Tenpin bowling at Parrs Wood in Manchester

Spotting some fun new posters at the Tenpin bowling centre at Parrs Wood.

We enjoy a game of bowling and last week we visited the Tenpin bowling centre at Parrs Wood for the first time in what seemed like ages. Walking through the entrance we spotted some new posters that made us smile.

I'd like to see these warning posters in more places

It's always nice to see some added FUN - especially somewhere like a bowling alley where the game SHOULD DEFINITELY BE FUN.

I've done 'The Robot' as a celebration after scoring a minigolf hole-in-one

In our match-up I picked up the win and we both got some Strikes. I wasn't far off getting a Turkey at one point too.

What do you call 'Tag'? Emily calls it 'It' or 'Tag', while I know the game as 'Tig'

We'll be back for some more FUN at the Parrs Wood entertainment complex soon. We've still got to play the Sector 7 Laser Tag game they've got there!

We were lucky enough to get magic Lane 13 on our visit. We also beat the rush and played in 'Haunted Bowling Alley' conditions like something out of Scooby Doo

In the meantime I'll be wasting some time popping bubble-wrap and other stuff on the Don't be a groan up website.

Perfect bowling conditions

Links:
- Tenpin Parrs Wood
- Parrs Wood Manchester

Related blog posts:
- Tenpin bowling
- Parrs Wood

RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes

Last April I blogged about Tandy after my memory was jogged seeing an old sign for the brand at the back of an electronics shop in Hitchin.

Well, at the weekend I found another remnant of the once prominent high street brand - a RadioShack shop in Lytham Saint Annes!

RadioShack on the Fylde coast high street - still weathering the stormy retail sector 

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names.

Great to see the Tandy logo still on display

Stepping into the RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes was like a time warp. It was brilliant having a chat to the man behind the counter about Tandy and RadioShack too.

They stock a lot of formats of tape at RadioShack

Looking online there are only three RadioShack shops left in the UK. The others are in Chester and Wrexham. As a fan of 'tickable list' challenges I fancy visiting the other two stores to complete the list.

They've got a lot of VHS tapes in stock at RadioShack

Visiting the shop was a bit like the classic shopping trip Alan Partridge makes to the Tandy in Norwich in Knowing Me Knowing Yule.

I treated myself to a new blank VHS tape

In 2001 Tandy said goodbye to the UK high street as the last of the shops were converted after their acquisition by Carphone Warehouse.

I thought the Tandy brand name was still defunct, but no - a search found that Tandy lives on as an online retailer of electronic components and kits!

Interestingly the name Tandy comes from one of the founders of a leather goods company called Tandy Leather - a business that later became RadioShack.

You can find the RadioShack at 47 St Anne's Road West, Lytham Saint Annes, FY8 1SB.

Junkyard Golf Club on the London Underground

Spotting another advert for London's Junkyard Golf Club on the London Underground.

My mate and minigolf rival Gareth Holmes has spotted another advert for the Junkyard Golf Club while travelling on the tube in London.

Junkyard Golf Club's latest advert for its London Crazy Golf courses

There are four Crazy Golf courses at Junkyard Golf Club in the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.

The brand also has two courses in Manchester Piccadilly - although the Manchester venue is moving to a new site in August.

Junkyard Golf is heading to Oxford too, with a new location opening at the redeveloped Westgate shopping centre.

Visit the Junkyard Golf Club website for more details on the venues, opening times and prices.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy Golf in London
- Junkyard Golf
- Junkyard Crazy Golf on the tube

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing

As a keen marketer, writer and minigolfer I've written an ebook to help promote the great game.

You can now buy The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Amazon and Ganxy. There's a preview of the book below.



If you'd like to know more about my marketing work and how I can help please do get in touch via my website.

The Geoff Capes Driving School in Stockport

I reckon you'd have a strong chance of passing your test if you learn to drive with Geoff Capes!

What a scrap metal van!

I spotted this Scrap Metal van in Cheadle Hulme earlier and had to get a snap of it. There's so much going on on it!

Let Stevie Scrap move your cr*p!

