish Church Fete (which was winding up) and deciding to not go into the Cave at Royston, Herts, was a trip to Whaddon Golf Centre.
On the drive from Whaddon towards Melbourn there is a business called Marley Eternit, sadly they are nothing to do with Eternit-type Miniature Golf.
Passing through the village of Meldreth I noticed they were also holding a Fete, so I popped along to it.
I didn't win any of the Tombolas and there wasn't a minigolf course, but it was a bustling event. It also had a Miniature Steam Railway Line set up for the event!
The third and final Fete I headed to was the big Melbourn Village Fete, held on The Moor.
Last year I scored a 20 and an 18, but this year I could only manage a 20 and a 23! The addition of the 'Hole in the Middle of a Ramp' obstacle (from the Swavesey course) did for me.
The friendly course owners have also added a Tin Can Alley stall next to the Minigolf. Unfortunately I was unable to win a Meerkat for Oliver 'The Machine' Florence on it.
With loads of other stalls, displays and attractions going on I also had a go at the Target Bowls competition from Melbourn Lawn Bowls Club. Last year I had three goes and scored a grand total of '0'!
This year was to be different though, as I hit the Bullseye '10' with my first 'Wood' and went on to win the title with a total of '13'!
Photo: Richard Gottfried - the 2011 'Melbourn Village Fete Target Bowls Champion'
The Melbourn Village Fete also had a Sheep Race!
I had a punt on the very serious looking Number 2 - Norbury's.
And it went and won it!
Video: Watch the race.
The Fete also had an Egg Throwing competition. The 34 player (17-team) field was won by two teams, as both of their eggs broke on the last throw!
After the fun of the Fetes, I headed to Kingsway Golf Centre, also in Melbourn, to have a play on their 9-hole Himalayas Minigolf Putting Course.
The course was the 196th played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in August 2010. On Saturday I had three practice rounds in the Irregular Mini Golf Tour Fake WACC competition against myself - ready for the West Anglia Challenge Cup competition, which will one-day be played on the very testing and fun course.
Prior to the building of the Himalayas Putting Course there used to be a 9-hole Crazy Golf course on the site. This was the 154th course we played on Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and was also the 200th overall course visit (played & unplayed) on the Tour!
Following the games at Kingsway Golf Centre, I headed to The Dolphin Pub in Melbourn village centre to see if the derelict 4-hole Crazy Golf course was still there.
The Beer Garden has had a Boules Piste added to it by the looks of things.
So, my day of Minigolf and Fete fun in the sun ended drinking a Coke in a Pub Beer Garden sat amongst four derelict Crazy Golf holes in Melbourn. It doesn't get much better than that ha ha.
Last night (25th May) we made a 51-mile round-trip to Melbourn in Cambridgeshire to visit a Crazy Golf course in a Pub Beer Garden. Fellow minigolf course fanatics Owen and Paul Johnson had tipped us off about its whereabouts and as it was fairly close to us, we had to visit.
The course is at the Dolphin Pub in Melbourn and has only 4-holes!?
Video introducing the course visit.
Video walk-around the course.
While we were at the pub, which by the way was nice and friendly and had plenty of other stuff to do (quiz machine, pool table, dart board), I asked at the bar why the course was only 4-holes? The answer was that a previous owner had thought it was a good idea to have a course, and it used to be popular, but had fallen into disuse and was now 'just there'. A shame really as it could be a great spot for a pint, some food and a Putt or two!
Previous stops on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour have seen us find a number of other derelict, overgrown and disused courses. Most courses (whether they are open or not) are either made up of 9, 12 or 18 holes, with some centres having 36 holes, and the Arnold Palmer centre in Great Yarmouth has a set-up including an 18-hole course and a 9-hole course. Prior to the 4-hole course in Melbourn the last course under 9-holes we found was at Llanfairfechan in Wales, where there are now only five of the previous 18-holes remaining!?
.JPG "The 4-hole Crazy Golf course layout at The Dolphin pub in Melbourn (May 2010)")
.JPG "In the beer garden of The Dolphin pub in Melbourn (August 2014)")
.JPG "Having a kickabout in the beer garden at The Dolphin Pub in Melbourn")
.JPG "The Dolphin Pub in Melbourn")
.JPG "Crazy Golf in the beer garden at The Dolphin Pub in Melbourn")
.JPG "Crazy Golf in the beer garden at The Dolphin Pub in Melbourn")
.JPG "Crazy Golf in the beer garden at The Dolphin Pub in Melbourn")
.JPG "Crazy Golf in the beer garden at The Dolphin Pub in Melbourn")
.JPG "Crazy Golf in the beer garden at The Dolphin Pub in Melbourn")
.JPG "Crazy Golf in the beer garden at The Dolphin Pub in Melbourn")
.JPG "Crazy Golf in the beer garden at The Dolphin Pub in Melbourn")
.JPG "Crazy Golf in the beer garden at The Dolphin Pub in Melbourn")
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