The (Crazy) Golf Apocalypse

A minigolf course based on The End Times!

We played the Golf Apocalypse miniature golf course back in August 2012.

The layout had been created as part of the London Pleasure Gardens, an area set-up to tap into the passing trade between the DLR and the London 2012 Olympic Games at the ExCel centre.

Golf Apocalypse was the first really really really mad-cap pop-up course we played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The layout contained all manner of strange minigolf obstacles and we found ourselves playing through the fuselage of a crashed aeroplane, around a pinball machine, a snooker table and into a volcano.

The pop-up miniature golf course was the first we saw to use reclaimed materials in its construction. Something that has become commonplace these days and we've seen and played a number of funky, junky, scrap, ghetto, trash, garbage, graffiti, wreckage, and art-based courses since.

The 9-hole Golf Apocalypse course was the 304th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Janken-pon: The 2012 International Rock Paper Scissors Championships

Looking back at the 2012 International Rock Paper Scissors Championships in London.

We competed in the International Rock Paper Scissors Championships in London 14 years ago this week. How time flies!

Competitive Rock Paper Scissors draws a crowd!

We teamed up with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author Dave Barry and his daughter Sophie from the USA to take part in the huge event.

The San Marino Rock Paper Scissors team

More than 150 athletes from 16 teams competed in the Wacky Nation organised tournament held at the Knight’s Templar Pub on Chancery Lane in London on Thursday 9th August 2012.

As we couldn’t play as a combined 'UK-USA' team we decided to represent the plucky nation of San Marino instead.

Prior to the start of the competition I challenged football hard man Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock to a 'friendly' Rock Paper Scissors contest to warm-up.

Clash of the titans

Needless to say I won the shootout! It was an ill-tempered clash with plenty of foul language and gamesmanship. The heated battle almost resulted in a knock-out punch too!

International Rock Paper Scissors

Matches in the Round Robin stage of the main-event were played in a ‘first to four points’ format with each player in the team taking it in turns to win a point by competing in a ‘best of three’ Rock Paper Scissors game. Our team managed to rack up a win-loss record of won four, lost one.

Before any teams could advance from our pool a play-off was required as Austria and the Lapland 'A' team had also finished with four wins and one loss!

Thankfully our team was able to win both matches to advance alongside Lapland 'A', with the Austrians sent home.

The first semi-final saw San Marino take on the Vatican City team in a ‘first to six points’ match.

Unfortunately we lost and were therefore unable to go for gold.

Sadly we just missed out on the podium, suffering defeat to Great Britain in the repechage to ultimately finish in fourth place.

The final was a battle between the might of Lapland 'A' and the Vatican City, with the Laplanders finishing on top and grabbing the gold medal.

Competitive Rock Paper Scissors

Getting to the semi-finals of the International Rock Paper Scissors Championships was the furthest I have ever reached in an RPS tournament (so far), having been knocked out in the preliminary rounds of national competitions held in 2010 and 2011.

Rock Paper Scissors tournaments around the world...

Do you know of any other Rock Paper Scissors tournaments or championships that take place in the UK or around the world?

Roxy Ball Room Holborn opening this month

The new Roxy Ball Room venue in High Holborn, London is opening soon.

Roxy Ball Room Holborn will be home to several competitive socialising games and activities, including Crazy Pool.

Crazy Pool at Roxy Ball Room Deansgate in Manchester (July 2025) 

Roxy Ball Room Holborn opens on Wednesday 26th August.

Find out more on the Roxy Ball Room website.

The Brewmaster's Open minigolf tournament at the Camden Town Brewery in London

Playing crazy golf in a brewery!

The Brewmaster's Open minigolf tournament took place at the Camden Town Brewery in London on this day in 2012.

We competed in The Brewmaster's Open at the Camden Town Brewery 14 years ago today. It was part of the brilliant summer of sport in the capital.

Richard Gottfried, Christopher Gottfried, Alan Norman, Emily Gottfried, Seth Thomas and Simon Hall at The Brewmaster's Open

More than 200 players competed in the tournament on the pop-up 5-hole crazy golf course.

Richard Gottfried, Alan Norman and Seth Thomas on the podium at The Brewmaster's Open

Alan 'Stormin' Norman won The Brewmaster's Open with his round of 8. I finished in tied 2nd place alongside Seth Thomas.

The scorecards for the event

Related blog posts:

• Camden Town Brewery
• Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:

• Camden Town Brewery

Mini Golf at Urban Fun in Kingston upon Thames, London

There's a 9-hole arcade-themed indoor mini golf course at Urban Fun in Kingston upon Thames, London.

Many thanks to our friend Sarah Ward for sending over these photos of the mini golf course from her visit to Urban Fun in Kingston upon Thames, London.

Find out more on the Urban Fun website.

Putt Pods at Gravity MAX, Westfield Stratford, London

Putt Pods mini golf now at Gravity MAX, Westfield Stratford in London.

Gravity MAX at Westfield Stratford in London has a new Putt Pods interactive mini golf activity.

As the name suggests, the mini golf pods house the 'course' for the group of players to play, rather than walking a full size course layout.

Gravity MAX at Westfield Stratford is also home to an indoor Urban Street Golf course.

Find out more on the Gravity MAX website.

Globalls Mini Golf in Sutton, London

A new Globalls Mini Golf venue is planned to open in Sutton, London.

Globalls Mini Golf is planning to open a new indoor glow-in-the-dark minigolf course on Sutton High Street in Sutton, London.

Check out the Globalls website for more information.

Moby Golf at Whalebone Golf Club in Chadwell Heath, Essex

Golf Kingdom is now known as Whalebone Golf Club.

Whalebone Golf Club in Chadwell Heath, Essex is home to Moby Golf.

Moby Golf is an 18-hole outdoor adventure golf course.

The inspiration behind the course is the legend of 'Moby Dick' - a whale that washed up nearby in Dagenham back in 1790!

We played Moby Golf on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in June 2014. Time flies!

Depending on who you ask Moby Golf and Whalebone Golf Club is located in Romford, Chadwell Heath, Hainault, London and Essex!

Check out the Whalebone Golf Club website for more information.

AR Mini Golf at Games Hall by Market Halls on Oxford Street in London

The Games Hall by Market Halls on Oxford Street in London is now home to AR Mini Golf.

The Augmented Reality Mini Golf game is one of several indoor activities at the venue.

As well as the new AR Golf Lane, the venue is home to darts, shuffle, pool, basketball, air hockey and an arcade.

Find out more on the Games Hall by Market Halls website.

The AR Mini Golf game is powered by 501 Fun and the first to be opened in London.

Minigolf at Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Fields in Motspur Park, Greater London

A look at the minigolf course at Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Fields in Motspur Park, Greater London.

Last week I asked the question "Where in the world was this crazy golf course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour?".

The answer was the minigolf course at Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Fields in Motspur Park, Greater London.

The minigolf course at Sir Joseph Hood Park in Motspur Park, Greater London was the 81st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when we played it in March 2009.

Mini-Golf at Mr Fogg’s Games Parlour in London

There will be mini-golf at Mr Fogg’s Games Parlour.

Mr Fogg’s Games Parlour is opening at Mr Fogg's City Tavern on Liverpool Street in London. Among the games on offer will be mini-golf.

All of the games at Mr Fogg’s Games Parlour have been 'Victorianised', giving them a very retro feel.

As well as mini-golf there will be Victorian takes on bagatelle, beer pong, darts and parlour quoits.

Games are played in a booth, with six games played in 80 minutes in a self-contained area.

It's interesting to see bagatelle - it's a very rare game to see out in the wild (we've only played it once, in Chester).

Check out the Mr Fogg’s Games Parlour website for more information.

The Art of Mini Golf at Battersea Arts Centre

A mini golf exhibition is opening at Battersea Arts Centre in London.

Battersea Arts Centre in London will be home to The Art of Mini Golf this summer.

The Art of Mini Golf at Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) is a playable exhibition consisting of 9-holes.

The Art of Mini Golf is by RISING Melbourne curated by Grace Herbert. The exhibition was formerly known as Swingers: The Art of Mini Golf when it was a playable art minigolf exhibition installation at Flinders Street Station is opening in Melbourne, Australia last summer.

The Art of Mini Golf at Battersea Arts Centre runs from the 17th June to 26th July 2026.

Find out more on the Battersea Arts Centre website.

The art exhibition chose miniature golf as its focus as the game was created to allow women to play. The Himalayas Putting course at St Andrews, Scotland was created in 1867 specifically for female players to use.

Bunga 90 video shop speakeasy in Covent Garden, London

Bunga 90 - a video shop speakeasy in London.

Emily recently enjoyed a short break in London and while there took a look at the Bunga 90 video shop speakeasy in Covent Garden.

Emily was a bit early to go inside as the venue doesn't open until 5pm.

Bunga 90 sees you step through a video shop frontage to enter a venue full of retro games, karaoke and more.

Find out more.

Check out the Bunga 90 website for more information.

Related blog posts:

• Speakeasies
• Video shops
• Video rental shops in the UK (January 2026)

CLUB GOLF pop-up crazy golf in London

Looking back at the CLUB GOLF pop-up minigolf course at Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross, London.

I was lucky enough to get a game in on the pop-up Crazy Golf course at Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross, London on the 25th February 2020.

It was the last new minigolf course I played before the coronavirus pandemic lockdown hit the UK.

The 9-hole rave-inspired art installation crazy golf course was the 948th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 542nd played.

Artists Baker & Borowski created the 9-hole themed Crazy Golf layout inspired by the rave culture in the King's Cross area back in the 1980's and 1990's.

I shot a round of 23 in my game - the scorecard noted that the maximum score allowed was 63! A seven on each hole.