Crazy Golf in Leysdown-on-Sea, Isle of Sheppey

A look at the Crazy Golf course in Leysdown-on-Sea, Isle of Sheppey.

Many thanks to our friend Simon Martin for sending over these snaps of the Crazy Golf in Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey. It's a new one for us to see!

The only miniature golf course we found on our visit to the Isle of Sheppey in 2014 was the Pitch & Putt at Barton's Point Coastal Park.

We'll have to swing by next time we're down that way.

Check out Simon's website, including the Mini Golf photography project he did a few years ago.

Related blog posts:
- Mini Golf by Simon Martin
- Simon Martin
- Isle of Sheppey
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Enchanted Village Adventure Golf at Sparrows Den

New Adventure Golf course opening at Sparrows Den Pitch & Putt in West Wickham.

A new Adventure Golf course is opening at the Sparrows Den Pitch & Putt in West Wickham, Bromley this weekend!

Check out the photos of the course from the team at ROCKARTuk. It looks fantastic.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy Golf in London
- Adventure Golf

Links:
- ROCKARTuk
- Enchanted Village Adventure Golf

Mini Golf at Allhallows Leisure Holiday Park

A look at the Mini Golf course at Allhallows Leisure Holiday Park.

Our friends Sophia and Karl Moles kindly sent us some great snaps of the 12-hole Mini Golf course at the Haven Allhallows Leisure Holiday Park in Rochester, Kent.

The 12-hole Crazy Golf course has holes themed after areas of local interest such as the White Cliffs of Dover and Killick's Windmill.

I thought it was a bit odd that one of the holes is themed on Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea - in Essex!? But Sophia explained that the holiday park has a clear view across the Thames Estuary to Southend-on-Sea. I wonder if you can see the Crazy Golf course that's at the very end of the pier too?

There are two Adventure Golf courses at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea. In fact I made my tournament debut on the course in the 2008 British Masters!

The course looks like a fun layout.

There's no sneaking passed this loop-di-loop obstacle

Sophia and Karl have previously sent us snaps of the Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf at Haven's Caister-on-Sea Holiday Park, as well as the course at Minigolf Sport Club Sanremo in Arma, Italy.

Link:
- Allhallows Leisure Holiday Park

Related blog posts:
- Haven

Mr Mulligan's Dino Golf at Tonbridge Golf Centre

New Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf course now open in Kent.

There's a new Adventure Golf course in Tonbridge, Kent as Mr Mulligan's Dino Golf is now open at Tonbridge Golf Centre.

The 18-hole Adventure Golf course looks very good and is certainly a lot different to the course I found there back in 2011.

Check out the Tonbridge Golf Centre and Mr Mulligan websites for more info, opening times and prices.

We've played Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf courses in Castleford, Milton Keynes, Sidcup, Stevenage and Woking. We've yet to visit the Nottingham course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

With Mr Mulligan at the indoor 'underwater' Adventure Golf course in Stevenage

A Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf course is also planned to open in Cheltenham.

New Adventure Golf course at Tonbridge Golf Centre

A new Jurassic Adventure Golf course is planned for Tonbridge Golf Centre in Kent.

Tonbridge Golf Centre in Kent has announced plans to build a new 18-hole dinosaur themed Adventure Golf course at its venue on Cannon Lane.

Playing a dinosaur themed minigolf course in Milton Keynes

Back in 2011 I got lost en route to Hastings and ended up in Tonbridge where I found the Crazy Golf course at Tonbridge Golf Centre. That course was the 218th played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Tonbridge Golf Centre's Crazy Golf course in 2011

On our travels we've played a fair few dino-themed courses and it's certainly a popular style for modern layouts.

The 600th course we visited had a Jurassic theme

The new Adventure Golf course at Tonbridge Golf Centre will be called Dino Putt World and will feature both static and animatronic dinosaurs. For more information visit the Tonbridge Golf Centre website and Facebook page.

Link:
- Tonbridge Golf Centre website

Related blog posts:
- Playing Tonbridge Golf Centre's Crazy Golf course
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Tonbridge
- Dinosaur

Video:
- Dinosaur Scare at New Malden's Jurassic Encounter Adventure Golf

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Gluten free beer update

Earlier this week I spotted that Twitter had introduced a new Poll function, so immediately asked a question.

The result of the poll is this blog post - on a topic I haven't posted about in a little while.

The Beer Cave and Westerham Brewery Co

En route to Hastings for the recent World Crazy Golf Championships we made a stop in Tunbridge Wells and while having a wander to stretch out legs we spotted a chalkboard sign advertising the Beer Cave. We heeded the instructions and found ourselves in the underground beer shop.

A great bit of advertising

If I see an independent beer shop I'll always pop in on the off chance that I'll find a gluten free beer, ale or lager that I haven't seen or tried before

The Beer Cave

I was in luck on this occasion as the chap at the Beer Cave let me know about Scotney Pale Ale from the Westerham Brewery Co! I had to buy a bottle at the reasonable price of £2.80.

Scotney Pale Ale by the Westerham Brewery Co

Find out more about Westerham Brewery Co's range of gluten free beers on their website. They do a fair few.

Check out the Beer Cave website and if you're walking along the High Street do make sure you head down the alley for a look around.

Flatstick Pub

Another gluten free beer I've only recently heard about is from the Ghostfish Brewing Co based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It's served at the Flatstick Pub in Kirkland, Washington, a place that is on my must visit list!

The main four gluten free beers from the Ghostfish Brewing Co are:
- Grapefruit IPA
- Shrouded Summit Witbier
- Vanishing Point IPA
- Watchstander Stout

They also have Taproom Exclusives.

Not only does the Flatstick Pub serve gluten free beer, but they've also got a minigolf course and an array of pub games, two of which I'd never seen before - Duffleboard and Puttskee!

Gluten free beers around the world

With the addition of the Ghostfish Brewing Co beers I've now found out about 108 gluten free beers, ales, lagers, stouts, porters etc. since I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 2008. Check out the full list on my blog post here.

Links:
- The Beer Cave
- Westerham Brewery Co
- Flatstick Pub
- Ghostfish Brewing Co
- The Puttskee
- Coeliac UK

Related blog posts:
- Details of gluten free ale, beer and lager found since being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease
- Gluten Free Ales, Beers and Lagers
- Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in Pub Beer Gardens
- Pub Games

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter. You can also sign-up to receive our newsletter.

Manston Adventure Golf in Kent

New Adventure Golf course opening at Manston Golf Centre in Kent.

This month sees a new Adventure Golf course opening in Thanet, Kent. This new 18-hole layout will feature cannons, pirates, dinosaurs and a volcano!

For more information and photos of the new minigolf course as it nears completion check out the Manston Adventure Golf Facebook page.

My fellow pro minigolfer, friend, rival, sometimes doubles team-mate, and local lad Scott 'Donkey Gringo' Lancley has been along for a sneaky peek and enjoyed his first look and play of the half-pirate/half-jurassic course.

The Adventure Golf course is due to open on Saturday 27th June and you'll be able to find it at Manston Golf Centre, Manston Road, Manston, Kent, CT12 5BE.

Links:
- Manston Adventure Golf on Facebook
- Manston Golf Centre website

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Kent

Eternit Miniature Golf in Herne Bay

An old postcard from Herne Bay reveals a miniature golf course.

While at the York International Postcard Expo we found a bumper crop of postcards showing minigolf, crazy golf and putting courses from around the UK, and one from South Africa.

A postcard from the seaside resort of Herne Bay in Kent was an exciting and interesting find as it showed the town was once home to an 'Eternit' style of Miniature Golf course. A lovely piece of minigolf history.

The Eternit Miniature Golf course in the central foreground of the postcard (Herne Bay PT4524). The course was located on the town's Central Parade. The card is postally unused and undated. As the pier suffered fire damage in 1970 the card is from the 1960's. It was produced by Colourmaster International Photo Precision Limited, St Ives, Huntingdon

It's often thought that these 'European standard' Miniature Golf courses, often known as 'Eternit', don't exist in this country. While many have become derelict over time there are examples still standing, though they have often been amended, with a variety of new obstacles added to the 'lanes'. I've got a few other examples in my postcard collection.

