Portaputt at the World Alternative Games

Playing Portaputt Crazy Golf at the World Alternative Games.

The Portaputt Crazy Golf course at the World Alternative Games

While in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales to organise the Finger Jousting Championships at the 2014 World Alternative Games Emily and I had the chance to play the 8-hole layout that Cwmbran-based business Portaputt had brought to the Games for people to have a go on.

Emily on the third hole of the Portaputt course set-up in the Victoria Hall (Neuadd Fictoria) in Llanwrtyd Wells 

The Portaputt course became the 344th course played and 577th visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Putting on Portaputt

We enjoyed playing the course and thought the some of the rules the Kukielka family have come up with for Portaputt, such as the tee-off points for replacing the ball after missed first shots, are very good and aid faster - and less frustrating - play for both children and adults.

The World Alternative Games 2014 consist of over 60 sport and recreation events held during a festival of fun and games in Llanwrtyd Wells. Check out the events listing and Games brochure on the World Alternative Games website for more information.

For more information about Portaputt Crazy Golf check out the Portaputt website.

Links:
- Portaputt website
- World Alternative Games website

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- World Alternative Games
- Wales
- Minigolf etc. - English to Welsh translations

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

Play Portaputt Crazy Golf at Cwmbran Shopping Centre

Portable Crazy Golf course to be set-up at Cwmbran Shopping Centre on Saturday 30th March.

Edited 25th March 2013

The team at Portaputt Crazy Golf will have their Crazy Golf course available to play for free at Cwmbran Shopping Centre on Saturday 30th March 2013.

The Miniature Golf layout will be at Gwent Square from 11am to 4pm.

The event had been due to take place on Saturday 30th March, however the unseasonably snowy weather put paid to that! Fingers crossed the weather is better this weekend!

The Portaputt Crazy Golf course is ideal for a range of events and activities and can be hired for use at corporate events, fund raisers, by schools, for wedding receptions, parties (for the young and old) and by pubs & hotels to name a few!

The Portaputt Crazy Golf course at the World Alternative Games 2014

There will also be a special discount given for people making bookings for Minigolf parties after playing the course on the day!

Links: 

- Portaputt Crazy Golf 

- "Cwmbran family turn their love of minigolf into a business" story at Cwmbran Life

- Cwmbran Shopping Centre

Related Blog Posts: 

- Portaputt Crazy Golf in Cwmbran, Wales

- Wales-related Posts

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

- Minigolf etc. - English to Welsh translations

Minigolf Report – Richard Gottfried wins the 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)

18th July 2011
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Report – Richard Gottfried wins the 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)

Luton Minigolfer Richard Gottfried won the third-annual Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament) on Saturday 16th July.

The eight-player invitational tournament was held over five nine-hole rounds at three courses in Newport, Wales. Richard won the competition with a total of 114.

At the 9-hole Tredegar Park Minigolf course Richard scored rounds of 24, 20 and a course record of 18, to head to the Celtic Manor Adventure Golf courses trailing Cwmbran’s Seve Kukielka by three shots. At Celtic Manor’s Celtic Challenge course Richard hit a round of 21 to set another course record and followed this up with a 31 on the Kingdom of Legends course to finish four-shots clear of Seve Kukielka.

Seve Kukielka was runner-up for the second year running with a score of 118, with 2009 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg champion Jas Kukielka picking up the bronze medal with a score of 121.

Emily Gottfried was also in action at the event and finished in fourth-place with a score of 131, ten shots off third-placed Jas Kukielka.

Richard said “I am very pleased to have won such a great title against some great opponents. The Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg is one of my favourite events of the year and the format of playing a mix of such different Minigolf courses in the competition makes it very interesting. Hard luck to Seve though, who played incredible well in the morning’s three rounds at Tredegar Park. I’m looking forward defending the title in what will be another highly competitive tournament next year.”

Ends

Minigolf Report from the 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)

Minigolf Report
2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)

Luton’s Richard Gottfried wins the 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg in Newport

The 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament) was played out over five rounds and 45-holes, on three minigolf courses, on Saturday 16th July 2011.

Luton’s Richard Gottfried won the title in the eight player field with a total score of 114(+24), four shots clear of 2010 Runner-up Cwmbran’s Seve Kukielka on 118(+28) and seven clear of bronze medallist, the 2009 Champion, Europe’s Jas Kukielka on 121(+31).

The Top Three, from l-r Seve Kukielka, Richard Gottfried, Jas Kukielka

The defending champion, Leo Kukielka was unable to retain the title and finished in a disappointing tied sixth place with 2010 British Women’s Number One Cindy Kukielka, with Leo and the perennial Welsh Ladies Number One both scoring 135(+45).

On the morning of the tournament a draw was held to decide the groups and order of play for the first round, with the groups reorganised based on scores after each round. With heavy rain forecast, and delivered, the tournament teed-off at a revised time of 11.30am

With North Wales’ finest, Peter Jones unable to commit to the invitation to play, and fellow invitees Paul and Owen Johnson competing in a Crazy Golf Tournament in the Midlands, eight players would contest the third edition of the Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg.

Rounds one to three were played at the 9-hole Crazy Golf course at Tredegar Park in Newport, Wales, with rounds four and five played at the two new Celtic Manor Adventure Golf courses.

At the 9-hole Tredegar Park Minigolf course Seve held the lead for rounds one to three, scoring consistently low scores of 20, 20 and 19. Jas Kukielka and Richard Gottfried were both scrapping for second place, with Seve taking a three-shot lead into the final two rounds.

Competitive Minigolf newcomers Maria and Chris Thomas made their debuts at the 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg, with the Welsh duo putting in some good rounds on a difficult Tredegar Park course, with Chris setting the clubhouse course record at 19(+1), prior to Richard scoring an 18(par). After Maria’s first round of 40, she settled into the action and carded two rounds of 28(+10), with both players continuing to put in competitive scores at the Celtic Manor courses.

At Celtic Manor’s 9-hole Celtic Challenge course Richard hit a round of 21, to Seve’s 29, to set a course record, and followed this up with a 31 on the 9-hole Kingdom of Legends course to finish four-shots clear of Seve.

Round by Round scores from the Tournament

New Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg champion Richard Gottfried said “I am very pleased to have won such a great title against some great opponents. The Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg is one of my favourite events of the year and the format of playing a mix of such different Minigolf courses in the competition makes it very interesting. Hard luck to Seve though, who played incredible well in the morning’s three rounds at Tredegar Park. I’m looking forward defending the title in what will be another highly competitive tournament next year.”

Final Tournament Rankings

The Aces Champions for 2011 were Seve Kukielka and Jas Kukielka who tied on four Holes-in-One apiece.

The cumulative scores for the Welsh & English players as 'Teams' saw England beat Wales 2, with Wales 1 in third place.

Photos from the 2011 Event

The 2011 Field. From l-r Emily Gottfried, Leo Kukielka, Cindy Kukielka, Seve Kukielka, Jas Kukielka, Chris Thomas, Maria Thomas, Richard Gottfried

 Emily Gottfried plays the first-hole at Tredegar Park

Chris Thomas plays the first-hole at Tredegar Park

Chris shows off the broken Putter after playing the first-hole at Tredegar Park

Richard Gottfried plays hole 6 at Tredegar Park

Chris playing hole seven at Tredegar Park

Maria Thomas plays hole 8 at Tredegar Park

Jas Kukielka plays hole 9 at Tredegar Park

Seve Kukielka plays hole 9 at Tredegar Park

Cindy Kukielka plays out of a bunker at Celtic Manor

Seve Kukielka plays over a water hazard at Celtic Manor

Jas Kukielka plays over another water hazard at Celtic Manor

The 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg Champion - Richard Gottfried

Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg Roll of Honour
2011 - Richard Gottfried (ENG)
2010 - Leo Kukielka (WAL)
2009 - Jas Kukielka (EUR)

Previous Results and Reports:
2010 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)

2009 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)

Playing the Wye Valley Miniatvre Golf course in Symonds Yat West

A Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit to the Wye Valley Miniature Golf course in Symonds Yat West.


Following our visit to the Tredegar Park Minigolf course in Newport, Wales on Saturday 21st August 2010 we headed back over the border for a couple of rounds at the 12-hole Roman-themed Miniatvre Golf course at Wye Valley Miniatvre Golf in Symonds Yat West.

The course was the 193rd played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, and also home to the final two rounds of the 2010 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament).







The course is great fun to play, with some excellent obstacles and well designed holes. I'd definitely return to play there again.








While at the course we talked with Lindsay Heyes, co-owner of the Wye Valley Miniature Golf course who kindly gave us some background history to his very well thought out course.

He told us that the Wye Valley Miniature Golf was opened on 11th September 2007, and he designed the course, while his brother Edward Heyes led the construction team. In the research stage they looked at 80 parameters which determine playability, from drainage and gradient to type of ball and gap-width between obstacles.

Interestingly the whole course acts as a water-collector for, and admits light to, the Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo as part of their environmental sustainability effort. Nearly all components were sourced from local suppliers - e.g. the colonnade was cast just a mile away from the course, where they had the columns distressed to age them two thousand years!

The concept was that the course would wind its way through a fictional excavation, complete with a grave, of a Romano-British villa engaged in the fellmongery business.

The centre also has an Amazing Maze (and Maze Museum), Butterfly Farm, Tea Room and Garden Centre, and makes a great location for a day out.

The Maze



Richard Gottfried, Leo Kukielka & Owen Johnson try their hand at juggling(!?) at the Amazing Maze after the minigolf.


Links:
- Wye Valley Miniature Golf website
- Wye Valley Miniature Golf on Twitter

Related blog post:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Midlands Minigolf Club Photos

Midlands Minigolf Club Photos from the 2009 BMGA British Club Championships in Sandbanks.

MMGC Coach Emily Gottfried shows Midlands A Team member Jas Kukielka some tips for hole one at Sandbanks Crazy Golf.

2008 National Club Champions - the Midlands Minigolf Club

Midlands A

Midlands B

Coach Emily taking the BMGA British Club Championship trophy to the club house before the tourney teed off

Top Midlands Junior Owen 'Jackpot' Johnson plays a shot.

Midlands Captain 'Squire' Richard Gottfried plays a shot on the first hole.

The Midlands team watches Leo Kukielka on the fourth hole during the B Team's match with Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Club's Z Team.

Leo Kukielka tees-off on the third hole.

Midlands A Team members 'Squire' Richard Gottfried and Jas Kukielka have a moment to reflect on 'what went wrong'.

The Midlands Minigolf Club can now be found on Facebook.

Sandbanks Crazy Golf website.

British Minigolf Association website.