The Waste Team in Leeds

On our recent trip to Leeds to visit the Collectorabilia event we spotted this nice advertising from The Waste Team.

If no one else can help, maybe you can hire...

We first became aware of The Waste Team after seeing one of their vans parked outside a hotel we were staying at.

The Waste Team van - no sign of anyone with Bad Attitude driving it

Related blog posts:

- Advertising

- Marketing

- The A-Team

Link:

- The Waste Team

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter

Do you receive our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter? If not, please do sign-up for it.

The Arnold Palmer Putting course in Skegness, one of ten courses in the seaside resort

You can read previous editions online.

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook

Marking two years since the publication of my marketing ebook.

Time certainly flies when you're having fun!

Two years ago today I published The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing, my ebook guide to promoting the brilliant sport of miniature golf.

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing could help you wow the crowd in the crazy world of miniature golf

It's amazing how fast the last two years have flown by. I'm so pleased to have seen the book bought and used by a number of competition players, course owners & managers, bloggers, course reviewers, minigolf associations and federations around the world.

Check out the Amazon listing for The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing to read a preview and see reviews of the book.

As a player with over a decade of experience as a tournament competitor and years of experience in marketing and communications I designed the guide so that anyone interested or involved in minigolf could help promote the game. It's a niche title, but an audience and subject I know a lot about. 

Writing the book was brilliant and enabled me to bring two areas of my life together. I've worked in marketing since 2003 and have played minigolf since I was a child. Stepping up to compete on the national minigolf tour circuit and in international tournaments opened my eyes to the potential of the game. I’ve also had the honour of serving on the committees of the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) and the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF).

Minigolf is a sport for all. People of all ages, sexes, backgrounds and abilities can pick up a putter and play the game.

When Emily and I began travelling around the country on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour there were around 600 courses in the UK. We've now visited 865 courses, including 38 overseas, and there are still many more for us to visit. The game is really booming and not a week goes by without the announcement of a new course opening.

There are a huge amount of interesting and fun stories to tell and positive aspects to highlight to potential players, the media, sponsors and the wider sporting community. The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing should give federations, associations, clubs and my fellow players ideas, inspiration and support in their marketing efforts.

Much of the guidance could also be applied to a number of other sports clubs and organisations to help raise their profile and boost memberships.

A BIG thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of the book to date. It's very much appreciated.

Links:

- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Amazon
- RG Marketing & Events
- Minigolf Consultancy

Related blog posts:
- Minigolf
- Marketing
- Exhibition Minigolf
- Richard Gottfried's minigolf player profile
- The Crazy World of Minigolf - the story so far

Exhibition minigolf

Looking for a way to engage with delegates at events, then use minigolf.

We've played a number of portable and pop-up minigolf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, many of which were at business events and exhibitions.

Putting courses and obstacles are a popular addition to stands 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.

As a marketer I'm all for innovation. Over the years I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly of events.

Putting on the nice portable minigolf course at The Golf Show by American Golf at EventCity in Manchester

Crazy Golf is experiencing a boom and gaining popularity as a business tool. UrbanCrazy's range of minigolf games and course layouts have been going strong for well over a decade. Putterfingers also offer Crazy Golf layouts for a number of different business and leisure events. While the team at HM Adventure Golf have a modular minigolf course layout that is being used for events and temporary courses.

At the International Direct Marketing Fair at Earl's Court way back in 2007. This was the first portable course I saw being used at a business event

Putting a Putter in the hands of a delegate at an event is a great way to keep them on your stand, break the ice, have a chat and generate some friendly competition.

Emily's friends and colleagues were at the Electronic Retailing Association's Great Ideas Summit in Orlando, Florida and found there was a miniature golf course set up for a Tee Up Tuesday Evening Reception! Photo by Liezl van Zyl

The Trade On Tap Hole-in-One challenge at the CIH Housing 2016 Exhibition. I scored a hole-in-one

Minigolf courses have also been hired by a number of venues to increase footfall. Among these are shops, shopping centres, retail parks, schools, colleges, universities, office developments and even a brewery!