We played a version of Eternit Miniature Golf at thecentre:MK a couple of times. This course has had felt added to the concrete playing surface

Unfortunately the Miniature Golf course on Ayr seafront in Scotland is a derelict example of an Eternit course

Herne Bay is still home to a Mini Golf course - it was the 78th course we played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in November 2008.

You can find Herne Bay Mini Golf next to the ifun@Sandancers amusement arcade on Central Parade

Links:
- York International Postcard Expo
- Reflections of a Bygone Age
- Picture Postcard Monthly Magazine
- Herne Bay Mini Golf

Related blog posts:
- Postcard
- Postcards
- Herne Bay
- Eternit
- A Putt-Putt Postcard from South Africa

Happy April Fools' Day from 'The Kentish Town Mini Golf Club'

Setting up a new minigolf club in the UK.

Emily and I have decided to set-up a new minigolf club - the Kentish Town Mini Golf Club.

Minigolf characters Richard and Emily Gottfried in Margate, Kent

I have played for the Midlands Minigolf Club since my rookie season in 2007, while Emily was most recently a member of the Cambridgeshire and Essex Mini Golf Club.

There were two main reasons for us creating a brand new club on the exciting and action packed British minigolf scene.

• Emily works in Kentish Town and is a mere eight minute walk away from the Clarence Way Crazy Golf course that we finally managed to play in 2012
• Since we moved from Luton to Leagrave in 2013 our local sports team is Kent Athletic Club - home to north Luton's number one football team, Kent Athletic FC

Last month we both competed for our respective former clubs in the BMGA British Club Championships and did well in the event. Now the time is right to build a new legacy. Starting today.

Richard playing the Clarence Way Crazy Golf course in Camden. Near Kentish Town

Back in 2011 Kent Athletic Club held a Bank Holiday Fun Day and one of the activities was Crazy Golf! The course became the 267th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the first we'd played on a football pitch.

A Crazy Golf course, with a windmill, set up on a football pitch, in Leagrave

We held the inaugural Kent(ish) Invitational Tournament on that course visit and the victory went to me with a score of 34 to Emily's 42.

The code of conduct of the Kentish Town Mini Golf Club is summarised below:

• Action - our events will be action packed 
• Playability - we'll play at any course. Anywhere
• Rankings - we'll set up the Kentish Town MGC ranking list for our members
• International - we welcome players from around the world to represent the KTMGC
• Lifestyle - we recognise minigolf is a lifestyle choice and we will have as much fun as possible while doing it
• Fun - see above
• Original - from it's name down, the KTMGC will be original in all it does
• Official - it is
• Longevity - we're in this for the long haul. Oh yes

The Kentish Town Mini Golf Club is open to all and for today only is offering free membership (the normal subs price will be £5 per player, per season). If you're interested in joining please get in touch via the comments below or on Twitter.

News of the British minigolf scene hasn't gone unnoticed. Mr Uri Foal from Kentish Town Council said "The forming of a new sports club in Kentish Town is always a cause for celebration. Having two fine minigolfers, Emily and Richard, committing their futures to the KTMGC is a sign of things to come."

Check out the links below for websites and Facebook pages of the other UK minigolf clubs.

Links:
- Kent Minigolf Club
- Midlands Minigolf Club
- Cambridgeshire and Essex Mini Golf Club
- Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Club
- London Minigolf Club - not online
- Splash Point Mini Golf Club
- Sussex Wasps Mini Golf Club
- British Minigolf Association
- European Minigolf Sport Federation
- World Minigolf Sport Federation

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Finally Playing the Camden Crazy Golf Course
- Crazy Golf in Luton - Charity Fun Day at Kent Athletic Club
- Richard Gottfried player profile
- Emily Gottfried player profile

Darts and Skittles at the Jolly Drayman in Gravesend

Playing some darts at the Jolly Drayman Pub in Gravesend.

On a recent trip to Gravesend, Kent we visited the Jolly Drayman pub that's a short walk from the town centre. It's well worth a visit.

We played a fair few games of darts at the Jolly Drayman. Luckily I didn't score under eleven in our matches. The pub has a nice, spacious and bright darts area. You can also buy darts, flights and spares there. I was undefeated in my games of 301 against Brad Shepherd and Seth Thomas so treated myself to some new flights

As we were leaving the pub we spotted a skittles table! I'll definitely try and give it a play in my next visit to Gravesend

I've played a few different types of pub skittles, including the rare London Skittles. In 2012 we played Northamptonshire Skittles on a table that was a little wider, but shorter than the one in the lobby of the Jolly Drayman.

Related blog posts:

- Darts
- Skittles
- Pub

- Gravesend
- Pub games

Bar Billiards at the Three Daws pub in Gravesend

Playing some Bar Billiards at the Three Daws in Gravesend.

Playing some Bar Billiards in Gravesend

I added another Bar Billiards table played and pub visited while in Gravesend, Kent as Brad, Seth and I headed to the Three Daws pub.

Seth taking advice/ignoring the local knowledge from Brad

The table was a bit on the wobbly side. And a bit wonky! It certainly made for an interesting three-player match. I won with a score of 780. Seth was second on 400, while hometown player Brad scored 330

Related blog posts:

- Bar Billiards

- Pub

- Gravesend
- Pub games

Links:

- Three Daws pub website
- Three Daws on Twitter
- Three Daws on Facebook
- Bar Billiards Forum
- The All England Bar Billiards Association (AEBBA)

Bar Billiards and Darts at The Cock Inn, Luddesdowne

Playing some Darts and Bar Billiards at The Cock Inn, Luddesdowne.

Brad Shepherd playing some Bar Billiards at The Cock Inn at Luddesdowne

I do enjoy playing pub games, and ever since my mate Brad Shepherd introduced me to the sport of Bar Billiards, via the Indoor League, I've looked to play as many tables as I can find.

On a recent trip to Gravesend we made the short journey to the village of Luddesdowne - between Meopham and Cobham - to visit The Cock Inn to see the traditional pub games there.

Brad and I had a cracking game of Bar Billiards. Having not played in a while we got off to a bit of a slow start, but Brad then took the lead, only for me to mount a comeback (curtailed by a break wipeout), followed by another fightback to eventually win 990 to 810

There's also a 'standard' dartboard at The Cock Inn...

...as well as three examples of variant dartboards! This was the first time I'd seen a London Fives, Yorkshire Board or a Manchester Log-End Board in the flesh. Brilliant to see

There was also a Shove Ha'penny slate at the pub. I've played on a wooden board, but never seen the game on a slate before

Check out the Patrick Chaplin (aka Dr Darts) website for more on the history of the dartboard.

Related blog posts:

- Bar Billiards
- Darts

- Pub
- Pub games

Links:

- The Cock Inn website
- The Cock Inn on Twitter
- The Cock Inn on Facebook
- Bar Billiards Forum
- The All England Bar Billiards Association (AEBBA)

Crazy Golf at Woodlands Park in Gravesend, Kent

A revisit to the Mini Golf course in Gravesend's Woodlands Park.

Back in February 2009 we visited Gravesend and had a play of the abandoned Crazy Golf course in Woodlands Park. Six years on and I was in town again and had to have a look at the course.

Nothing much had changed.

The course on 28 February 2009

As the course looked on Valentines Day 2015

The course is still in an abandoned, derelict state, but surprisingly the felt and frame of the 18-hole layout still looks to be in a pretty decent condition.

At another unplayable course on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Interestingly when you look beyond the existing holes you can see the foundations of the course that was originally there. It looks like the course used to be similar to some of the Beton and Eternit courses more often found in continental Europe.

My guide for the day was Brad 'The Fist' Shepherd who had a walk round the course and reminisced about some of the holes-in-one he scored on the miniature golf course when he was a lad.

Local lad Brad showed me around the Crazy Golf course

  

 

The Woodlands Park Crazy Golf course was the 79th played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Related blog posts:
- Minigolf Course Visit No. 79 - Woodlands Park, Gravesend
- Hole...in...one
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour