Tee-Rex Adventure Golf at Cardiff Golf Centre

A visit to the Tee-Rex Adventure Golf course at Cardiff Golf Centre.

On our trip to South Wales we made a visit to the Tee-Rex Adventure Golf course at Cardiff Golf Centre in Old St Mellons.

The 18-hole dinosaur-themed Adventure Golf course became the 916th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Emily playing hole 1

We enjoyed a round with our old friends and minigolf rivals Cindy and Jas Kukielka and our new friend and minigolf rival Martyn Williams.

On the green of the volcano hole

The Tee Rex Golf course was built by the team at HM Adventure Golf in 2017 and we've been wanting to get along for a game for a while.

What's wrong with this picture?

We had a fun competition on the course and there were some very close scores on the tricky layout.

At the end of the round I came out the winner by one-shot on 40(+4). Martyn, captain of the Welsh Minigolf Club, and Emily both hit 41(+5) and required a play-off.

Receiving the trophy from Jas

The sudden-death play-off began on hole 1. After nether player could be separated after three plays of the hole the play-off moved to hole 2 where Emily shot a three and Martyn hit a two for the win.

Martyn playing a shot

Emily in action

Jas finished the game in fourth place with a round of 45(+9), with Cindy in fifth spot on 48(+12).

Jas on the green

Cindy in action

The Rules

Playing hole 1

The view from the first tee

Visit the Tee-Rex Adventure Golf course website for opening times and prices. Cardiff Golf Centre is also home to a Pitch & Putt course, Foot Golf, Rugby Golf, a riving range and a soft-play centre.

The practice Putting area

A view of the Pitch & Putt and Foot Golf course

Tee-Rex Adventure Golf at Cardiff Golf Centre will be the host venue for the Cardiff Open minigolf tournament on Saturday 5th October. For more information visit the Welsh Minigolf Club website.

Archery in Cwmbran

Playing in a mini 'backyard' Archery contest in Cwmbran.

It has become a great tradition on visits to our friends, the Kukielka family, in Cwmbran, Wales that we compete against each other in a sporting contest of some sort.

Over the years we've played Crazy-, Mini- & Adventure Golf, as well as Petanque/Boules, Finger Jousting, Darts and Table Tennis.

For 2014 it was to be Archery!

With a board set-up and a BBQ on the go I took the opportunity to get in some praccy as the last time (and one of the first times) I'd picked up a bow was while playing Archery Tag in Guildford in April last year.

Richard arching in Cwmbran

A random draw was made to decide the playing order for the six archers. I was drawn to be first, followed by Seve, Cindy, Emily, Jas and Leo.

Having a quick search online to find the official rules of Archery and the points scoring system we opted for the 5 Zone ('GNAS') method where you score by colour - White equaling 1 point, Black 3, Blue 5, Red 7 and Gold 9.

In both the 5 Zone and 10 Zone ('World Archery') scoring methods an arrow that is touching a line separating zones (known as a 'line cutter'), scores the value of the higher scoring zone

It was originally planned for each player to have ten arrows, but with two arrows getting lost over the fence during practice and the light fading it was decided to have eight each rather than breaking up play by retrieving already fired arrows from the target.

The very model of an Archer - Jas Kukielka

I managed to score a 7 with my first arrow before missing the target with my next two shots, but then hit two 5's in a row and a 1 and a 7 to finish for a total score of 25.

A highish score, but not a lot of grouping going on!

Next up was Seve - victor in the 2009 Boules tournament and 2011 Table Tennis contest - who scored a 1, 3 and 3 for a total of 7.

Seve was not the 'Best in the World' at Archery

Cindy was next up and scored an impressive 11 points and landed every arrow at least somewhere on the board, even if they didn't all score.

Not an arrow on the ground when Cindy's around

Emily was fourth to fire and the less said about her go the better as she scored 0.

No caption required

Jas was the penultimate player to step up to the mark, but apart from a purple patch in the middle of his go, scored a lot of misses to finish on 15 points. Still good enough for second-place.

Silver medalist Jas

The last great hope to topple me and surpas the clubhouse lead was Leo - 2010 Darts Champion - but it was not to be, as he managed to score 1 point. Much to the chagrin of Emily who was hoping for some sort of repechage play-off for last-place.

Receiving the coveted Gold medal from Jas

To win by such a big margin I must of been channeling the spirit of San Marino's top Archer - Emanuele Guidi - who I met at the London 2012 Olympic Games!

A great fun evening with a BBQ and some great gluten free Fish & Chips from the Fairwater Fish Bar in Coed Eva too. If we had a garden I'd certainly think about getting some Archery gear.

Who knows what the next Kukielka-Gottfried sporting contest will be...

