Hitting another milestone on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've recently had a cracking weekend away and visited seven new minigolf courses, playing six of them as one had closed down.

Our mini-roadtrip took us to Newcastle Upon Tyne, Hartlepool, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Skelton-in-Cleveland and Seaton Carew.

We've now been to 846 courses overall, 808 in the British Isles and played 500 of them.

At Saltburn Minigolf course

The latest additions to our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visited list are:

• 495 (840) Newcastle (Lane7) - Mini Golf
• 496 (841) Newcastle (Mr Mulligan's Space Golf) - Inventors Hangar
• 497 (842) Newcastle (Mr Mulligan's Space Golf) - Lunar Crash
• 498 (843) Newcastle (Mr Mulligan's Space Golf) - Cosmic Storm
• 499 (844) Saltburn-by-the-Sea - Saltburn Minigolf
• 500 course played (845th visited overall and the 807th we've been to in the British Isles) Skelton-in-Cleveland - Holey Molies Miniature Golf
• 846 Seaton Carew (The Golf Dome) - Golf Trail Mini Golf - closed down

More photos and videos to follow here on the blog and on our social media accounts.

Mr Mulligan's Space Golf opening in Newcastle

Mr Mulligan's Space Golf set to touch down in Newcastle.

The countdown is on for the latest of Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf courses to launch on Newgate Street in Newcastle in the New Year. The space-themed layout is the first of it's kind from the team behind the Mr Mulligan courses - with other venues focussed on pirates, dinosaurs and jungles.

You'll be unlikely to find any dinosaurs - like this one in Cheltenham - at the new Mr Mulligan course in Newcastle

The Newcastle Space Golf venue will have three 9-hole indoor Adventure Golf courses, as well as a restaurant and late-night bar.

We've visited and played most of the Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, most recently at the new Lost World indoor Adventure Golf course in Cheltenham.

Other Mr Mulligan's venues can be found at Castleford, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Woking, Sidcup, Tonbridge and Stevenage. There are also plans for more new sites in the coming year!

Check out the Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf website and Newcastle course Facebook Page for more information and updates on the launch.

Links:
- Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf website
- Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf Facebook Page

Related blog posts:
- Newcastle
- Mr Mulligan
- Indoor Adventure Golf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Bar Billiards in Newcastle, Littlehampton and Worthing

Update from our increasingly erratic Barmy Bar Billiards Trail.

Last summer we had a grand day out in London visiting a number of pubs to play some Bar Billiards, but since then we've not found so many tables to play on our travels. However that's changed in the last month, with visits to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Littlehampton, and a re-visit to Worthing.

A Bar Billiards table in Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Unfortunately when our friend and fellow minigolfer John 'The Legionnaire' Moore took us to the Hustler Pool & Snooker Club in Newcastle-upon-Tyne we found the table to be out of order. John has previously played the table and hoepfully it'll be back in working order soon.

No Bar Billiards played in Newcastle

The Hustler Pool & Snooker Club was a nice spot for an evening of cue-sports, with plenty of pool and snooker tables on offer at reasonable rates, as well as a number of dartboards. It's well worth a visit.

Quite unexpectedly we fared better on our mini-break to Littlehampton, as on our arrival at the Seaview Hotel (in East Preston) we found there was a Bar Billiards table in the pub!

Playing the very well maintained Bar Billiards table in the pub of the Seaview Hotel in East Preston, near Littlehampton

In our games I won 950 to Emily's 610, followed by a 580 to 300 win.

While in Littlehampton we also spotted that The White Hart pub in the town centre has a table.

The White Hart pub in Littlehampton, West Sussex has plenty on offer to customers, including Bar Billiards

On the eve of the 2014 BMGA British Masters minigolf tournament at Worthing's Splash Point Mini Golf course we'd booked into the Marine View Hotel on the seafront. This was on the back of us visiting the hotel's bar last year for an evening of Bar Billiards on the very tricky table.

John 'Big Al' Moore scores while Richard shoots

Alongside John 'Johnny Waffles' Moore, Emily and I had a number of games, with the results as follows:

- John beat Emily 960 to 50

- Richard beat John 1,570 to 670

- Richard beat Emily and John 1,090 to 780 to 360

John has also developed a very handy Bar Billiards Scorecard Mobile App which added another dimension to our games!

On our recent trip to Nottingham we ran out of time to find and play the Bar Billiards tables that our friend and Minigolf rival Jam Trubridge had told us about, but we're sure to be back at some point for a game or two.

Links:
- Bar Billiards-related blog posts on The Ham & Egger Files
- The All England Bar Billiards Association (AEBBA)
- AEBBA map of Bar Billiards tables in the UK
- Bar Billiards Forum

Minigolf Report - Stokesley NO/NIT Classic - Minigolf Tournament in Middlesbrough

Minigolf Report - Stokesley (NO/NIT) Classic - Minigolf Tournament in Middlesbrough

Emily Gottfried wins three-round tournament on Teesside

On Monday 28th November 2011 Pro-Minigolfers Emily ‘Lemony’ Gottfried, ‘Squire’ Richard Gottfried and John ‘Thighs’ Moore headed to Teesside to compete in the first-ever Stokesley NO/NIT Classic Minigolf Tournament. The competiton was won by Emily Gottfried.

Photo: New Stokesley Classic Champion Emily Gottfried with the prestigious 'Newcastle Open!?' trophy and Gold numberless medal

The three-round, 36-hole event was held on the 12-hole Crazy Golf course at Stokesley Golf Range, Middlesbrough and saw Luton’s Emily Gottfried take a two shot victory with a total of 92(+20) with rounds of 31, 37 and a course record round of 24(par) in round three.

Photo: Emily Gottfried Putting her way to victory at the Stokesley Golf Range Crazy Golf course

Richard Gottfried was runner-up with a score of 94(+22) following rounds of 35, 28 and 31. Newcastle’s John Moore was third on 100(+28) with rounds of 32, 34 and 34.

Photo: Richard Gottfried (l) and John Moore with their medals

New Stokesley NO/NIT Classic Minigolf Champion Emily Gottfried said "I love the course at Stokesley. There are some really good, but tough holes, especially the Volcano hole! I felt I played really well, and apart from a dip during the second round I was in the lead for much of the tournament. Despite some excellent competiton from Squire and John "Al" Moore I really felt I deserved the win."

Runner-up Richard Gottfried said "At the end of the event I was amazed I hadn't won, but equally I was amazed I hadn't finished third! My first round was awful and then after a very good second round I found myself in the lead. A brilliant event on a very good course, in bitterly cold conditions, with an excellent champion in Emily, and yet another minigolf score of 24 for her to crow about. Well done to her for winning with a perfect par final round though."

Bronze Medallist John Moore was unavailable for comment following the tournament's conclusion.

The Stokesley NO/NIT Classic was the 2011 edition of the annual ‘Newcastle’ tournament that was inaugurated in 2009 with the hosting of the Newcastle Invitational Tournament that saw play at three courses on Tyneside. Last year saw the first-ever Newcastle Open take place at Gosforth Park, Newcastle.

Newcastle NO/NIT/SC Hall of Fame:
2011 – Emily Gottfried (won Stokesley Classic)
2010 – Simon Hardie (won Newcastle Open, defeating John Moore & Richard Gottfried in a sudden-death play-off)
2009 – John Moore (won Newcastle Invitational Tournament)

A selection of photos from the 2011 Stokesley NO/NIT Classic Minigolf Competition.

Photo: Emily Gottfried takes a Putt on the 10th - Tunnels

Photo: John Moore playing hole 10 - Tunnels

Photo: John Moore on Hole 4 - Restrictor

Photo: Richard Gottfried on Hole 5 - Volcano

Photo: Richard Gottfried (l) on Hole 11 - Bunkers

Photo: Richard Gottfried on Hole 3 - Windmill

Photo: Emily and some bags of quality potatoes! The land that Stokesley Golf Range is on is owned by farmers, so you can handily pick up some spuds when you visit the course

Previous Results & Reports:
- Newcastle Open (NO) 2010
- Newcastle Invitational Tournament (NIT) 2009

Unrelated Blog Post (with a Tenuous Link to 'a Newcastle')
- Minigolf Course Visit No. 133 - Henllan Station on the Teifi Valley Railway (it's near a place called Newcastle Emlyn)

Crazy Golf at Stokesley Golf Range, Middlesbrough - Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Minigolf Report - Newcastle Open 2010

12th September 2010
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Report – Newcastle Open at Gosforth Park


On Sunday 12th September Luton Minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried headed to Newcastle to compete in the inaugural Newcastle Open minigolf competition. The two-round tournament was played over 36-holes at the Mini Golf course at Gosforth Park.

Ten players competed in the event, with Richard finishing in 3rd place following a sudden-death play-off to decide the champion after three players tied on 79(+7) after regulation play. Newcastle’s Simon Hardie won the event after scoring a two on the first hole of the play-off, with Gottfried and Wallsend’s John Moore both scoring threes. The 2nd/3rd place play-off was decided on the 6th hole, with Moore hitting a two and Richard only able to manage a three.

Richard’s total of 72(+7) came after rounds of 41(+5) and 38(+2). Emily Gottfried was also competing at the event and finished in 6th place after rounds of 45(+9) and 41(+5) for a total of 86(+14).


The score of 38 achieved by Gottfried, Moore and Hardie is also a new course record at the Gosforth Park course.

Richard said “The Newcastle Minigolf Open was a great event, and there was some great local talent competing too. The Gosforth Park course was a good test of Putting ability. We are looking forward to returning north in 2011.”

Full results from the 2010 Newcastle Open
1st Simon Hardie (41,38) 79 (won on first hole of play-off)
2nd John Moore (41,38) 79 (took 2nd place on 6th hole of play-off)
3rd Richard Gottfried (41,38) 79
4th Michael Chipchase (41,42) 83
5th Paul Johnson (45,39) 84
6th Emily Gottfried (45,41) 86
7th Owen Johnson (48,44) 92
8th (T) Kayleigh Heslop (48,46) 94
8th (T) Jonny Mather (48,46) 94
10th Brian Kerr (50,47) 97

Ends

Minigolf Course Visit No. 133 - Henllan Station on the Teifi Valley Railway

The second Crazy Golf course we visited on the 17th August was the 10-hole Crazy Golf course at Henllan Station on the Teifi Valley Railway (near Newcastle Emlyn).

It was free to play, with only a £1 deposit required for the clubs and golf balls.












In winning our match 3&1 at the course Emily won the 'coveted' Teifi Valley Railway Henllan Station Masters title.

Emily - the Teifi Valley Railway Henllan Station Crazy Golf Master

Further information can be found on the Teifi Valley Railway website.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list of courses visited and played
- Wales

Newcastle Invitational Tournament (NIT) 2009

On Saturday 6th June 2009 Richard & Emily Gottfried travelled to Tyneside to compete against fellow BMGA member John Moore in the inaugural Newcastle Invitational Tournament.

Played over three courses and 48-holes the tournament was won by Newcastle's John Moore with a three-round total of 123 (+27).

Second was Richard Gottfried five shots back on 128 (+32). With Emily Gottfried in third with 142 (+46).

The three courses played were:
- Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf, South Shields
- Lost World Adventure Golf, Tynemouth
- Gosforth Park Minigolf, Newcastle

Ranks and scores:
1. John Moore - 29 - 55 - 39 = 123 (+27)
2. Richard Gottfried - 37 - 49 - 42 = 128 (+32)
3. Emily Gottfried - 40 - 53 - 49 142 (+46)

A selection of photos from the Newcastle Invitational Tournament 2009 are below, followed by post-match interviews with the participants.














Post-match interview with John 'Thighs' Moore, following his win in the inaugural Newcastle Invitational Minigolf Tournament held on 6th June 2009.



Post-match interview with 'Squire' Richard Gottfried, following his second place finish in the inaugural Newcastle Invitational Minigolf Tournament held on 6th June 2009.



Post-match interview with Emily 'Coach' Gottfried, following her third place finish in the inaugural Newcastle Invitational Minigolf Tournament held on 6th June 2009.



Richard's reaction after hearing he missed out on winning by five-shots.

A derelict Crazy Golf course in Newcastle

While in Newcastle visiting John 'YI' Moore in June 2009 we made a Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit to look at the 9-hole derelict Crazy Golf Course in Exhibition Park.

It was bereft of its old obstacles and in a bad way.




There is talk of a new course being built in the park in the future.

It's not happened yet.

Related blog post:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour