The 2008 Minigolf Nations Cup in Tampere, Finland

A look back at the 2008 Nations Cup of Minigolf in Tampere, Finland.

We made our Great Britain team debuts at the 2008 Nations Cup of Minigolf in Tampere, Finland 16 years ago this week. Where has that time gone!

The GB team playing the Beton Concrete Minigolf course in Tampere, Finland during a practice session

In international action on the Eternit Miniature Golf course

Our Great Britain Minigolf team, sponsored by UrbanCrazy, finished the tournament in 13th place. In the individual rankings I finished in 51st place and Emily was 53rd.

The 2008 Great Britain squad - Jouni Valkjarvi (coach), John 'Big Top Ted' McIver, Marion 'Mation' Homer, Sean 'Freebird' Homer, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies, Steve 'F1' Gow, Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried, Andy 'Sarge' Booth, 'Squire' Richard Gottfried

Since the 2008 Nations Cup we've also played for the GB national team in tournaments in Stockholm, Sweden and Hastings, England.

Receiving some tips on the Middle Hill Eternit Miniature Golf hole from Crazy Golf legend Tim 'Ace Man' Davies

The Beton Concrete Mini Golf course at the Manse RG Club in Tampere was the 50th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. The Eternit Miniature Golf course was the 51st and the Swedish Felt Minigolf course was the 52nd played.

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,045 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

UK Mini Golf Competitions in 2015

Minigolf tournament calendar for 2015.

The British Minigolf Association (BMGA) has announced its calendar of tournaments for the 2015 season.

Eight BMGA events have been confirmed, with competitions being held on six courses.

Emily playing at Hastings Crazy Golf during the 2014 World Crazy Golf Championships 

- The British Club Championships will be held on Sunday 1 March at the Pirate Adventure Golf course on Hastings seafront in East Sussex.

- The British Masters will be held on Sunday 12 April at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing, West Sussex.

- The British Championships - a two-day major tournament - will be held on 16 and 17 May at the Pirate Adventure Golf course in Hastings.

Playing at Strokes Adventure Golf course in Margate last year

- The British Open - a two-day major competition - will be taking place on 19 and 20 September at Strokes Adventure Golf in Margate, Kent.

- The day before the British Open tees-off the Players Championship and International Players Championship contests will take place on the Strokes layout.

- The World Crazy Golf Championships - the final major of the season - will be played on 24 and 25 October at the Crazy Golf course in Hastings.



- The Star City Open will close the official BMGA Tour season on Sunday 6 December when it is held at the Adventure Island Mini Golf course in Birmingham.

There will also be various club events during the year, as well as fun friendlies and independent events on courses around the UK.

Playing at Splash Point Mini Golf course in Worthing during the British Masters last season

Club Open competitions announced so far include:
- Midlands Open - Sunday 22 March at the Four Ashes Golf Centre in Dorridge, Solihull.
- Splash Point Open - Saturday 25 July at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing.
- Kent Open - Sunday 15 November at the Lost Island Encounter in Sidcup, Kent.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation will also be holding an event in England this year, with the WMF World Adventure Golf Masters taking place on 6 and 7 June at the Pirate Adventure Golf course in Hastings.

National Miniature Golf Day takes place on the second Saturday in May and this year will be on Saturday 9 May. Miniature Golf Day is always on 21 September, which this year falls on a Monday.

Worldwide there are over 38,000 competitive minigolf players registered with the WMF via the 46 member nations, with 900-plus clubs between them. More than 1,000 courses are approved for official competitions and over 1,500 minigolf tournaments are held each year.

Links:
- British Minigolf Association
- World Minigolf Sport Federation
- European Minigolf Sport Federation

Related blog posts:
- Mini Golf Days in 2015
- End of 2014 minigolf season BMGA rankings