Putt-Putt tokens from the USA

A look at some 1980's Putt-Putt tokens from the USA.

From the Crazy Golf Museum's collection.

The very first Putt-Putt Golf course was created by Don Clayton in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA back in 1954.

In the 1960's Putt-Putt franchises began opening outside of the US, in locations such as South Africa, Australia and Japan. There were also courses in the UK, the first of which opened in Sunderland in 1968. Others followed at Flamingo Land in Yorkshire and in Buxton, Derbyshire. However, information on these UK courses is limited.

Do you know of any courses that still have tokens?

13 years of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Marking 13 years of our crazy golf travels.

Today we're celebrating 13 years of our minigolfing adventures.

At our 900th minigolf course visit earlier this year

While we were visiting my brother Christopher at uni in Portsmouth back in 2006 we played the Victory Trail course at Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea. At the end of our round on Saturday 30th September I won a free game by firing the cannon on the lucky last hole.

We last played the Treasure Island Adventure Golf course in Southsea on the 30th September 2016 to celebrate ten years of our travels. I won another free game then too. I also won a free game when we revisited the course on the fifth anniversary of our tour on the 30th September 2011. Incredibly I won again on the 7th August 2015

That was the beginning of our minigolf travels. We've now visited 925 courses, 39 of which have been overseas.

The first course we visited on what would become our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

How different would our lives have been if I'd missed my shot on the final hole?

The lucky last hole at Treasure Island Adventure Golf

When our travels began there were around 600 courses in the UK. That number has grown massively in the last eight years. When we first set out to visit all the courses in the country there were only two indoor courses, one in Felixstowe and one in Great Yarmouth. Both are still open and have been joined by around 100 other indoor minigolf venues!

My brother Christopher has now been to 30 courses in the UK and nine overseas countries on his own branch of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Altogether we've visited 947 courses.

Check out our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list of courses for links to the courses we've been to.

A token blog post

I'm a collector of all sorts of minigolf ephemera, items and merchandise and love finding tokens. My friend, rival and co-Curator at the Crazy Golf Museum has a BIG collection of miniature golf tokens and I've got a pretty sizeable selection of other machine and arcade tokens.

A selection of Putt-Putt tokens

It's always nice to find a course still using metal tokens / coins. Some have moved to plastic 'credit' cards, whereas others have always used paper tokens (of which I've got a few from my wins on the Lucky Last Hole).

I won this Free Game Pass by firing the cannon on the Lucky Last Hole on the very first course we visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Does your course still use tokens? If they do please get in touch and share any photos of them.

Related blog posts:
- Tokens
- A gift from Paradise
- Property of Machine
- Clacton Pier
- Minigolf collectables from the Lost City Adventure Golf course in Nottingham
- Adventure Golf at The Pavilion Fun Park in Clacton-on-Sea

Link:
- Miniature Golf, Putt Putt and Crazy Golf tokens at the Crazy Golf Museum

Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea

A revisit to Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea for the tenth anniversary of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

On the 30th September 2016 we returned to Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea to celebrate our BIG minigolf milestone of ten years of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Our friends John 'Big Al' Moore and Cat 'Helter Skelter' Patterson joined us to mark the occasion with a round on the Victory Trail and Warrior Trail pirate themed Adventure Golf courses.

A view of the Treasure Island Adventure Golf layout in Southsea

Playing hole 1 of the Victory Trail

Emily playing hole 1 of the Victory Trail

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour began back in 2006 while we were in Southsea visiting my brother Christopher. We decided to have a round on the Victory Trail Adventure Golf course and at the end of the 9-holes I managed to fire the cannon on the Lucky Last Hole to win a FREE GAME card. We returned to play the Warrior Trail the next day and our minigolfing adventures went on from there.

One of the crocodiles (or alligators) lurking on the course

After our round on the Victory Trail we all stepped up to play the Lucky Last Hole and unbelievably I won another FREE GAME!

Another FREE GAME CARD added to the collection

I also won a FREE GAME when we revisited the course on the fifth anniversary of our tour on the 30th September 2011, as well as on the 7th August 2015!

A look inside the Lucky Last Hole

Following our game on the Warrior Trail we tried our luck for another FREE GAME and this time Emily played the shot correctly to win a pass!

Emily about to win

In the tenth anniversary competition on the Victory Trail I picked up the win with a round of 20. Emily was second on 23, with John Moore third on 25. Cat shot a 31.

About to ace the eighth hole on the Victory Trail - Rusty Anchor

Emily putting

John Moore in action

In the round on the Warrior Trail John Moore took the win with a score of 23. Emily and I tied on 29, with Cat scoring a 37.

John Moore was victorious to win a knitted clown trophy

In the overall rankings John won the title and 'trophy' with a combined score of 48. I was one shot back on 49, with Emily finishing third on a total of 53. Cat scored a total of 68 to pick up the wooden spoon.

The minigolfers on the podium. In an incorrect order

The two 9-hole Adventure Golf courses at Treasure Island are well worth a visit and play. We know we'll be heading back for more games in the future.

Another alligator (or crocodile)

A view of the Treasure Island course

Emily playing at Treasure Island

Holing out

Check out the Treasure Island Adventure Golf website for opening times and prices.

Link:
- Treasure Island Adventure Golf

Related blog posts:
- From the Vault - Southsea Minigolf 2006
- Five years of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Nine years of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Southsea

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.

Mini Golf course at Hesketh Park in Southport

A revisit to the Crazy Golf course at Hesketh Park in Southport.

On Saturday 8th October we revisited Southport for the first time since 2009 and had to see if we could get a game on the Crazy Golf course at Hesketh Park. Luckily for us the course was open.

The Crazy Golf course at Hesketh Park in Southport

In our minigolf match-up I defeated Emily 21-27, scoring two aces along the way.

About to ace the first

The course became the 418th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

As a brilliant bonus I won a FREE GAME on the LUCKY LAST HOLE to add another FREE GAME TICKET to my collection.

Winning

The course was £1.50 for a round, and while the course looks a little rough around the edges it plays really rather well.

You can actually play some quite skillful angle shots and a hole-in-one is possible on almost all of the holes. Although at some point in the course's history some of the holes were a bit longer!

Hole 1

There definitely used to be more hole there by the look of it

We also found out there's another Crazy Golf course very close to Hesketh Park, but only realised this after we left! Luckily we're heading back to the seaside town again next month so will definitely look up the Mini Golf course at the Botanic Gardens in Churchtown then.

Related blog posts:
- Southport
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Hesketh Park Crazy Golf course visit

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.

You can now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Hitting the 'Top Hole' in Crazy Golf

One of the aims of the game of Crazy Golf (once the 9, 12 or 18-holes of regulation play is done) is to 'WIN A FREE GAME' at the 'Top Hole'.

Not every minigolf course has one of these 'Lucky Last Holes', but those that do come with a variety of obstacles in your way to the hole, and that prized free game!

When you do 'Ace' the Top Hole you may find a cannon is fired, a bell rung, or a voice talking to you!

On our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour (currently standing at 251 courses played) I have only managed to win Free Games at four courses! Emily has won at three courses.

On our very first minigolf course visit on the 30th September 2006 I managed to Fire The Cannon and win a free game at the Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Portsmouth, but then I had to wait until the 4th of September 2009 and my 150th course visit to the Arnold Palmer Masters Putting Course, aka Crazee Golf, in Southport until my next win! After that it was at course played number 222 at the Adventure Golf in Fort Fun, Eastbourne on the 15th May 2011 that I next won a free game.


At one of our most recent minigolf course re-visits, Emily and I both won free games at the Arnold Palmer Putting Course in Great Yarmouth on Sunday 5th June.

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

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.