Mini-Golf at Maidenhead Aquatics in St Albans

There are plans for a Mini-Golf course at Maidenhead Aquatics in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

The new Mini-Golf at Maidenhead Aquatics is proposed to be an 18-hole outdoor layout.

Check out the Maidenhead Aquatics website for more information.

It'd be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Mini-Golf at Hollywood Bowl Leeds

There's a mini-golf course at Leeds Hollywood Bowl.

The 9-hole indoor mini-golf course at the Hollywood Bowl in Leeds will be a new one for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Check out the Hollywood Bowl Leeds website for more information.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour keeps on rolling...

A look at our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour to date.

With a sign for The Original Crazy Golf course in Skegness

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,065 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

At the top of the Great Orme in Llandudno

1,007 of the courses we've been to were in the British Isles, with 58 in 12 overseas countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

Playing Manx TT themed Crazy Golf in Ramsay on the Isle of Man

We've been able to play a total of 576 of the courses we've been to. Many of these have been played multiple times. Other courses we didn't manage to play include those we found to be abandoned, closed, out-of-season, or derelict, while others were flying visits as we didn't have time to play. Luckily we've returned to some of the courses that were closed or unable to be played on our initial visit.

At a very very Crazy Crazy Golf course in Cofton Hackett

When added to the courses my brother Christopher (a founding member of the tour) and his family have visited around the British Isles and Türkiye, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA, the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stands at a combined 1,112 courses visited!

A treacherous hole in Aberavon, Port Talbot

Check out the full list of courses we've been to on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Putting at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing

We avoided the LIVE ALLIGATORS at Gator Adventure Golf in Chorley

A scary indoor hole at Putters Adventure Golf in Warrington

Playing the Crazy Putting Challenge course at Hamptworth Golf Club

Playing a shot at Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Manchester

Miniature Golf Grass Putting in Douglas, Isle of Man

Trying my luck on the last hole at Hastings Adventure Golf

Minigolfing in Lyme Regis

Playing Mini Championship Golf at Pirate Pete's in Ayr

Having a whale of a time at Moby Adventure Golf in Romford

Teeing-off at Adventure Island Golf in Mundesley

Playing out a hole at Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby

Putting between the sights at Landmark Adventure Golf in New Brighton

Playing at Pirate Adventure Golf in Belfast

'Putting' with a 'cue' of sorts on the Crazy Crazy Golf course at Joe Joe Jim's Arcade in Cofton Hackett

New minigolf course in Bideford

There's a new minigolf course in Bideford, Devon.

The course is a 9-hole outdoor layout.

It's another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

So that was Miniature Golf Day 2024

So that was Miniature Golf Day 2024!

Here's to the next one (date for your diary: National Miniature Golf Day will be on Saturday 10th May 2025).

Miniature Golf courses we've played on Miniature Golf Days in the past on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Miniature Golf Day - a day of many names

The 21st September is always Miniature Golf Day.

Putting at Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby

Much like the many different names for 'Miniature Golf', Miniature Golf Day itself (and its sister appreciation day in May, National Miniature Golf Day) goes by many many many different names!

I've seen it called:

• Global Mini Golf Day
• Global Miniature Golf Day
• Global Minigolf Day
• International Mini Golf Day
• International Miniature Golf Day
• International Minigolf Day
• Mini Golf Day
• Minigolf Day
• National Mini Golf Day
• National Miniature Golf Day
• National Minigolf Day
• World Mini Golf Day
• World Miniature Golf Day
• World Minigolf Day
• Worldwide Mini Golf Day
• Worldwide Miniature Golf Day
• Worldwide Minigolf Day

Whatever you call Miniature Golf Day (or Miniature Golf) it's superb to see the day and game being celebrated worldwide.

As usual, National Miniature Golf Day is on the second Saturday in May, next year that falls on Saturday 10th May 2025. Miniature Golf Day is always on the 21st September and in 2025 that will be a Sunday.

And don't forget, every Monday is #MinigolfMonday!

100 names for Miniature Golf

A look at different names for miniature golf.

Looney Golf in Bradford - the name makes a change from the 'usual' Crazy Golf often found in the UK

There are a number of different names for the game of miniature golf and on our crazy golfing adventures we've found 100 different names for it:

1. 3D Golf
2. 4D Golf
3. 5 Star Crazy Golf
4. Abenteuergolf
5. Adventure Crazy Golf
6. Adventure Golf
7. Adventure Golf Grass Putting
8. Adventure Putting
9. Bahnegolf
10. Bangolf
11. Beach Golf
12. Beton
13. Blacklight Indoor Mini Golf
14. Carpeted Miniature Golf
15. Chrizy Golf
16. Circuito de Minigolf
17. Cosmic Golf
18. Crazee Golf
19. Crazier Golf
20. Crazier Nolf
21. Crazy Adventure Golf
22. Crazy Golf
23. Crazy Golf Adventure
24. Crazy Golf Pool
25. Crazy Jungle Golf
26. Crazy Pool
27. Crazy Putting Challenge
28. Crazy Snooker
29. Cwrs Golff Bach
30. Eternit
31. Extraordinary Golf
32. Fantasy Golf
33. Feltgolf
34. Garden Adventure Golf
35. Garden Minigolf
36. Ghetto Golf
37. Golf Byr
38. Golff Anturus
39. Golff Bach
40. Golf FX
41. Golff Giamocs
42. Golff Gwallgof
43. Golff Gwirion
44. Golff Gwyllt
45. Golff Mini
46. Golf Trail
47. Grass Putting
48. Gwallgolff
49. Hindernis Billard
50. Indoor Adventure Golf
51. Indoor Crazy Golf
52. Indoor Miniature Golf
53. Indoor Mini Golf
54. Indoor Minigolf
55. Junkyard Golf
56. Jurassic Golf
57. Krazy Golf
58. Le Mini Golf
59. Llain Bytio
60. Looney Golf
61. Maes Golff
62. Magical Crazy Golf
63. Magical Golf
64. Magical Golf FX
65. Midgetgolfbaan
66. Mini Golf
67. Mini-Golf Garden
68. Mini Putting
69. Mini Sculpture Golf
70. Miniature Crazy Golf
71. Miniature Golf
72. Miniaturgolf
73. Miniaturegolf
74. Miniatvre Golf
75. Minigolf
76. Minigolff
77. NIFO Steel Minigolf
78. Novelty Golf
79. Obstacle Golf
80. Pit-Pat
81. Pit-Pat Table Golf
82. Pitch & Putt
83. Plonk Golf / Plonk! Golf
84. Portable Crazy Golf
85. Portable Minigolf
86. Portaputt
87. Putting
88. Putting Course
89. Putting Green
90. Putt Putt
91. Ratagolf
92. Realistic Miniature Golf
93. Retro Golf
94. Rock N Golf
95. Snookergolf
96. Super tech mini golf
97. Swedish Felt
98. Table Golf
99. Themed Golf
100. Woolly Golf / Wooly Golf

Do you know of any other names, or call it something else yourself? Do let us know in the comments.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK. There are now more than 1,000, and there are lots of new places to play the game opening all the time. Several courses have closed over the years, while others have been refurbished, redeveloped or completely transformed into new layouts.

All the of the changes and updates means our minigolf quest to visit every course is becoming never-ending! When we originally set off to visit as many courses as possible the target list was 600 in the British Isles. We've still got around 50 of those original courses to visit.

We've now been to 1,064 courses overall in the last 18 years, with 1,007 of those locations in the British Isles.

Together with my brother Christopher - a charter member of the tour - and his family, we've visited a total of 1,111 courses.

Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book to see a lot more minigolf records too!

You can see all of the courses we've visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list.

Related blog posts:

• Definitions of Miniature Golf
• Types and Variants of Miniature Golf

Today is Miniature Golf Day

Happy Miniature Golf Day 2024!

Minigolf courses we've played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on previous Miniature Golf Days

Today is Miniature Golf Day. Will you be playing a round to celebrate?

Each year there are two Miniature Golf Days - National Miniature Golf Day is always on the second Saturday in May and Miniature Golf Day is always on the 21st September.

Definitions of Miniature Golf

A look at names for the game of miniature golf.

Minigolf Miraflores in Mallorca, Spain in May 2023

There are a number of different names for the game of minigolf. While there are some design standards for courses, most would be regarded as 'fantasy' courses where the end result is limited only by imagination, building regulations and budgets.

In the UK many people would refer to 'minigolf' as 'crazy golf'. This is me and the sign for 'The Original Crazy Golf' course (established in 1926) in Skegness, Lincolnshire back in May 2015

Here's a look at the common names for the game of putting:

Minigolf (also Mini Golf, Mini-Golf, Miniature Golf) – Minigolf is a catch-all name for the game and can be used to describe every type of course no matter its make-up or design.

Some Pitch & Putt and Par-3 Golf courses also describe themselves as Minigolf / Miniature Golf.

Adventure Golf – Adventure Golf is a relatively new name for the game and mostly describes a course with theming such as pirates, jungles, dinosaurs and space.

Crazy Golf – Crazy Golf is a name most commonly used in the UK. It is seldom, if ever, used overseas except in tourist spots popular with UK natives.

An equivalent name in the USA would be Goofy Golf.

Mini-putt – Mini-putt courses are similar in appearance to Putt-Putt courses however they have distinct standardised hole designs and are particular to Canada.

"Mini-putt" is the Québécois term for the game of minigolf, thanks largely to the popularity of the Quebec cable sports show 'Défi mini-putt' in the 1970s and 80s.

Pitch & Putt – Sometimes Pitch & Putt courses will use the name Miniature Golf or Minigolf.

Putt-Putt – Putt-Putt is a trademark and denotes specific patented types of miniature golf courses. Most courses can be found in the USA, with some still in operation in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Putt-Putt is sometimes incorrectly used as a catch-all / interchangeable name with Minigolf to describe a course or the game.

Putting – Grass Putting courses and Putting Greens are a type of minigolf and are often found at the seaside or in parks and gardens.

We have found 100 synonyms, types and variants of minigolf on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour travels to date.

Crazy Golf at the Yorkshire Ice Cream Farm Hatfield, Doncaster

What do you call the game? Do let us know in the comments.

Number of holes on a miniature golf course

Most minigolf courses consist of either 9 or 18 holes. There are also a number of 12-hole courses. Some venues have two, three or four separate 9-hole or 12-hole courses to create 36-hole centres.

Some courses classify themselves as 19-hole courses by including a Lucky Last Hole where a free game can be won.

Pop-up miniature golf

There are also a growing number of pop-up minigolf courses created for retailtainment activity and promotions, sports tasters, marketing events, art installations and more.

Miniature Golf competitions and tournaments

As well as being played as a fun, leisure activity there is also an official competition side to the game.

Tournament play is more established in continental Europe, although the UK and USA have governing bodies and hold a number of competitions each year.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation

The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the governing body for minigolf and has member nations around the world.

Players competing in official WMF tournaments tend to use putters specially designed for the needs of minigolfers as well as minigolf balls made of rubber and designed with competition players in mind, allowing them to find the best hole-in-one shot.

Tournaments are held on four types of minigolf courses and the WMF has its own definitions:

Feltgolf – Feltgolf courses (also known as Swedish Felt) are a type of course made of a felt covered wooden base consisting of 18 holes from a selection of 32 standardised designs.

Concrete – Concrete courses (also known as Beton) are a type of course made of a concrete base with metal rails as borders. They consist of 18 standardised holes. Some courses have a mirror-image of certain designs.

Miniaturegolf – Miniaturegolf courses (also known as Eternit) are a type of course made of a thin concrete material consisting of 18 holes from a selection of 28 standardised designs.

Minigolf Open Standard (MOS) – these are courses that do not fit into the above standard types and would be more recognisable to most players in the UK and USA. MOS courses include Adventure Golf courses, Crazy Golf layouts and Minigolf courses that take inspiration from regular golf. Each hole on a WMF-sanctioned MOS course can range from 3 to 40 metres in length.

Competitions are also held on the Stern Golf and Cobi Golf systems, although these types of courses are not well known outside of Germany.

Tomorrow is Miniature Golf Day 2024

Miniature Golf Day is ALWAYS celebrated on the 21st September.

We played the Crazy Golf course at Southport's Botanic Gardens on Miniature Golf Day in 2019

Each year there are two 'minigolf days', the second of which is Miniature Golf Day. It is always on the 21st September.

The other is National Miniature Golf Day, marked on the second Saturday in May. Planning ahead to next year that will be Saturday 10th May.

One week until Miniature Golf Day - Saturday 21st September 2024

Where will you be celebrating Miniature Golf Day on Saturday 21st September?

Each year there are two Miniature Golf Days - National Miniature Golf Day is first up on the second Saturday in May, while Miniature Golf Day follows on the 21st September. This year the 21st September falls on a Saturday.

Minigolf did you knows...?

Did you know these things about minigolf?

• The world's first miniature golf course was set-up at St Andrews, Scotland in 1867.
• James Barber opened the first minigolf course in the USA in 1916. The 'Lilliputian' miniature golf course was called 'Thistle Dhu' and located in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
• A Miniature Golf contest was part of the Olympic Games at the 1904 St Louis Games in the USA.
• Crazy Golf is 98 years old in 2024. The first course using the name 'Crazy Golf' opened on South Parade in Skegness, Lincolnshire, England in 1926.
• 1926 also saw the first artificial miniature golf course open in the USA. Garnet Carter opened the 'Tom Thumb' miniature golf course near Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
• The first National Tom Thumb Golf Championship took place on the 23rd October 1930.
• The first Putt-Putt brand miniature golf course was set-up by Don Clayton in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA in 1954.
• There are several Guinness World Records for achievements in Minigolf, Miniature Golf, Crazy Golf, Adventure Golf, and Putt-Putt. The 2024 edition of the Guinness World Records book featured a whole page about minigolf and you can find details of the records on the Guinness World Records website.
• There are approximately 1,350 miniature golf courses in the British Isles.
• Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour is 18 years old in 2024! In that time we've visited over 1,000 courses.
• The Crazy Golf Museum is 14 years old in 2024. The virtual online museum is a treasure trove and archive for all things related to minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf, miniature golf, Putt Putt, and putting.
• There are two 'miniature golf days' each year. 'National Miniature Golf Day' is always on the second Saturday in May. The other minigolf day, 'Miniature Golf Day', is always on the 21st September.

What are your favourite minigolf facts, stats and did you knows? Get in touch and let us know.

Miniature Golf Day - Saturday 21st September 2024

Will you be celebrating Miniature Golf Day?

Each year there are two 'Miniature Golf Days' - National Miniature Golf Day is first up on the second Saturday in May, while Miniature Golf Day follows on the 21st September. This year the 21st September falls on a Saturday.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK?

There are lots of new minigolf courses being built, in development or planned to open in the UK.

Minigolf is an incredibly popular activity for all ages and there are new courses opening up all the time in a wide-range of outdoor and indoor locations.

Whereas the game in the UK has traditionally been a seaside pastime, over the last decade it has grown to be a game enjoyed by people in more and more towns and cities - with many catering to a late night audience.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK?

As at September 2024 there are approximately 1,350 minigolf courses around the UK and British Isles (including Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and other islands). This includes public courses, as well as those at pay to enter attractions, holiday parks, hotels and other 'non-standard' locations.

Developments over the last two decades

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the British Isles. Only two of those original courses were indoor venues. Now the indoor game is booming and you can find minigolf courses indoors at shopping centres, retail parks, and in town and city centres around the country.

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've now been to a total of 1,064 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, with 1,007 of them in the UK. Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book to see a lot more minigolf records too!

Of the original list of 600 we've still got to visit 39 of the public courses. In addition there are a further 150 courses at pay to enter attractions, hotels and holiday parks that we've not yet been to.

On top of these 189 courses from the original list there are hundreds more courses that have opened over the last 18 years! We tracked 320 courses that opened between May 2020 and July 2023. And between August 2023 and September 2024 a further 150 courses have opened, or are in development.

More new courses to come

There are around 100 new courses being created each year - some are on old sites/locations, some are completely new venues, others are short-term 'pop-ups', while others are in planning/development, or under construction.

A few things to note

Please note that minigolf in the UK is not an exact science and courses are opening, in planning/development, and being 'lost' quite often. Others are being refurbished, and some are completely renovated to the point where they could be considered entirely new courses.

Find new courses

For information about new minigolf, crazy golf, and adventure golf courses opening in the UK take a look at the posts with the New course tag here on the Ham & Egger Files minigolf blog where I regularly update about new places to play the game.

Let's talk minigolf

If you know of a new course opening in the UK please do get in touch and let us know.

Two weeks until Miniature Golf Day - Saturday 21st September 2024

Will you be celebrating Miniature Golf Day on Saturday 21st September?

Each year there are two 'Miniature Golf Days' - National Miniature Golf Day is first up on the second Saturday in May, while Miniature Golf Day follows on the 21st September. This year the 21st September falls on a Saturday.

CenterCup - an Arnold Palmer-themed golf and dining concept

A new Arnold Palmer-themed golf and dining concept is launching in the USA.

CenterCup will feature a 27-hole mini-golf course at the venue in the Butler Shopping Center District of Gainesville, Florida, USA.

The CenterCup concept is a new partnership between 23 Restaurant Services and Arnold Palmer Enterprises.

Check out the CenterCup website for more information.

Hopefully we'll get to visit CenterCup on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

Arnold Palmer Putting Courses

Arnold Palmer Putting Courses are a design classic and include all the elements that make a Crazy Golf course great – the Windmill, the Waterwheel, an Obelisk, ledges, bunkers, traps, flat loops, hills and plateaus – everything laid out to make a course interesting, testing and most of all fun!

They're my favourite type of minigolf course and I've visited most of those that still remain in the UK.

The Arnold Palmer branded miniature golf courses were part of the Arnold Palmer Enterprises empire set-up in 1961 that saw the legendary golfer's name licensed and franchised to a wide-range of activities and products including Dry Cleaning centres and an Arnold Palmer brand foot detergent.

A sign at the Arnold Palmer Putting Course in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, UK

By 1966 there were 130 Arnold Palmer Putting Courses in the USA, with ten in Japan and some in South Africa.

The first Arnold Palmer Putting Course in the UK opened in Coventry in 1965 and was part of an Arnold Palmer Driving Range. A course was also located at a Driving Range in Sheffield.

Take a look at my blog post about Arnold Palmer Putting Courses in the UK for further information.

New Mini Golf course at Bury Knowle Park in Oxford

Bury Knowle Park in Headington, Oxford has a new Mini Golf course.

The outdoor mini golf course can be found at Bury Knowle Pavilion at Bury Knowle Park in Headington, Oxford.

Check out the Bury Knowle Pavilion website for more information.

Bury Knowle Park used to be home to a Swedish Felt B-Run type of minigolf course. We played that course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in August 2009.

Crazy Golf at Bury Knowle Park in Headington, Oxford (August 2009)

I look forward to giving the new course a play on a revisit to my home city.

Tredegar Park Mini-Golf has reopened

The Tredegar Park Mini-Golf course in Newport, Wales has reopened.

The course was damaged in an arson attack earlier this year and has managed to re-open following the damage caused.

The course and new hut/kiosk is looking very good. You can find out more on the Tredegar Park Mini Golf Facebook Page.

The Tredegar Park Mini Golf course was the 192nd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in August 2010. It was one of the courses played as part of the 2010 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament).

Hole 9 on the course was an absolute round killer back in 2010! I wonder what it's like now...?

It'll be interesting to see how the course plays all these years later. From the photos on the course's Facebook Page it looks in nice condition - and from what I've heard is still a great test of putting skill.

Dinosaur mini-golf at Swinton Square in Salford

There's a dinosaur mini-golf course at Swinton Square in Salford until Sunday 11th August.

The 9-hole course is free to play!

Check out the Swinton Square website for more information.

We played the Dino Crazy Golf pop-up at Swinton Square on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in 2022.

Happy 14th birthday to the Crazy Golf Museum

The Crazy Golf Museum is 14 years old today.

Many happy returns to the Crazy Golf Museum as it marks its 14th birthday today.

I set-up the museum with Crazy Golf legend Tim 'Ace Man' Davies back on the 15th July 2010.

Since then we've continued to fill the virtual online museum to make it a treasure trove and archive for all things related to minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf, miniature golf, Putt Putt, and putting.

It's certainly been a very interesting 14 years!

A BIG thank you to everyone who has shared their minigolfing memories, crazy golf items and adventure golf updates over the years. We're looking forward to continuing our promotion of the game for many more years to come.

Visit the Crazy Golf Museum's website, like the Page and join the Group on Facebook, check it out on X, and see Instagram for information, photos, items, ephemera, stories, videos, postcards, games and more...

If you'd like to contribute any items, merchandise, course history, current developments or guest blog posts please do get in touch.