Related blog posts:
- Playing Archery Tag in Guildford
- Cwmbran

Link:
- Website of Archery GB - the governing body for the sport of archery in Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Egg Throwing at the World Alternative Games

Egg Throwing competition to be held at the World Alternative Games in Llanwrtyd Wells on Sunday 10th August.

The upcoming World Alternative Games will once again feature an Egg Throwing competition!

Taking place in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales during the morning session on Sunday 10th August the Egg Throwing tournament ('Taflu Wyau' in Welsh) is an Open event.

Players compete in pairs and the aim is to throw and catch a raw egg without breakage. After each round the teams must move further apart until there is just one team left standing with a whole unbroken egg.

Its a great, fun event and at the 2012 World Alternative Games me and my team-mate Jas Kukielka won the competition!

The 2012 World Alternative Games Egg Throwing Championships Gold Medal winning team and the Silver Medallists - from l-r Jas 'Jasain Bolt' Kukielka, Richard Gottfried (with Egg), Seve Kukielka

To register to take part in the Egg Throwing event, and other contests, please visit the World Alternative Games website.

Throwing an egg to Jas Kukielka

Egg Throwing can be a messy sport!

In the morning session on the 15th August there will also be a Russian Egg Roulette competition ('Rwlet y Rwsiaid â Wyau')! Each player takes it in turn to crack an egg on their forehead until one unlucky competitor finds they have the one fresh egg in six smashed on them. The winner moves into the next round.

The World Alternative Games are taking place place between Friday 8th and Monday 25th of August 2014 with over 60 sport and recreation events held during the festival of fun and games in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales.

The official WFJF Finger Jousting World Championships will also be taking place at the 2014 Games, with male and female competitions taking place in the afternoon session on Sunday 10th August.

Check out the events listing and games brochure on the World Alternative Games website for more information.

Links:
- World Alternative Games website
- World Alternative Games on Twitter
- World Alternative Games on Facebook
- World Finger Jousting Federation website

Related blog posts:
- Becoming a World Champion in Egg Throwing!
- Update from the World Alternative Games 2014 in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales
- World Alternative Games

Results of the Scrap Iron Cup Minigolf Tournament in Newport, Wales

Luton’s Richard Gottfried defeats Cwmbran’s Cindy Kukielka to win fifth Scrap Iron Cup title at competition played at Newport’s Tredegar Park Crazy Golf course.



A nice sign to see - the Crazy Golf course at Newport's Tredegar Park has re-opened for 2012



On Saturday 26th August the Scrap Iron Cup Minigolf Trophy and Title was contested between members of the Midlands Minigolf Club and a lone guest member from the Splash Point Mini Golf Club at the newly re-opened 9-hole Crazy Golf course at Tredegar Park in Newport, Wales.



'Squire' Richard Gottfried plays the first hole of the Tredegar Park Crazy Golf course in Newport, Wales



Seven players lined-up in the contest that for 2012 replaced the annual Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament). Reigning and defending two-time Scrap Iron Cup champion Owen ‘Jackpot’ Johnson decided that the competition would be played in a one-round shootout format to decide the winner.



Jas Kukielka takes on the refurbished 3rd hole at the Tredegar Park Crazy Golf course



The three players who had held the Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg title teed-off in group one, with Cindy and Emily, and Owen and Paul in the other groups. Jas took an early lead, but was pegged back by Owen and all was looking good for a decisive winner of the contest. That was until hole 9!



The agonising wait to see if the ball will drop in the hole on the 9th at Tredegar Park



At the end of the round there was a six-way tie for the lead after the majority of the field scored a round of 23(+5). The 9th hole at Tredegar Park is a killer hole and it certainly proved a round and contest killer for Leo ‘Leonard’ Kukielka who was unable to hole out and therefore was unable to qualify for the play-off.



The players putt away on the 9-hole Tredegar Park Crazy Golf course in Newport, Wales



The sudden-death play-off commenced and saw the players play holes chosen by the course manager, with hole 1, hole 6, hole 7 and finally hole 3 played to decide the winner. At the final hole Welsh Ladies Number One Cindy Kukielka scored a three and Richard Gottfried scored a hole-in-one to take the win in a rematch of the final of the fourth Scrap Iron Cup.

Final Rankings:

1st Richard Gottfried

2nd Cindy Kukielka

3rd Johnson Paul Johnson Paul Johnson

4th Owen Johnson

4th Jas Kukielka

4th Emily Gottfried

7th Leo Kukielka

Scrap Iron Cup - Hall of Fame

2012 - #11 - Richard Gottfried beat Cindy Kukielka - Newport

2011 - #10 - Owen Johnson beat Seth Thomas - Wroxham Barns

2011 - #9 - Paul Johnson beat Seth Thomas - Margate

2011 - #8 - Richard Gottfried beat Peter Jones - Liverpool

2011 - #7 - Seth Thomas beat Paul Johnson - Liverpool

2011 - #6 - Seth Thomas beat Owen Johnson - Hither Green

2011 - #5 - Seth Thomas beat Richard Gottfried - Bristol

2011 - #4 - Richard Gottfried beat Cindy Kukielka - Birmingham

2010 - #3 - Owen Johnson beat Richard Gottfried - Birmingham

2010 - #2 - Richard Gottfried beat Paul Johnson - Weymouth

2010 - #1 - Richard Gottfried beat Paul Johnson - Sandbanks

Rules of the Scrap Iron Cup (Subject to change)

• Played between members of the Midlands Minigolf Club

• Played in either groups of two, or one group, in round one

• Groups are drawn at random (often using the 'balls in a hat' technique)

• Round one is a strokeplay match played over 7, 9, 11, 12 or 18 holes

• The two players with the top scores after round one qualify for the second round/final

• Round two is a matchplay match played over 7, 9, 12 or 18 holes

• The winner of the matchplay match becomes the Scrap Iron Cup* Champion**

* The Johnson's Scrap Iron Cup (aka the 'NABBA ENGLAND 95 CLASS TWO WINNER' Trophy) remains the property of Owen and Paul Johnson

** The Reigning Scrap Iron Champion retains the cup until the next defence whereupon it is given up until the next Scrap Iron Cup tournament has been completed

Related blog posts:

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list of courses visited and played

- Wales

- Minigolf etc. - English to Welsh translations

Finger Jousting in Llanyrafon, Cwmbran, Wales

Results of the Finger Jousting match between Squire Richard of Surleigh and Jas 'The Polish Hammer' Kukiela.

Following our few days spent at the World Alternative Games 2012 in Llanwrtyd Wells where Jas Kukielka and I become the World Egg Throwing Champions and we ran the International Finger Jousting Tournament we headed to Llanyrafon in Cwmbran for the weekend and spent some time at the town’s Boating Lake.

Jas, aka The Polish Hammer, had been too injured to compete in last Friday’s Finger Jousting event, however once I spotted the ideal arena for a Finger Jousting Championships he made a miraculous recovery and so we had a Quick Play Rules match in the Llanyrafon Amphitheatre!

Squire Richard of Surleigh faces off against Jas 'The Polish Hammer' Kukielka at the Llanyrafon Finger Jousting Arena in Cwmbran, Wales

The match was played to one-point, with the first combatant to strike a prod or poke on his opponent declared the winner. Jas, well known for his Finger Jousting prowess on the international circuit (especially by the Dutch), started strongly, but fatigue and his minor middle finger injury that had hindered his attempt to win the World Alternative Games Finger Jousting title meant that I managed to pick up the win after a hard fought bout!

Squire Richard of Surleigh tries to get the upper hand on Jas 'The Polish Hammer' Kukielka at the Llanyrafon Finger Jousting Arena in Cwmbran, Wales

The victory meant that my Finger Jousting Winning Streak has now been extended to 87 matches!

The Finger Jousting battle between Squire Richard of Surleigh and Jas 'The Polish Hammer' Kukielka used the full space of the Llanyrafon Finger Jousting Arena in Cwmbran, Wales

My career Win-Loss record now stands at 118 wins from 130 contests, with 109 wins from 116 matches since I became an official member of the World Finger Jousting Federation in 2006.

Links:

- World Finger Jousting Federation

- World Alternative Games 2012

Related Blog Posts:

- Finger Jousting

Becoming a World Champion in Egg Throwing!

Jas Kukielka and I won the World Egg Throwing Championships at the World Alternative Games 2012!

On Friday 24th August I competed in the World Alternative Games 2012. The festival of sport is taking place in Britain’s Smallest Town – Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales – and there are over 50 different weird and wacky, odd and obscure sports taking place during the two weeks between the 17th August and the 2nd September. I was in town to run the first-ever Finger Jousting Championship on UK soil and ended up winning the World Egg Throwing Championships alongside my teammate Jas Kukielka!

Throwing an egg to Jas Kukielka

On the Friday morning we were at the Ysgol Dolafon in the town watching the action from the World Alternative Games Egg Throwing Championships and decided to give it a go. The best ‘throw and catch’ of an egg had been measured at 20 metres and that had been by the first pair! None of the other groups had got close to the mark.

Egg Throwing can be a messy sport!

The sport involves one player as the Egg Thrower and one as the Egg Catcher. Each pair chose two raw eggs and throw/toss/lob the egg to their partner. The Thrower always remains at one end, with the Catcher moving further back after each successful catch.

The World Alternative Games Egg Throwing tournament was a truly international affair with 19 teams taking part with players from Wales, England, France, the Republic of Ireland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands competing!

First of all Jas teamed with his son Seve Kukielka for their attempts. The pair were certainly strong contenders and until the first egg smashed onto Seve’s head after he took a tumble over a traffic cone that marked out the perimeter of the playing area. The next egg throws took the team to the 20 metre mark, but they were unable to break the record and just ended with a broken egg to see them tie for the lead.

The World Championship winning egg!

Next up Jas and I teamed up, this time Jas was the Catcher, with me as the Thrower. Fuelled by a great Gluten Free breakfast from the Bryncelyn Guesthouse and the Nakd bars provided by one of the World Alternative Games sponsors I stepped up to make my first throw. It was successful and Jas and I were underway! Drawing on my years of Dodgeball throwing experience, along with my ‘skills’ in Bun Throwing & Christmas Tree Throwing (!) we managed to reach the 15 metre mark with no trouble before our first breakage. With the crowd egging us on, we too reached the 20 metre mark before our second egg cracked.

Seve Kukielka takes a tumble and ends up with egg on his head

We had to wait until the other teams in the competition had finished their throws to see if there would be a play-off, and as no other pair managed to break the 20 metre barrier there would indeed be a three-way one-egg-a-pair chuck-off! To decide who played first the referee administered a coin toss, which Jas and Seve’s team won. Me and Jas’ team were second so the other pair of players were ‘put in to bat first’.



"Spot the Egg" - throwing to Jas in the play-off for the Gold Medal!



They stepped-up and ended up with egg on their face as the egg they had picked broke on impact with the catcher. Jas and I were successful in our attempt, as was the Jas and Seve team, so we were sure of a Gold or Silver medal (with Jas guaranteed one of each!). The team of Jas and Seve were unlucky in their next attempt as the egg broke, which meant that all Jas needed to do was catch the egg I threw and we were the Gold Medallists and World Champions. We were successful and the crowd went wild!!!

Seve attempts a catch from Jas

After we’d been presented our medals (Jas being laden with his Gold, Silver and two Corinthian Medals!) we were congratulated by the other players and got straight to texting our friends and families about the news. We received loads of congratulations messages and some cracking eggy puns in the replies. Our Midlands Minigolf Club teammate Jam Trubridge asked if Royal Mail would be painting a Postbox Gold in honour of our World Championship victory? 

The Gold Medal winning team and the Silver Medallists - from l-r Jas 'Jasain Bolt' Kukielka, Richard Gottfried (with Egg), Seve Kukielka

Back in 2006 when I started blogging about different sports and games I never realised that six years later I’d be a World Champ! With the title of my blog ‘The Ham & Egger Files’ the suggestion was made that a ‘Ham Throwing’ World Championship needs to be created too! Would it be packet, or sliced ham that would be used though? Or on the bone!

Llanwrtyd Wells is renowned for its long history of crazy and alternative games!

The Egg Throwing and our two days in Llanwrtyd were great fun. The town really is the world’s capital city for alternative sports and games. I’m really looking forward to the 2014 World Alternative Games and the defence of our World Egg Throwing Title!

Llanwrtyd Wells was a great place to visit, with some great pubs, including the Stonecroft Inn, and a very nice restaurant at the Lasswade Country House. We also spent some time in the bar at the Neuadd Arms Hotel and found out it was the headquarters of the Monster Raving Loony Party!

Photos from the visit to the World Alternative Games 2012.

The World Alternative Games shop!

Llanwrtyd is pronounced "Lanurted" - I still struggled to say it

Me and Jas at the Neuadd Arms Hotel - Headquarters of the Monster Raving Loony Party!

The World Alternative Games has a Sosban of spring water running through the town and the fountain on the square will flow with water for the duration of the two weeks whilst the Games are being held

The sign above the bar at the Neuadd Arms Hotel

The World Alternative Games will take place during from 17th August to 2nd September 2012. At a time when the world’s eyes are on Britain and the sporting world, the World Alternative Games will capture the public’s imagination and the media spotlight to promote unrecognized sports and their participants. These unsung ambassadors of sport will have a world stage on which to showcase their talents and an opportunity to prove their dedication to these truly alternative sports. This World Alternative Games will promote a ‘Corinthian Spirit’ where taking part is more important than winning and where self achievement is recognised and applauded. For further information about the World Alternative Games 2012 please visit the event website.

Links:

- World Alternative Games 2012

Related Blog Posts:

- Finger Jousting to feature as a sport at the 2012 World Alternative Games!

- Competing in the first-ever World Bun Throwing Championships in Abingdon-on-Thames

- A day out of Bun Throwing, Crazy Golf and Bar Billiards in Abingdon-on-Thames

- Fun and Games at the Yattendon & Frilsham Village Fete