An UrbanCrazy Mini Golf course at the Camden Town Brewery in London

Lyle & Scott created a Woolly Mini-Golf course as part of Wool Week

UrbanCrazy created a special Crazy Golf course for the Ipswich Building Society - this was one-third of it, set-up in the Sudbury branch

A Minigolf & Games temporary layout at the Garden Square shopping centre in Letchworth Garden City

A Putterfingers layout at the Oswestry Games in Shropshire

The beauty of minigolf is that it's such a fun and easy, pick up and play game.

There are a number of suppliers of portable minigolf course and I've listed those whose courses I've played on below:

• HM Adventure Golf
• Minigolf & Games
• Putterfingers
• Putting Edge
• UrbanCrazy

Below is a selection of photos showing the portable minigolf courses we've played at events over the years.

The teeofftimes.co.uk's incredibly lengthy Long Putt Challenge at The Golf Show by American Golf

The Chrizy Golf pop-up course in Manchester

Lyle & Scott's Carnaby Street shop in London used an UrbanCrazy course for a special Minigolf Hole-in-One Challenge

  

UrbanCrazy's Signature Course at the London Golf Show at Earl's Court

Playing UrbanCrazy's Signature Minigolf Course at Regent's Place in London

Crazy Golfing at the Pier Head in Liverpool on a summer pop-up course 

Bridlington's Foreshore Sands has a semi-portable Crazy Golf course from UrbanCrazy. It looks great, plays well and attracts people to that part of the seafront

If you enjoy minigolf and marketing crossovers you'll like my ebook too - check out The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Amazon.

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

To date we've visited 859 minigolf courses. You can view them on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list.

Related blog posts:
- Business
- Marketing
- Indoor Minigolf
- Portable Minigolf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

New advertising for Junkyard Golf in Manchester

Spotting some new advertising for Junkyard Golf in Manchester.

While on a recent trip to Manchester city centre I spotted this new piece of advertising for Junkyard Golf's indoor minigolf courses in Oxford, Manchester, Leeds and London.

Advertising for Junkyard Golf. Spotted at Manchester Piccadilly railway station

We've visited all four of Junkyard Golf's venues on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Check out the Junkyard Golf website for more info, opening times and prices.

Related blog posts:
- Junkyard Golf
- Advertising

Putt-Putt Germiston in Johannesburg, South Africa

A look at a postcard coupon good for one free round at Putt-Putt Germiston in Johannesburg, South Africa.

I recently bought 50 more postcards for my collection of minigolf cards and among them was this Putt-Putt advertising postcard/coupon. It's not the first version I've seen, but it was still well worth getting as it's such a nice piece of ephemera and minigolf history.

Putt-Putt Golf Courses - South Africa's Premier Putting Courses. A postcard coupon good for one free round at Putt-Putt Germiston, Johannesburg

This postcard is stamped for a free game at 'Putt-Putt Germiston', the other one I have is for 'Putt-Putt Southdale'. Sadly the Germiston location is no longer there.

The reverse of the postcard coupon good for one free round at Putt-Putt Germiston, Johannesburg

My expert minigolf contact from South Africa PJ Goedhals identified the location on the front of the card as the Putt-Putt miniature golf course at Three Anchor Bay in Moullie Point/Sea Point in Cape Town - PJ's local course! Some of my cousins have also visited the course.

A photo of the Three Anchor Bay Putt-Putt course in January last year

Putt-Putt is the only patented game of miniature golf and began in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1954. In the 1960's Putt-Putt franchises began opening outside of the US, in locations such as the one on the postcard, as well as Australia and Japan. At one time there were even Putt-Putt courses in the UK. You can read the Putt-Putt story on the Putt-Putt Fun Centers website.

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

New advertising for Treetop Adventure Golf in Manchester

Spotting some of the new advertising for Treetop Adventure Golf in Manchester.

