Playing FootGolf in Luton

Having a round of the new game of FootGolf at Luton's Stockwood Park.

On Monday 7th July I headed up to Stockwood Park in Luton to play my first round of the new sport of FootGolf. I'd been challenged to a match by my old Dodgeball rivals - the Welwyn Dowed Warriors.

Playing FootGolf at Stockwood Park in Luton

I first heard about FootGolf last September and since then Luton has seen two courses open - at Stockwood Park Golf Centre and at Tea Green Golf.

A couple of weeks ago I saw how popular the game was as I had a round of Pitch & Putt on the Stockwood Mini Golf course.

The sport of FootGolf is played on a golf course, with player's aiming to get the football into the hole in as few shots as possible. The 'green' and hole itself is placed beside or beyond the regular golf's green to enable players of the two games to have a round at the same time.

Having paid for our round of 9-hole (£5.50 each, plus a £5 refundable deposit for each ball borrowed) we heaed out to the course. With the rules of the game read out from the very well designed FootGolf scorecard we were ready to get underway, with 'The Professional' kicking/teeing-off first.

Paul 'Barer' Harvey readying himself for a tricky 'putt' on the 3rd hole - this one really got the better of most players (apart from 'The Professional' and Paul)

We had a great, fun round with plenty of banter and some wild shots. These were interspersed with some good use of the greens to play some nice angled shots. The shot of the match went to Paul who kicked a cracker to score a three on the par-5 121 yard sixth hole.

Steve 'The Belly' Kelly pitches a shot across the edge of the golf green

Steve 'The Belly' Kelly chips out of the rough

Steve 'The Belly' Kelly in trouble again

The final results saw 'The Professional' win with par (34), notching up a two on hole five and a three on the ninth. In second on 36(+2) was Paul. I was third on 37(+3), with Steve edging out Rowdy Russell 39(+5) to 40(+6).

It was a good, open round and hopefully we'll all improve in our second game.

Richard Gottfried 'putting' on the Stockwood Park FootGolf layout

We all agreed it was a fun game to play and we'll certainly be having another round soon. The Hertfordshire-based players are hoping to see a FootGolf course open up on their side of the border.

A new FootGolf sign will need to be added to the post at Stockwood Park

You can also play FootGolf on Tea Green Golf's new course at Wandon End, near Luton.

Check out the links below for the UK FootGolf Association and Stockwood Park Golf Centre for more details about playing the game.

FootGolf seems to be a fast growing sport, with new courses popping up all over the country.

Links:
- Stockwood Park Golf Centre
- UK FootGolf Association

Related blog posts:
- Observations of FootGolf
- FootGolf is heading to Luton!
- Stockwood Park-related Blog Posts
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Played #30 Luton (Stockwood Park) - Mini Golf/Pitch & Putt

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Played #17 St Albans, Hertfordshire (Verulamium Park) - Crazy Golf

Back on the 11th of April 2007 I visited and played the 12-hole Crazy Golf course in Verulamium Park, St Albans, Hertfordshire. At the time it was just the 17th course played on what would become the epic Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

On my first visit I scored rounds of 25, 27 and 35!

I also re-visited it with my former Dodgeball Associates 'Rowdy' Russell Fenner and Paul 'Barer' Harvey for a three-round event on the 10th May 2007.

In the Irregular Mini Golf Tour's Triple-O Thursday 36 Competition, Me and Paul tied having scored a total of 87(+11), Russell scored a 103(+31).



Richard & Humpty.



On the 20th November 2010 I was in St Albans so decided to visit the course to see what the course was like now.

Humpty was still there.



A blue Dolphin now 'Guards' the course from the corner!







I also noticed that the following two holes have changed slightly:
Hole 1 - May 2007

Hole 1 - November 2010


Hole 7 - May 2007


Hole 7 - November 2010


We have also played this type/design of course on a number of occasions on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, including:

• 18 Luton (Wardown Park) - Crazy Golf - Review at Miniaturegolfer.com here


• 48 Lytham St Anne’s - Crazy Golf


• 61 Southsea - Crazy Golf


• 79 Gravesend (Woodlands Park) - Derelict Crazy Golf


• Visit 97 to Maidenhead's Riverside Gardens saw us meet another 'Humpty' and the course did use some similar Fibreglass obstacles, but it was an 18-hole Eternit course (we also revisited it on 10/10/10 at 9pm!)


• 130 Saundersfoot - Crazy Golf


• 132 Eglwyswrw (Dyfed Shires & Leisure Farm) - Crazy Golf


• 134 Llanrhystud (Penrhos Golf & Country Club) - Crazy Golf


• 138 Tywyn (Leisure Park) - Crazy Golf


• 144 Towyn (Knightly's on Sandbank Road) - Crazy Golf


• 156 Melbourn (Kingsway Golf Centre) - Crazy Golf - now replace by The Himalayas Putting Course


• 202 Knaresborough (Conyngham Hall Gardens) - Crazy Golf

And we've also visited these types of courses in the following places (but for one reason or another haven't been able to play them):

• Lytham St Anne’s - Crazy Golf #2


• Newcastle (Exhibition Park) - Derelict 9-hole Crazy Golf


• Porthmadog - Crazy Golf (arrived at 5.30pm, course closed at 6pm but would not let us play)


• Smeeth (The Woolpack Inn) - Crazy Golf - had similar obstacles


• Riviera Hotel, Bowleaze Cove, Weymouth - Crazy Golf

There is also a 9-hole Putting Green at the Abbey View Golf Course at Verulamium Park, it was getting dark and very cold so I didn't play it on this visit.




Links to related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- St Albans
- Humpty

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