Inflatable advertising man at United Carpets and Beds

While driving out of the Borough for a weekend away in Hastings we spotted a great piece of inflatable advertising at United Carpets and Beds on Buxton Road in Hazel Grove, Stockport.

While the United Carpets and Beds inflatable is not of the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube variety he is still attention grabbing

It's the second inflatable spotted since we moved to Stockport. Last Christmas I saw a Santa Claus wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man advertising the sale on at Terry's Fabrics in Cheadle Heath.

On our recent roadtrip we saw a couple of other interesting ways to advertise beds. Vic Smith Beds in Enfield is currently using a tank on his roadside advertising on the M25, while Sussex Beds in Bexhill is using a dinosaur outside their store to entice people in.

We've spotted a lot of inflatable advertising and wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men on our travels over the years. Unfortunately I haven't had a need to hire or buy a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man for my own marketing business. Not yet anyway...

Junkyard Crazy Golf on the tube

Spotting an advert for London's Junkyard Crazy Golf on the London Underground.

Thanks to my mate and minigolf rival Gareth Holmes for sending me this snap of an advert for London's Junkyard Crazy Golf course he spotting on the tube earlier this week.

The Junkyard Crazy Golf advert on a Northern Line tube train

We haven't been to the four London Junkyard Crazy Golf courses at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane yet, but the Manchester courses are two of our most local minigolf layouts and were the 718th and 719th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

One of the holes at Junkyard Crazy Golf in Manchester

Check out the Junkyard Crazy Golf website for further details, opening times and prices.

It's always nice to see minigolf advertising. Last year we saw an advert for the Shanklin Seafront Crazy Golf course on an Island Line tube train.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy Golf in London
- Playing Junkyard Golf in Manchester

Link:
- Junkyard Crazy 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.

Free Jaffa Cake... if you buy a tyre

What a sales promotion!

While in Altrincham I spotted this great bit of advertising for The Tyre Warehouse.

A free Jaffa Cake with every tyre at The Tyre Warehouse in Altrincham. Why yes, I'll take a dozen!

I wonder how many people take up the offer?

Related blog posts:
- Marketing
- Funny sign

Link:
- The Tyre Warehouse

Putting Edge portable minigolf

Playing the Putting Edge portable minigolf course at Prolific North Live 2017.

The team Putting Edge minigolf were exhibiting at Prolific North Live 2017 at EventCity in Manchester so I got to play minigolf while wearing both my @putting_gott and @marketing_gott hats!

The Putting Edge minigolf course gets the thumbs-up from me - even if David from Putting Edge had made the second hole very very tough indeed!

The tricky little 2-hole Putting Edge minigolf layout was the 722 visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 423rd played since September 2006.

I really liked the ramp and jump on the first hole - I shot a few aces on it

Admittedly I had a fair few goes on the course (probably enough to constitute a full round of 18-hole), but by the time I left I'd equaled the day's low score of 4, with an ace and a three. The long dog-leg second hole was nigh on impossible to get a hole-in-one on.

On the leaderboard

Check out the Putting Edge website for more details and do get in touch with David to find out how he can help make a difference to your event, function or exhibition space.

David and the team at Putting Edge can tailor the obstacles and branding on the course to suit your needs 

Check out the video of me scoring a hole-in-one on the first below.

The king is dead. Long live the King of #minigolf @putting_gott #PNLive pic.twitter.com/BGu4dmcIwa

— Putting Edge (@puttingedgeltd) February 15, 2017

Links:
- Putting Edge
- Prolific North

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

Video:
- Hole-in-One on the first

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.

Tripe in Stockport

A blog post about tripe and the Tripe Marketing Board.

Ever since I first spotted tripe on a butcher's stall at Wigan Market in 2012 I've been following the Tripe Marketing Board with interest. Although not enough interest to have actually given tripe a go. Yet. I'm fairly certain that cow's stomach is something of an acquired taste.

While shopping in Stockport's Produce Hall at the indoor market last weekend I spotted tripe for sale at Deli Delights. The first I've seen since moving to the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport last summer.

Thick seam tripe - a deli delight!

The Tripe Marketing Board tell me that up until the 1960s you could find hundreds of tripe shops throughout Lancashire, with many of the shops run by United Cattle Products (UCP) and offering nose-to-tail food at the attached cafes and restaurants.

The country's last remaining Tripe Shop is in Stalybridge. I'll have to go there when I eventually get round to travelling on the once a week Parliamentary one-way rail service from Stockport to Stalybridge.

Back in December we were in Leeds and saw that there was a new Tripe Counter at Ramsdens Fishmongers at Leeds Kirkgate Market!

What a lot of tripe!

I've also seen tripe for sale in Bolton and Blackpool.

Tripe in Bolton

Tripe in Blackpool

The Tripe Marketing Board are dedicated to educating the public about eating tripe as part of a healthy, balanced diet. The Tripe Marketing Board was an industry-wide response to the continuing post-war decline in tripe sales in the UK. This was due to the ending of rationing, increasing affluence and a widespread perception that it is not fit for human consumption.

Visit the Tripe Marketing Board website for more information about tripe. You can also use Tripe Adviser to locate sellers of the delicacy.

Links:
- Tripe Marketing Board website
- Tripe Marketing Board on Twitter
- Tripe Marketing Board on Facebook
- Stockport Market

Related blog posts:
- Marketing
- Stockport
- Food

Laser Disk shopping!

I've found the perfect shop to take over to expand my business empire!

Laser Disks!?

I'm sure there's still money to be had in the VHS tape and Laserdisc markets...

Instascran in Stockport

We love funny signs and business names, so when we heard that there was a deli called 'Instascran' in the Heaviley bit of Stockport we had to go for a look.

Instagram is one of the few social networks I'm not on, so I don't know whether Instascran is actually on Instagram.

I'm now on Instagram. As is Instascran.

One of our favourite shop name puns is Singhbury's in Aylesbury.

Related blog posts:
- Stockport
- Funny sign

Links:
- Instascran on Twitter
- Instascran on Facebook

Blackpool's Bingo Clown Inflatable

While in Blackpool we spotted another piece of inflatable advertising for the 'collection'...

A clown. And an inflatble piece of advertising 

Except for the fact it's not a wacky waving type of inflatable arm flailing tube man, this one has it all. A BIG clown advertising bingo at the seaside! Marvellous.

On our travels we've spotted quite a few airdancer advertising inflatables, ranging from the wacky waving ones, to more static characters and mascots.

Related blog posts:
- Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-man
- Airdancer
- Windy Man
- Blackpool

Trade On Tap Hole-in-One challenge at CIH Housing 2016 Exhibition

Trade On Tap (Plumb Center and Parts Center) Hole-in-One challenge at CIH Housing 2016 Exhibition.

The Plumb Center and Parts Center stand was a Mini Golf hole!

I was recently at the CIH Housing Exhibition in Manchester and wouldn't you know it - there was a Mini Golf hole there!

Needless to say - I nailed my first shot

And won all this merch!

One of these is headed to Martin Vallance's MASSIVE collection of logo golf balls

Putting courses and obstacles are a popular gimmick at trade shows and exhibitions. Way back in May 2007 I played an UrbanCrazy minigolf hole at the International Direct Marketing Fair at Earl's Court.

Links:
- Trade On Tap
- Chartered Institute of Housing

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Crazy about mini golf balls

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 also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Singhbury's Local in Aylesbury

While driving back from Abingdon to Luton Emily spotted the Singhbury's Local shop in Aylesbury!

As fans of funny signs and quirky marketing we had to stop for some photos, have a look inside and buy some snacks.

The owners - Inderjit Singh Nagpal and Manmeet Singh Bhatia - came up with the name by combining their own name with that of the 'bury' part of Aylesbury. The orange colour scheme represents that of the Sikh religion.

Related blog posts:
- Funny sign
- Shop
- Marketing
- Advertising

Link:
- RG Marketing & Events

Clothes shopping in Hong Kong...

The advertising campaign for the 2014 Spring/Summer collection at this clothes shop in the Tsim Sha Tsui area of Kowloon, Hong Kong must've been a success as the poster is still up!

Emily spotted this brand name while on business in Kowloon - crazy!

Just recently we spotted a great window display of funny brand names from around the world at the Fleet Street Clinic in London. They don't always make the right impression when they travel to international markets!

Related blog posts:
- Funny sign
- Advertising
- Marketing
- Hong Kong
- Funny brand names from around the world

Funny brand names from around the world

A great window display of funny brand names from around the world.

The window display at the Fleet Street Clinic

While walking to Covent Garden on a day out to visit the Bond in Motion exhibition at the London Film Museum we spotted an excellent window display at the Fleet Street Clinic.

Some brand names travel better than others

One of the services offered by the private medical practice is a Travel Clinic - and they've certainly gone to town on the display showing a huge range of quirky and strange brand names on essential and interesting products from around the world.

I wouldn't fancy drinking a can of 'Sweat'!

While we were playing for the Great Britain Minigolf team in Sweden back in 2011 we spotted the Plopp and Kex brands. Eating Plopp was far more pleasant than the name suggests. The caramel version was delicious. The liquorice chocolate flavour was less tasty.

Would you snack on these chocs?

There's also a rather interestingly named brand of liquorice from Denmark that I've tried before! I'll leave you to look that one up...

Link:
- Fleet Street Clinic

Related blog posts:
- Marketing
- Advertising
- London

Minigolf collectables from the Lost City Adventure Golf course in Nottingham

As my friends, family and regular readers of the blog will know, I'm a BIG fan of minigolf merchandise and ephemera.

The Lost City Adventure Golf course in Nottingham is a great place for minigolf ephemera

On our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour travels we've collected hundreds of scorecards, leaflets, postcards, pencils, balls, badges, t-shirts, tokens and whatnots.

The great branded scorecards and coasters at the Lost City Adventure Golf in Nottingham

A classic way to encourage repeat visits in the miniature golf business is to employ a 'Lucky Last Hole' where, as a bonus, you can try and win a free game - we've played a fair few on our travels, and won on some of them.

You're very likely to find a 'Top Hole' on an Arnold Palmer Putting Course and the Free Game Cards are great. They're well made and often draw on the history of the putting franchise.

In this day and age most courses that give out free games for Lucky Last Hole wins use a paper or card based 'token', and very few still give metal coins to winners.

Except for the Lost City Adventure Golf course in Nottingham. If you're skilled - and lucky - enough you might just win a piece of treasured Inca Gold!

The Lost City Adventure Golf's Temple Trail and Sacred Skull Pass courses were the 330th and 331st we played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. The 36-hole indoor layout has two Lucky Last Holes - both are actually the 18th hole of the course, rather than standalone holes.

The lucky last hole on the Sacred Skull Trail

The 18th Top Hole on the Temple Trail course

When we've played as members of the general public we've not been able to master the lucky last holes at Nottingham, and when we've played there in national tour competitions we've only used one course and skipped the 18th, replaying the 1st hole instead. So unfortunately we've never won a free game there.

I did win a bronze medal at the Midlands Invitational Tournament at the course last year though

But the team at the Lost City were kind enough to send me a nice package that contained a branded pen and two magnificent tokens in a cardboard slip case. Fantastic additions to my collection.

Two pieces of prized Inca Gold from Nottingham

A nice Lost City branded pen

What's more, the Lost City Adventure Golf also has it's own handstamp applied to its mail! Absolutely brilliant to see. There aren't nearly enough minigolf stamps, postmarks or handstamps in circulation.

The Lost City Adventure Golf have really gone to town on their branding - on our travels to 675 courses it's the only place we've seen with an Adventure Golf table! Marvellous.

The theming in Nottingham is brilliant

Check out the Lost City Adventure Golf's website for more details, opening times and prices.

The Lost City Adventure Golf course is well worth a visit

Links:
- The Lost City Adventure Golf
- The Crazy Golf Museum

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Ephemera
- Merchandise
- Token
- Tokens
- The Lost City Adventure Golf at The Cornerhouse in Nottingham
- Revisiting The Lost City Adventure Golf course in Nottingham
- A gift from Paradise

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 also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.