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.

The 'Mini Masters' in Manchester

A look back at the 'Mini Masters' minigolf tournament in Manchester.

I won the 'Mini Masters' minigolf competition in Manchester back on the 11th April 2009. Time certainly flies!

Mini Master

The 'Mini Masters' was the first of two tournaments I won on the 9-hole Championship Miniature Golf course at what was then Playgolf Manchester. The second event being the 'Miniature Open' in July 2009.

Putting in the Mini Open

I won the Mini Masters with a three round total of 81 (-24) after scoring 26, 27, and 28.

In second place with a score of 86 (-19) was the then current BMGA British Number One Chris Harding. Paul Johnson was third with 87 (-18).

One of the very long minigolf holes on the course

The course was the 84th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Back then the course wasn't one of our local layouts as we still lived in Luton and travelled up for the events.

A large water hazard on the course!

The Championship Miniature Golf course is no longer at the centre, but you can find an expanded Championship Miniature Golf layout with two 18-hole courses in New Brighton. The centre is no longer a Playgolf venue either. It's now known as the Trafford Golf Centre and is also home to two 18-hole dinosaur adventure golf courses. I won the Dino Falls Masters Adventure Golf competition there in 2018 too!

Link:

• Richard Gottfried's minigolf player profile

British Minigolf Association events for 2021

The British Minigolf Association has announced its list of tournaments for the year ahead.

The British Minigolf Association (BMGA) Tour season tees-off with the Midlands Open on Saturday 29th May on the Adventure Golf course at the Four Ashes Golf Centre in Dorridge, Solihull.

The season comes to a close with the Cornwall Open on Sunday 21st November at the new Woodland Adventure Golf at China Fleet Country Club in Saltash.

A total of twelve events have been scheduled. The BMGA has stated that all dates should currently be considered as provisional due to Covid-19. A further five events are currently postponed with updates to follow.

For more information visit the BMGA website.

Winning at the Digital City Expo

I attended my last 'real world' physical event at the Marketing Show North at the Digital City Expo at Manchester Central a year ago today.

What a difference a year has made.

One of the exhibitors, Acquia, had a darts game set up to attract visitors and I had a few throws and ended up winning the top prize with a 'Bullseye-esque' score of 101 with three darts!

The last three darts I threw in the outside world. I've been playing a lot of soft-tip darts at home during the lockdowns

It'll be interesting to see when the next events will be able to take place and what they'll look like. I have a few pencilled in my diary for 2022 already.

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.

National Miniature Golf Day 2021

Date for your diary - National Miniature Golf Day 2021.

National Miniature Golf Day is always on the second Saturday in May. In 2021 that will be on Saturday, 8th May.

Halloween Minigolf

A look at Halloween-themed miniature golf courses and events in 2020.

I'm a big fan of Halloween and always looking out for themed events and activities in the run-up to the scary season. It'll certainly be an interesting one this year for sure!

Haunted Mini-Golf

Hidden Oaks Family Fun Center in East Liverpool, Ohio, USA is running The Hidden Haunted Trail & Mini-Golf this year, with the Haunted Mini-Golf teeing-off today (Friday 11th September).

If you know of any Halloween-themed minigolf courses or events please get in touch via the comments below.

Check out my other Halloween-related blog posts.

Last year our friends Tom and Robin over at A Couple of Putts shared their favourite scary miniature golf holes and obstacles on social media during October using the hashtag #Puttober.

Our friend Pat at The Putting Penguin is also a big fan of Halloween and themed minigolf.

Scary minigolf from our travels

We've seen some nice haunted obstacles and theming on course on our travels.

A spectretator watches me putt in Warrington

A bad putt could be a grave mistake

Hole 7 - doesn't look too lucky

Scary!

Emily playing The Smuggler's Jail hole on the Smugglers Bay Adventure Golf course at Stonham Barns in Suffolk

Rest in Peace on hole 14 at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry

Slimer graffiti at Ghetto Golf in Byker, Newcastle

Halloween last year

It was a different time last year and there were some excellent Halloween events taking place.

Manchester Monster Invasion: Return of the Monsters was a brilliant trail as part of Halloween in the City 

I got to see Ecto-1a and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in Urmston, Greater Manchester last year too

------------------

Join our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour enewsletter mailing list

Merseyway Comic Con in Stockport

There should've been a comic con at the Merseyway shopping centre in Stockport today.

Another casualty of the coronavirus.

Here's a snap of me on a Star Wars speeder bike at the Merseyway's first comic con last September.

Having fun in Stockport last year

Hopefully there'll be a return of retailtainment events in the future.

There was going to be a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man at the Merseyway comic con.

I'm so glad I went to Urmston last October!

Happy International Museum Day

Today is International Museum Day 2020.

International Museum Day is organised by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and has been held each year since 1977.

The objective of International Museum Day is to raise awareness about the fact that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.”

The Crazy Golf Museum

The Crazy Golf Museum is celebrating it's tenth year in 2020. The worldwide archive of miniature golf memories, histories and ephemera opened it's 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.

Happy National Miniature Golf Day

Today is National Miniature Golf Day.

It's certainly a different one to normal.

Playing the Arnold Palmer Putting Course in Skegness on National Miniature Golf Day during a minigolf weekender in 2015

Are you Putting at Home to celebrate?

Emily playing the Stoke Park Minigolf course in Guildford during the Report from the Surrey Invitational Minigolf Tournament on National Miniature Golf Day 2016

However you're marking the occasion stay safe and be well.

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

Two days to celebrate

There are two 'official' days each year to celebrate Miniature Golf. The first of these is National Miniature Golf Day and falls on the second Saturday in May. The second of these is Miniature Golf Day and is always on the 21st of September.

Playing the Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course in Aberavon, Port Talbot on National Miniature Golf Day last year

Happy Star Wars Day

May the fourth be with you.

A selection of Star Wars characters and gimmicks 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 

It's National Gardening Week

Happy National Gardening Week.

To mark the occasion here's a look at a garden minigolf course in East Finchley, London.

The innovative back garden minigolf course was created by the team at UrbanCrazy

Happy National Gardening Week

This week is National Gardening Week.

A look at garden centre minigolf courses.

A look at some of the garden centre minigolf courses we've played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

When lockdown is lifted and minigolf courses reopen there are some really good layouts to check out at garden centres.

InterFun Expo 2021

A look ahead to next year's InterFun Expo.

With the coronavirus pandemic affecting all areas of daily life and businesses around the world, the team at the InterFun Expo have moved the event to April 2021.

InterFun Expo is open to anyone in the business of providing fun activities for families and friends. The event has a wide-range of trade exhibitors and expert speakers from the industry including family entertainment centres, arcade games, aerial adventures, minigolf, VR, tenpin bowling, interactive surfaces, edutainment, laser tag, table games and more a lot more.

I'm really looking forward to attending and speaking about minigolf and competitive socialising at the InterFun Expo next year.

I was due to be speaking at the event this week. I can't wait for the 2021 event

The InterFun Expo takes place at New Dock Hall in the Royal Armouries complex in Leeds on the 27th and 28th April 2021.

You can find out more and register for your free ticket on the InterFun Expo website.

You can read my blog about keeping active, social and competitive in the new world of physical distancing at 'Competitive socialising in isolation'.

Happy National Picnic Day

Today is National Picnic Day.

To mark the occasion I might eat a miniature Scotch Egg in the garden washed down with a glass of fizzy orange before getting stang off of a bee and then going indoors.

Back in May 2009 Emily and I actually helped set a Guinness World Record for the Largest Picnic ever in the UK. Over 8,300 people took park in that effort.

The previous holder of the Guinness World Record for "The Largest Picnic across multiple venues" was Tenerife, Spain which set the record with 8,000 picnickers in 1999.

Looking at other picnicking records the Largest Picnic ever was held in June 2009 when 22,232 people gathered in Lisbon, Portugal.

Remember social gatherings?

National Miniature Golf Day 2020 - Saturday 9th May

National Miniature Golf Day 2020 will be on Saturday 9th May.

I played the Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course in Aberavon, Port Talbot, Wales on National Miniature Golf Day last year.

Playing the Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course in Aberavon, Port Talbot

I was runner-up in the 2019 National Miniature Golf Day tournament, and the next day's Welsh Doubles Championship.

I guess we'll be minigolfing indoors at home, or in the garden this year.

---------

Miniature Golf Day 2020 will be on Monday 21st September.

Happy National Tea Day

Today is National Tea Day.

A tea-themed minigolf hole

Hole 1 of Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington is tea-themed.

Teeing-off on hole 1 of the tea cups hole

2020's National Tea Day is the fifth edition of the event.

For more info visit the National Tea Day website.

The tea cups obstacles on hole 1 of the Superbowl minigolf course

National Tea Day supports Mind, the UK’s leading mental health charity.