The new digital advertising for Treetop Adventure Golf

It was nice to spot this digital outdoor advertising for Treetop Adventure Golf while recently shopping at the Arndale centre in Manchester.

We played the two Treetop Adventure Golf courses in September last year. They were the 799th and 800th courses we've visited in the British Isles.

You can find Treetop Adventure Golf at The Printworks on Dantzic Street

Check out the Treetop Adventure Golf website for more info, opening times and prices.

Related blog posts:
- Advertising
- Treetop Adventure Golf
- Manchester
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Tandy in Hitchin

Spotting some old Tandy branding in Hitchin.

We were recently back in Hitchin, Hertfordshire and spotted the electronics shop at Churchgate had closed down. Electronic Universe had been trading in the town since 1982 and closed due to retirement last February. The old shop signs had been taken down and luckily for us we were able to see some even older branding from when the shop was a Tandy dealer! A nice blast from the past.

A once familiar sight on UK high streets. Circa 1990

While visiting Hitchin Market back in March 2016 I spotted a great old Tandy sign at the back of the shop at Biggin Lane that brought back happy memories for me.

The Tandy sign round the back of the shop

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. Halcyon days.

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 it's not as 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.

There is still a RadioShack trading in the UK. It's in Lytham Saint Annes.

Barry Island Resort 1995 Information & Entertainment Guide

A look at the Barry Island Resort 1995 Information & Entertainment Guide.

The Barry Island Resort 1995 Information & Entertainment Guide

As a big fan of the British seaside and traditional holiday entertainment I was pleased to find a Barry Island Resort 1995 Information & Entertainment Guide while sorting through some paperwork at home.

Seeing the Barry Island Resort 1995 Information & Entertainment Guide brought back so many happy memories.

My family used to go on holiday to Barry Island in the late 80's and 90's and loved it there. The holiday camp was absolutely marvellous, with everything from swimming to Crazy Golf, to snooker and darts, to the fun fair and more - all free of charge once you had checked in. My brother's and I would spend hours going from one activity to another and then spend the evening in the arcades playing games such as Blasteroids, Xybots, Double Dragon and Wardner. Halcyon days.

Check out the six-page Barry Island Resort 1995 Information & Entertainment Guide. As a former holidaymaker at the camp, fan of the British seaside, postcard collector and marketer it makes for interesting reading - especially some of the adverts!

What a cover

There was always so much to do at Barry Island

The entertainment continues

Back when you could still advertise cigarettes!

A great bit of marketing and use of a postcard image

I spent many an hour at building 5 - Princes Ballroom as that's where the Crazy Golf, snooker and arcade was 

Barry Island Resort was originally a Butlin's holiday camp in 1966 and was re-opened as a Majestic holiday camp in the 1980's. Sadly it closed for good in 1996 and was demolished to make way for housing.

I've returned to Barry Island - in 2009 and 2010. Apart from the disappearance of the holiday camp there were some new attractions, but the resort was still recognisable from the 90's. I'll have to return for another look as the last eight years since our last visit has flown by!

Barry Island in 2010

Outside the gates of the former holiday camp

Related blog posts:
- 45 minutes on Barry Island
- Minigolf Course Visit No. 121 - Barry Island / Ynys y Barri
- Barry Island
- Holiday Camp
- Postcards
- Butlin's

New indoor Adventure Golf course in Edinburgh

There's a new Volcano Falls indoor Adventure Golf course in Edinburgh.

While on holiday in Edinburgh Emily spotted this bit of bus advertising about the new Volcano Falls indoor Adventure Golf course that has opened at Fountain Park in Edinburgh.

As part of the launch activity the course ran a Spot the Bus promotion

We've played the Volcano Falls course at Xscape in Castleford on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Google Home Mini Golf

Google has created a miniature golf course!

The Google Home Mini Golf course is currently touring the US. I hope it comes to the UK at some point too. Check out the video of the course.



Top marks to Google for choosing minigolf in the campaign. The Google Home Mini Golf course looks great fun.

The course has been to New York and is currently in Chicago (until 17th June) before it moves on to Los Angeles (30th June to 5th July) and Atlanta (26th - 29th July).

Check out the Google Home Mini Golf website for more info.

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing

Marking a year since the publication of my marketing ebook.

A year ago today I published The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing, my ebook guide to promoting the great sport of miniature golf.

Find out how to wow the crowd in the crazy world of miniature golf

It's amazing how quickly the last year has flown by and I've been really pleased to see the book bought and used by a number of players, courses, bloggers, associations and federations around the world.

Check out the Amazon listing to see a preview and read reviews of the book.

The marketing and communications guide was designed for anyone interested or involved in minigolf. It's certainly a niche title, but an audience and subject I know a lot about. 

Writing the book was brilliant and enabled me to bring two areas of my life together. I've worked in marketing since 2003 and have played minigolf since I was a child. Stepping up to compete on the national tour circuit and in international tournaments opened my eyes to the potential of the game. I’ve also had the honour of serving on the committees of the British Minigolf Association and World Minigolf Sport Federation.

Minigolf is a sport for all. People of all ages, sexes, backgrounds and abilities can pick up a putter and play the game.

There are a huge amount of stories to tell and positive aspects to highlight to potential players, the media, sponsors and the wider sporting community. The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing should give federations, associations, clubs and fellow players ideas, inspiration and support in their marketing efforts.

A lot of the guidance could also be applied to a number of other sports clubs and organisations to help raise their profile and boost memberships.

Links:

- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Amazon

- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Ganxy

End of the minigolf season – and the year ahead...

Here in the UK another year in the domestic minigolf tournament season has come to an end, which means it is the perfect time to look back and reflect on the year. However, this should be about more than rankings and stats. No matter how high or low you are on the leader board, or how many tournaments you took part in – if you enjoy participating in minigolf you have a story to tell.

There are plenty of opportunities to get your story out there, this can be about your achievements and what you've got planned for the 2018 season too, but it can also just be about your participation, and your enjoyment of the sport, spreading the news and awareness of minigolf in general.

Minigolf is a game for all. There are a huge variety of stories to tell and positive aspects to highlight to potential players, the media, sponsors, as well as wider sport, recreation and leisure communities.

The characters from the annual Holiday on the Buses Crazy Golf Competition in Prestatyn

There are a lot of communications channels to use to reach your audiences too! From newspapers, radio and TV, to blogs, social media and more, there’s a lot of choice when it comes to ways of getting your story out there.

Back in May this year I published my minigolf marketing eBook and it's received great reviews from a mix of people in the game. This marketing and communications guide has been designed for anyone interested or involved in minigolf.

I've been blogging about minigolf since 2006 and have played the game for as long as I can remember. I got seriously involved when I played in my first official tournament under the auspices of the British Minigolf Association back in 2007.

The podium of the first Great Northern Minigolf Open tournament. Held in Wigan back in April

Emily and I have been to almost 800 courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and have played in a number of events, facing-off against each other but also sometimes as team-mates.

At the Southend Pier Crazy Golf course - 1.3 miles out to sea. We held a tournament on the course last year

On our travels to courses and tournaments we are always keen to highlight the positive aspects of minigolf. Win or lose we've shared updates on tournaments we've competed in. Over the years this has earned us some brilliant local, regional, national and international media coverage.

This year I've added some variety to my minigolfing by competing in the MiniLinks Par-3 Miniature Golf tournaments in Lytham St Annes - they have a Winter Trophy tournament on at the moment, it's running from November to February

There are courses opening up all the time which means our 'To Play' list keeps growing! Minigolf is experiencing a real boom and it's a great time to be involved in the game.

This year I competed in a number of independent and national events – including the first staging of the American Golf National Adventure Golf Championships, which culminated in a grand final broadcast on Sky Sports.

Peter Jones in action - as I look on - during the American Golf National Adventure Golf grand final at The Belfry

Unfortunately my team-mate Peter Jones and I were unable to win the title but came very close, with a very respectable second-place finish.

Celebrating our big minigolf win in the American Golf Welsh Regional Qualifier at Clays Golf Centre in Wrexham

With the 2017 season done and dusted now is a good time to reflect on the highs and lows and look ahead to the 2018 season and beyond.

• Why do you enjoy playing minigolf? What made you take it up as a sport?
• What results did you get this year? Were they better / worse than you expected?
• What do you want to achieve next season?
• Where do you want to play?
• What new tournament opportunities are there?
• How are you preparing?

If you're looking for help with your sports marketing and communications activities, no matter how big or small, do get in touch. You can buy my eBook, The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing, on Amazon.

You can find out more about our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on the Ham & Egger Files blog.

Details of my results during the 2017 season can be found in my summary blog post.

You could be owed £0,000

Checking your PPI here looks like a bit of a gamble to me!

Inflatable advertising at Toyota in Stockport

One of my favourite things to see while out and about is inflatable advertising - whether it's a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man promoting an antiques shop, to a more static inflatable directing you to an amusement arcade - they're always fun to see. So, you can imagine my reaction when I spotted this BIG inflatable piece of signage advertising a MASSIVE SALE at the Toyota car dealership on St Mary's Way in Stockport!

We were heading home from a bit of a bike ride round the borough when I saw the inflatable thing in the distance

What a sight!

It's the third piece of inflatable advertising I've seen since moving to Stockport last year. The first was a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man Father Christmas advertising Terry's Fabrics in Cheadle Heath. The second was a 'static' inflatable promoting beds at United Carpets and Beds in Hazel Grove.

Related blog posts:
- Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men 
- Inflatable advertising
- Advertising
- Marketing
- Stockport

Have a break...

...have a KitKat.

It looks like this in-store promotion took the brand's tagline literally.

Back soon

Related blog posts:
- Funny
- Business
- Marketing
- Chocolate

Links:
- KitKat
- Nescafe

Crazy Golf at the Mid Sussex Business Expo

Golf-themed business expo in Burgess Hill, West Sussex this Thursday.

The team at Network Xpress are organising the golf-themed Business Expo at The King's Centre in Burgess Hill this Thursday, 7th September. The Sussex-based business event organisers are offering a fresh approach to networking with new, fun and themed-events. In addition to the 60 exhibitors, keynote speakers, workshops and seminars there will be a Crazy Golf tournament running all day.

It sounds great.

Information about the Network Xpress Mid Sussex Expo 2017

Visit the Network Xpress website for more information on the Mid Sussex Expo and other events they run.

As a marketer I'm all for innovation in business and events. Over the years I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly of events and so it'll be interesting to hear the feedback from the Mid Sussex Expo.

Crazy Golf is experiencing a boom and is getting more poplar as a business tool. The team at Putting Edge are receiving a number of bookings from the corporate market and for events in my local area in the North West, while UrbanCrazy's range of minigolf games and course layouts have been going strong for well over a decade. One of the first portable courses I played was an UrbanCrazy layout at the International Direct Marketing Fair in May 2007. Our friends at Putterfingers also offer Crazy Golf layouts for a number of different business and leisure events.

The Trade On Tap Hole-in-One challenge from Plumb Center and Parts Center at the CIH Housing 2016 Exhibition

More recently I played a very nice bespoke minigolf hole at the CIH Housing Conference and Exhibition at Manchester Central and a two-hole layout at the Prolific North Live Show at EventCity.

The Putting Edge layout at the Prolific North Live Show earlier this year

If you enjoy minigolf and marketing crossovers you'll like my ebook too - check out The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Amazon. There's a preview of the book below.



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

Related blog posts:
- Business
- Marketing
- West Sussex
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing