Crazy Golf on South Parade in Skegness

The Crazy Golf course on Skegness' South Parade is facing closure.

The sign on the prom for 'The Original Crazy Golf' on South Parade in Skegness

Back in the summer of 2011 Emily and I embarked on a mammoth road trip along the Lincolnshire coast. We played a lot of minigolf and visited a number of courses.

Hole 1 of the South Parade Crazy Golf course in Skegness

One of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visits took us to the Crazy Golf course on South Parade in Skegness. Unfortunately when we visited the course wasn't open, and didn't look like it had been in a while.

The rocket on hole 6

Hole 8 of the Skegness Crazy Golf course

Hole 12 of the South Parade minigolf course layout

Since that visit the course has reopened and has had a bit of a refresh. However, it is under threat of closure and a petition has been set-up to help save it from being turned into a car park. Great spot by the team at Putterfingers.

The Crazy Golf course on South Parade is one of the world's oldest locations to play minigolf and is believed to be the site of England's first course. Set-up in the 1920's the date of its establishment varies from 1922 to 1927. It truly is a piece of living minigolf history. And one I hope is not consigned to history.

How I looked in 2011 when I was unable to play Crazy Golf at the course. I'd look this grumpy again if the course was closed for good

When we visited Camber Sands in 2010 we found the Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course had been dug up to make way for a Car Park. On our return last year it was a patch of dusty ground. Such a shame.

We're planning a return trip to Skegness this year and hopefully we'll get a chance to play on the country's first course.

Skegness is something of a mecca for miniature golf. On our visit to the seaside resort we managed to visit and/or play a grand total of twelve Crazy Golf, Minigolf, Adventure Golf, Mini Golf and Putting courses.

On our travels we've been to 589 courses to date and we've played the first two Miniature Golf courses in the world!

The first miniature golf is still in existence and has been playable since 1867. The Himalayas Putting course is at St Andrews in Scotland and is well worth a visit.

The first Pitch & Putt mini golf course is in Southsea, Hampshire and was opened in 1914. Again, it's still there today and is a tricky layout.

For more on the history of Mini Golf check out The Crazy Golf Museum and the extract from Nutters with Putters.

Related blog posts:
- Minigolf, Crazy Golf and Adventure Golf Courses on the Lincolnshire Coast

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

- Skegness (South Parade) - Crazy Golf - Closed on Visit

- Two Miniature Golf Firsts

Links:

- The Crazy Golf Museum

- MiniatureGolfer

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.

Crazy Golf in Seahouses, Northumberland

A visit to Seahouses to play Crazy Golf.

Back in April 2012 we embarked on a mammoth leg of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and visited a bumper crop of 49 miniature golf courses!

At Beaches Crazy Golf in Seahouses

On re-entering England the 18-hole Crazy Golf course at The Bunker on Seafield Road in Seahouses, Northumberland became the 494th course visited overall when we arrived in the town on the 9 April, and the next day became the 297th course played.

A view of the Seahouses Crazy Golf course

Driving through the town you can't miss the course as its sat right next to the road!

The Beaches Crazy Golf course is right next to Seafield Road in Seahouses. Note the historic plaque built into the wall - the public gardens were opened in April 1980

Each of the holes on the Beaches Crazy Golf course have a local landmark theme and name. The course is well worth a play, with some interesting, tricky obstacles and hole layouts.

Crazy Golf in Seahouses

In damp weather conditions on the 10 April 2012 we played a match-up on the course as part of our 'North West England, Scotland & North East England Tour Challenge' . In the contest I defeated Emily with a score of 36(par) to 45(+9).

Emily playing a criss-cross of two holes at the Seahouses Crazy Golf course!

The course was the last of the thirteen we were able to play on our roadtrip, and the 48th visited overall during the holiday.

For more information, photos and prices for the Seahouses Crazy Golf course check out The Bunker website.

The Crazy Golf course and The Bunker clubhouse in Seahouses

During the trip we managed to play the world's first miniature golf course - at St Andrews.

Link:
- The Bunker Seahouses

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Visiting a further 49 Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in England and Scotland

Videos:
- View of the course 1
- View of the course 2

Unplayed Minigolf Courses on our Roadtrip to Scotland & Back

Visits to 36 more Miniature Golf courses in England and Scotland.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour of England and Scotland in April 2012 saw us visit a total of 49 Miniature Golf course locations. Of these we managed to play thirteen of them. Unfortunately in Bispham, Fleetwood, Morecambe, Bowness-on-Windermere, Brockhole, Ambleside, Keswick, Maryport, Silloth-on-Solway, Helensburgh, Bannockburn, Stirling, Perth, St Andrews, Kirkaldy, North Berwick, Gullane, Dunbar, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Spittal and Sunderland we were unable to play the  Minigolf courses there for one reason or another!

Below are a selection of photos from the course visits. You can see photos of the courses that we did play at a blog post here.

Bispham - Queens Road Promenade - The Crazy Golf isn't there any more

The Putting Course at Anchorsolme Park in Bispham - not yet open for the season

The Mini Golf / Pitch & Putt Course at Anchorsolme Park in Bispham - not yet open for the season

Outside the Closed Minigolf Kiosk at Anchorsolme Park in Bispham

The Crazy Golf & Mini Golf / Pitch & Putt in Fleetwood - not yet open for the season

The Crazy Golf course in Fleetwood - not yet open for the season

We noticed the Crazy Golf course in Marine Hall Gardens in Fleetwood has been demolished since our last visit in 2009! The course that was there is just a stone's throw away from the other Crazy Golf course and Pitch & Putt, but we somehow managed to miss seeing them on our first visit to Fleetwood!?

Happy Mount Park in Morecambe - home to Crazy Golf and Putting Courses, but the Miniature Golf is no longer there

The Crazy Golf course at Happy Mount Park in Morecambe

The Putting course at Happy Mount Park in Morecambe

The Putting Green at Morecambe Golf Club -  for Members only!

The Mini Golf / Pitch & Putt course at Bowness-on-Windermere - not yet open for the season

The Crazy Golf course on The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere - not yet open for the season

The Putting course on The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere - not yet open for the season

Another locked gate visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

The Crazy Golf course at Brockhole used to be laid out all in one place. The Putting Course there wasn't yet open for the season

White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside - home to a Crazy Golf course, Putting Green and a Mini Golf / Pitch & Putt - we played the Crazy Golf

The Putting Green at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

The Pitch & Putt Mini Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

The Obstacle Golf course at Keswick's Hope Park

The Pitch & Putt Mini Golf can be seen beyond the Putting Course at Keswick's Hope Park

The Swedish Felt Crazy Golf course at the Lake District Coast Aquarium in Maryport is open daily from 10am-5pm. We arrrived at 5.10pm!

The Crazy Golf on The Green in Silloth-on-Solway is no longer there. It looks to have recently been dug up!

The Putting Green in Helensburgh, Scotland - not yet open for the season

Driving through Bannockburn towards Stirling we popped into Brucefields Family Golf Centre and found a Putting Course there

In Perth's South Inch Park we found a 'semi-derelict' Crazy Golf course - it is hopefully going to be renovated in the future...

The Putting Course at South Inch Park in Perth, Scotland wasn't yet open for the season on our visit

The Old Course Putting Green at St Andrews in Scotland is for 'Old Course' Players Only

The Bruce Embankment Putting Green wasn't open on our visit to St Andrews

The Adventure Golf course at Jumpin Jacks Children's Adventure Play and Crazy Golf in Kirkaldy, Scotland is open until 6pm, we arrived after 6pm

The Putting at Beveridge Park in Kircaldy wasn't yet open for the season on our visit

A sign at Beveridge Park in Kircaldy also said there was a Crazy Golf course there. We couldn't find one, but this are could be home to a portable type of course during the summer

While we played the East Links Putting Course in North Berwick, we ran out of time to play the West Links Mini Golf

The 'Golf Town' of Gullane had a Childrens Golf Course - a miniature version of the larger Golf courses

Dunbar's Lauderdale Park no longer has a Crazy Golf course, but there were some funny looking ornaments in the gardens!

The Magdalene Fields Golf Club in Berwick-upon-Tweed is home to a Putting Course

On our visit to The Pavilion Amusements in Spittal, near Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Crazy Golf course wasn't yet open for the season

The last stop on our tour saw us not play the Crazy Golf course at St Marks Activity Garden in Millfield, Sunderland as we couldn't find any staff to hire equipment from

Other Minigolf course locations we visited on our trip were in Bispham where we couldn't see the Putting Course that was supposed to be near Norbreck Station and North Berwick in Scotland where we found that the Crazy Golf course at The Lodge had been removed.

The trek saw us reach 297 played courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

Related Blog Posts:

- Visiting a further 49 Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in England and Scotland

- Minigolf Course Visit No. 152 - Fleetwood Crazy Golf

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour