World Book Day 2026 - The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook

Check out my minigolf marketing ebook.

My ebook to help minigolf players better market themselves, their clubs, tournaments and courses is available to purchase from Amazon.

Don't worry if you don't have a Kindle as you can download the Kindle App on iOS, Android, Mac & PC.

Minigolf Marketing

As a minigolfer with over a decade of experience as a tournament competitor and over 20 years of experience in marketing & 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, genders, backgrounds, and abilities can pick up a putter and play the game.

Buy The Minigolfer’s Guide to Marketing ebook on Amazon.

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Emily and I have visited 1,114 courses in the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK (we've still got 39 from that original list left to visit!).

They've been joined by hundreds more new minigolf courses opening up across the UK, making our travels never-ending!

The minigolf boom continues

The game is really booming and new courses are being announced all the time.

Around 100 or so new courses are being created each year - some are on old sites/locations, some are completely new venues, while others are in planning/development, or under construction.

There are also quite a few other adventure golf, crazy golf and minigolf courses that are short-term 'pop-ups', some of which have been used as proof of concept businesses and developed into permanent courses. 

The minigolf world has 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 gives federations, associations, courses, clubs and our 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.

Minigolf consultancy

As a marketing professional I use my extensive knowledge and skills in supporting and promoting the game I enjoy as a hobby, a competitive sport and a leisure activity.

My marketing activity sees me work across the minigolf industry, from traditional British seaside crazy golf courses, to new inland adventure golf layouts, competitive socialising venues and within retailtainment.

My involvement in the world of minigolf includes blogging, media relations, sponsorship, course design, advice and consultancy, content generation, digital marketing and new technology, event organisation and promotion, and participation in tournaments around the world.

I have consulted on a number of minigolf business concepts in the UK and USA including Princess Parade Crazy Golf in Blackpool; the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club in Knowle West, Bristol; Tea Green Golf in Luton; Burray Crazy Golf in Orkney; Prestwick Putting and Crazy Golf; Portaputt Crazy Golf; Aces Minigolf Gloucester; Southend Pier Crazy Golf; Knaresborough Mini Golf; Putting at the Kiosk in Bedford; Visionary Crazy Golf at the London Design Festival, and The Big Mini Golf Tour in Great Yarmouth.

As a volunteer I served three terms on the Executive Committee of the British Minigolf Association and was a member of the World Minigolf Sport Federation’s Marketing and Media Committee for six years.

As a consultant I contributed to the Guinness World Records 2024.

And this blog contains over 6,600 posts that have attracted 7.5 million page views since 2006.

Buy The Minigolfer’s Guide to Marketing ebook on Amazon.

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf

Looking back at the Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London.

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 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.

Related blog posts:

• A Mini Golf Apocalypse
• Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Adventure Mini Golf course at Hawley Garden Centre in Sutton at Hone, Dartford

The new Adventure Mini Golf course at Hawley Garden Centre in Sutton at Hone, Dartford, Kent is now open.

Check out the Hawley Garden Centre website for more information.

The Discobowl in Burnley has a mini golf course

There's a new Scrapyard Golf indoor minigolf course at the Discobowl in Burnley, Lancashire.

The Scrapyard golf indoor crazy golf course was an addition to the venue during its renovation and reopening as a Discobowl following the brand's acquisition of the former MFA Bowl.

Visit the Discobowl website for more information.

You can find Scrapyard Golf courses at Discobowl venues in Banbury, Burnley, Chatham, Newport, Nottingham, Nuneaton, and Worcester.

There is also a crazy golf course at the Discobowl in Warrington.

A minigolf course in Marrakesh, Morocco

A look at an abandoned minigolf course in Marrakesh, Morocco.

A big thank you to our friend Kieran from Putter Madness for sending us these photos of an old and abandoned minigolf course he found on his recent holiday in Marrakesh, Morocco!

Guest blog posts.

As well as the blog posts about our own crazy golf travels, we've posted guest blogs from friends and family from their visits to courses around the world.

It's excellent receiving photos, information and updates from - and about - crazy golf, minigolf, miniature golf putting, pitch & putt, adventure golf, and Putt-Putt courses around the world. There's such a wide-range and variety of courses out there.

We've met so many people and made some great friends on our travels since 2006. Many of whom have contributed to our travels by telling us about new courses, letting us know about course refurbs, or by sending over photos of courses they've been too. We've also received excellent photos of miniature golf courses from our family, friends, our networks, and course owners, managers, designers and builders themselves.

With this post about the course in Marrakesh, Morocco we've now published guest blog posts from 32 countries!

Related blog posts:

• Abandoned
• Guest blog posts

Link:

• Putter Madness portable crazy golf

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 100 years old in 2025. 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 1,400 miniature golf courses in the British Isles.
• Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour is 20 years old in 2026! In that time we've visited over 1,000 courses.
• The Crazy Golf Museum is 16 years old in 2026. 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. In 2026 that will be Saturday 9th May.
• The other minigolf day, 'Miniature Golf Day', is always on the 21st September. In 2026 the 21st falls on a Monday.

Do you have any other interesting minigolf facts or stats? If you do, get in touch and let us know what they are.

New minigolf courses in the UK

I'm always on the lookout for new minigolf courses.

I post about new places planned, in development and opening using the 'New course' tag here on the blog.

If you know of a new minigolf, crazy golf, or adventure golf course opening please do get in touch.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK today?

As of July 2025, our research indicated there were approximately 1,436 minigolf courses around the UK (and the British Isles including Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, and other islands). This figure included public courses, as well as those at pay-to-enter attractions, holiday parks, hotels, and other 'non-standard' locations. Some of these courses were also under construction / in development. Over time some locations have also been partially or fully refurbished, while others have completely swapped out an old course for a new one in the same spot. Since our last update we've also discovered and unearthed several courses we didn't previously know about that have opened in the last year or so!

Related blog posts:

• New Minigolf Courses in the UK: Mid-Year 2025 Update.
• New minigolf courses in the UK: January 2025
• New course

'Crazy Golf' is 100 years old this year

Crazy Golf is 100 years old in 2026.

The first miniature golf course using the name 'Crazy Golf' opened on South Parade in Skegness, Lincolnshire, England in 1926.

England's first 'Crazy Golf' course opened on South Parade in Skegness in 1926 and the game is widely known by that name in the UK. Crazy Golf is seldom, if ever, used overseas except in tourist spots popular with UK holidaymakers.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

In May 2015 The Original Crazy Golf course became the 363rd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We'd first visited the course in 2011.

This sign for The Original Crazy Golf course in Skegness was located a little further down the road and next to another adventure golf course

From a Crazy Golf course to a hotel.

The Original Crazy Golf course in Skegness had been derelict since 2018 and the site has now had a Travelodge hotel and Starbucks drive-thru built on it.

Crazy Golf postcards from the course.

Here are two minigolf postcards from our collection showing the same location.

CRAZY GOLF. SKEGNESS. A Sapphire Card. LS2225. Posted from Skegness to New Basford, Nottingham in 1972

This postcard shows the course, note the name for the games is 'Craz-e-Golf'. This is interesting to see, and a name we'd not seen before

The postcard was sent to Liverpool from Skegness on the 21st June 1977 (a Tuesday). Note the nice postcard cancellation on the card too

The first miniature golf course.

The world's first miniature golf course was set-up at St Andrews, Scotland in 1867.

The Himalayas course is the world's first miniature golf and is home to the St Andrews Ladies' Putting Club. If you visit you'll find two superb grass putting layouts there - one 18-hole course and one consisting of 9-holes.

Related blog posts:

• Crazy Golf
• The Original Crazy Golf course on South Parade in Skegness, Lincolnshire (May 2011)
• Crazy Golf history: from a minigolf course to a hotel
• Minigolf did you knows...?
• Definitions of Miniature Golf
• 100 names for Miniature Golf
• Skegness
• Lincolnshire
• Postcards

Happy Winter Solstice

Today marks midwinter and is the 'shortest day' and 'longest night' of the year.

Stonehenge The Big Mini Golf course in Hemsby, Norfolk (August 2021)

Did you know there's a Stonehenge-themed minigolf course in Hemsby, Norfolk?

Stonehenge The Big Mini Golf was the 174th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in June 2010 when it was a 15-hole layout. We first visited it in May 2009 when it was a 12-hole course. It's now an 18-hole course.

Here are two videos of us playing the course in June 2010.

Here are some videos of the course on our most recent visit in May 2022.

Mini Golf Lanes tech-minigolf at Lane7 in Manchester

Lane7 at the Great Northern warehouse venue on Deansgate in Manchester has introduced 'Mini Golf Lanes' to the venue.

Rather than playing a round across a course consisting of several different holes/lanes, the high-tech mini golf at Lane7 sees players book a lane for a session of games and challenges.

Find out more.

Visit the Lane7 website for more information.

Links:

• Lane7
• Mini Golf Lanes at Lane7

Related blog posts:

• Lane7
• Minigolf
• Manchester

Mini Golf at the Urban Playground in the Arndale Centre, Manchester

Putters Crazy Golf can be found at the Urban Playground in Manchester.

The Urban Playground at the Manchester Arndale Centre is home to three 9-hole indoor tech-infused Crazy Golf courses.

Find out more.

Check out the Urban Playground website for more information.

Related blog posts:

• Putters Crazy Golf at the Urban Playground in Manchester
• Arndale Centre
• Manchester
• Urban Playground

'Crazy Golf' is 100 years old in 2026

Date for your diary - Crazy Golf will be 100 years old in 2026.

The first miniature golf course using the name 'Crazy Golf' opened on South Parade in Skegness, Lincolnshire, England in 1926.

England's first 'Crazy Golf' course opened on South Parade in Skegness in 1926 and the game is widely known by that name in the UK. Crazy Golf is seldom, if ever, used overseas except in tourist spots popular with UK holidaymakers.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

In May 2015 The Original Crazy Golf course became the 363rd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We'd first visited the course in 2011.

This sign for The Original Crazy Golf course in Skegness was located a little further down the road and next to another adventure golf course

From a Crazy Golf course to a hotel.

The Original Crazy Golf course in Skegness had been derelict since 2018 and the site has now had a Travelodge hotel and Starbucks drive-thru built on it.

Crazy Golf postcards from the course.

Here are two minigolf postcards from our collection showing the same location.

CRAZY GOLF. SKEGNESS. A Sapphire Card. LS2225. Posted from Skegness to New Basford, Nottingham in 1972

This postcard shows the course, note the name for the games is 'Craz-e-Golf'. This is interesting to see, and a name we'd not seen before

The postcard was sent to Liverpool from Skegness on the 21st June 1977 (a Tuesday). Note the nice postcard cancellation on the card too

The first miniature golf course.

The world's first miniature golf course was set-up at St Andrews, Scotland in 1867.

The Himalayas course is the world's first miniature golf and is home to the St Andrews Ladies' Putting Club. If you visit you'll find two superb grass putting layouts there - one 18-hole course and one consisting of 9-holes.

Related blog posts:

• Crazy Golf
• The Original Crazy Golf course on South Parade in Skegness, Lincolnshire (May 2011)
• Crazy Golf history: from a minigolf course to a hotel
• Minigolf did you knows...?
• Definitions of Miniature Golf
• 100 names for Miniature Golf
• Skegness
• Lincolnshire
• Postcards

The Chrizy Golf Masters minigolf competition in Manchester

I won the Chrizy Golf Masters minigolf tournament in Manchester 13 years ago today!

The first - and to date only - Chrizy Golf Masters minigolf tournament was held on a festive-themed pop-up crazy golf course at Piccadilly Place in Manchester on the 30th November 2012.

The Chrizy Golf course was gone once the 2012 festive season was over and the building remained empty, or used for other pop-ups, until the team at Junkyard Golf made it their home for another minigolf course. That layout was there for a couple of years. They have since moved on and can be found at a permanent venue at First Street in the city.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Chrizy Golf course was the 313th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've now been to 1,111 courses since September 2006.

Crazy Golf at Northwich Christmas Extravaganza - Saturday 29th November

There's a free-to-play Crazy Golf course at the Christmas Extravaganza in Northwich, Cheshire.

Northwich Christmas Extravaganza will have a free Crazy Golf course for visitors to play on Saturday 29th November.

Find out more.

The Northwich Christmas Extravaganza takes place in the town centre between 11am and 6pm on Saturday 29th November.

Find out more on the Visit Northwich website for more information.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We played a pop-up Christmas-themed course at the 2024 edition of Northwich's Christmas Extravaganza.

Mini Golf Lanes at Lane7

Lane7 in Manchester has a new high-tech twist on minigolf.

Lane7 at the Great Northern warehouse venue on Deansgate in Manchester has introduced 'Mini Golf Lanes' to the venue.

Rather than playing a round across a course of several holes, the Hi-Tech Golf at Lane7 sees players book a lane for a 60-minute session of minigolf games and challenges.

Find out more.

Visit the Lane7 website for more information.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The new Hi-Tech Golf Mini Golf Lanes at Lane7 will be a new type of minigolf game for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Links:

• Lane7
• Mini Golf Lanes at Lane7

Related blog posts:

• Lane7
• Minigolf
• Manchester

2026 British Minigolf Association Calendar of Events

Details of the British Minigolf Association Tour Calendar of Events for the 2026 Season.

The British Minigolf Association - the National Governing Body for the sport of minigolf in the UK - has released details of its 2026 Tour Calendar of Events.

18 events have been announced, with the Thanet Open at Lost Island in Margate, Kent teeing-off the season on the 1st February 2026. The 2026 BMGA Tour season is capped off with the British Indoor Minigolf Open at Volcano Falls in Castleford, West Yorkshire on the 29th November 2026.

Find out more

Check out the BMGA website for information about the British Minigolf Association, minigolf competitions, minigolf clubs and more.

The 2025 BMGA Tour Season.

The current BMGA Tour Season draws to a close on the 7th December with this years British Indoor Minigolf Open at Volcano Falls in Castleford.

Playing on the BMGA Tour.

Emily and I were full members of the BMGA from 2007 to 2015 and played in hundreds of minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf tournaments around the UK during that time.

I'm a seven-time winner on the UK national minigolf circuit, including two BMGA British Club Championships in 2008 and 2015, and a four-time finalist in the World Crazy Golf Championships. Through the BMGA I represented Great Britain in Nations Cup international tournaments in Finland and Sweden in 2008 and 2011.

Emily made her debut in the 2007 Virgin Money World Crazy Golf Championships and won 'The Gommery' Aces Title at the World Crazy Golf Championships in 2014 & 2015. A two-time WMF World Adventure Golf Masters Women's Champion, Emily is also the British Women's Record Holder on the Eternit system of Miniature Golf with an 18-hole round of 24 (-12) at the Nations Cup in Stockholm in 2011.

Links:

• British Minigolf Association
• European Minigolf Sport Federation
• World Minigolf Sport Federation

Related blog posts:

• BMGA
• BMGA Tour
• British Minigolf Association
• Richard Gottfried's Minigolf Player Profile
• Emily Gottfried's Minigolf Player Profile
• In the Crazy Golf Museum - minigolf membership cards

Peter Rabbit Adventure Golf at Willows Activity Farm in St Albans

Finding the Peter Rabbit Adventure Golf course at Willows Activity Farm in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

My brother Christopher - a charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - and his family recently visited Willows Activity Farm in St Albans, Hertfordshire and while there spotted the Peter Rabbit Adventure Golf course!

The Peter Rabbit Adventure Golf course at Willows Activity Farm is an outdoor 9-hole layout based on the fictional character by Beatrix Potter!

The Peter Rabbit Adventure Golf course opened at Willows Activity Farm in 2024.

Find out more.

Check out the Willows Activity Farm website for more information.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Emily and I have been to 1,111 courses overall in the last 19 years, with 1,050 of those locations in the British Isles.

Together with Christopher and his family's branch of the tour we've visited a total of 1,165 courses!