Scorecards and record scores from Rainforest Adventure Golf

Record low scores shot at Rainforest Adventure Golf in Dublin.

Thanks to my friend, rival, sometimes team-mate and fellow minigolf traveller Paul 'Johnson Paul Johnson' Johnson for posting me a couple of the scorecards from Rainforest Adventure Golf in Dublin, Ireland.

Paul competed in the recent IMGA Irish Open minigolf tournament held on the Aztec Trail course at the indoor Rainforest Adventure Golf centre in Dundrum Town Centre and finished in tenth place.

During the tournament - the first held under the auspices of the Irish Mini Golf Association and the first Irish Open held in the Republic of Ireland - the world record low score for the 'Minigolf Open Standard' (MOS) classification of minigolf was broken as Pauli Kuikka of Sweden shot a round of 23(-13) during the tournament. That official score and record followed GB's Steve 'Sheila' Lovell's world record low round of 22(-14) which was shot the previous day.

The best ever score on an indoor minigolf course

The previous best score on an Adventure Golf course was 24 - at Hastings Adventure Golf - this score remains the record low for an outdoor 'MOS' course.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the umbrella organisation of 63 Minigolf sports associations worldwide and recognises four types of minigolf - MOS, Concrete, Miniaturegolf and Feltgolf.

The aim in any round of competition minigolf is to score as many holes-in-one as possible, with Par for each hole regarded as two shots. Many courses have their own Par system, with some holes being a Par-3, 4 or 5. The world record lowest score on a course is a perfect 18 - 18 consecutive holes-in-one!

Emily has shot a 24 in competition - at the 2011 WMF Nations Cup in Sweden - which is still a national women's record score on the Miniaturegolf format of the game. On our visit to the Crazy Golf course at Bainland Country Park in Woodhall Spa I scored a 'perfect' round of 9 holes-in-one in a row. However, there were five cups to putt into on each of the holes!

The only Crazy Golf course we've played with five cups to putt into

The 2017 IMGA Irish Open tournament was the third ever Irish Open and the first held in the Republic of Ireland. The first two Irish Opens were held in 2006 and 2007 at the Pirates Adventure Golf course in Dundonald, Belfast, Northern Ireland. For more information on the IMGA and WMF check out the links below.

Links:
- World Minigolf Sport Federation
- Irish Mini Golf Association
- Rainforest Adventure Golf

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

The Golferholics Board Game

A new old golf-based board game.

The Golferholics Board Game - an 18-hole Golf Game

On our recent minigolf meet-up in Dorridge my mate and BIG miniature golf enthusiast Paul 'Johnson Paul Johnson' Johnson gave me a Chad Valley Miniature Golf set from the 1960's. He also gave me a board game from the 1990's - The Golferholics Board Game.

The Golferholics Board Game - an 18 hole Golf course

The game was created and designed by A.L.E.M. in 1999.

The board is a large 18-hole golf course layout, with space on the side for the two different sets of cards

The scorecards are very well made and high quality

  

Lovely putt - the ideal result

The set is very well made and the copy Paul gave me for The Crazy Golf Museum is in great condition

Links:
- Golferholics at Board Games Geek
- The Crazy Golf Museum
- Miniature Golf and Crazy Golf toys and games at The Crazy Golf Museum

Related blog posts:

- The Crazy Golf Museum

Chad Valley Miniature Golf

Playing a 1960's Miniature Golf set.

My fellow minigolf enthusiast Paul 'Johnson Paul Johnson' Johnson recently acquired a 1960's Miniature Golf set made by Chad Valley and he kindly donated it to The Crazy Golf Museum.

The 9-hole Chad Valley 'Miniature golf' course was designed for indoor and outdoor play and includes two putters, balls, flags and tin plate holes

While at the Four Ashes Golf Centre in Dorridge last weekend we had to give the game a go.

Paul Johnson lines up a putt on a plateau hole

Putting using the Chad Valley miniature golf putters was very tricky

Chad Valley was founded in 1860 and the range of toys and games is now exclusively available at Argos.

Links:
- The Crazy Golf Museum
- Miniature Golf and Crazy Golf toys and games at The Crazy Golf Museum

Related blog posts:

- The Crazy Golf Museum

Mini Golf at Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham

Two new 18-hole Mini Golf courses now open at Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham.

The new Mini Golf centre at Birmingham's Cannon Hill Park opened this week and it looks great.

The new 36-hole Mini Golf course in Cannon Hill Park. Looking like some sort of driving game!? Photo by Paul Johnson

In brighter weather the course looks even better. Check out this post on the Golden Putter Mini Golf Facebook page for some more photos of the layout.

Photos of the course, before the downpour, by Paul Johnson are below.

Back in March our fellow Minigolf Explorers Paul 'Johnson Paul Johnson' Johnson, Owen Johnson, Steve Sturdy and Ruth Burke visited the site and got some snaps of the course being built. Check out the blog post about it at "New Mini Golf course opening soon in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham."

The mascot of the Golden Putter Minigolf Courses. 'Gordon Putter' as he's known doesn't always have a 'tache though!

Visit the Golden Putter Mini Golf website for details of the other Golden Putter Mini Golf courses at Warwick, Wroxham, Staines and Rotherham. As well as their portable course.

Emily and I have visited all of the Golden Putter courses so far, except Rotherham. We're looking forward to giving the two new ones in Birmingham a play.

Links:
- Golden Putter Mini Golf
- Greenspace Leisure Ltd

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- New Mini Golf course opening soon in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham

Indoor Pirate Adventure Golf in Whitby

Playing the Indoor Pirate Adventure Golf course at Whitby's Pleasure Island Amusement Arcade.

On Thursday 20th March 2014 Emily and I decided to head to the seaside resort of Whitby, one of the east coast towns we were yet to visit on our tour of the UK seaside.

Emily teeing-off on hole 1 of the Pleasure Island Adventure Golf course in Whitby

We hadn't planned to visit Whitby on our road-trip that saw us take a journey up to Newcastle Upon Tyne and back over four days, but having had a stopover in Northallerton we decided to make the relatively short trip to spend some time beside the seaside.

While walking along the harbour-side towards the beach the signs for the indoor Pirate Adventure Golf course at the Pleasure Island Amusement Arcade caught my eye!

You will find the 9-hole course laid out in the left-hand corner of the well presented arcade.

On our travels we've visited and played at well over 500 courses and 30+ have been indoors. We thought the look and feel of the course at Pleasure Island was very well done. It was very piratey and nautical and when you climbed the stairs to the top deck of the course (hole 5) you'd never know you were in an amusement arcade in North Yorkshire!

It's well worth a play and is only £2 a round.

Our fellow Minigolfer Adventurers Paul and Owen Johnson visited the course in 2010 and you can see their photos on the excellent MiniatureGolfer.com. The course appears to have had a refurb since then.

The Pleasure Island Adventure Golf course is well worth a play if you're in Whitby and it's great to be able to have a Putt there whatever the weather.

A Crocodile (or Alligator) lurks below the bridge near the 1st and 9th holes

The course was the 544th visited and 327th played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006.

In our match-up I beat Emily, putting her to the sword 20 vs. 32. But she made me walk the plank!

Walking the plank on hole 9!

The amusement arcade is also home to that other seaside favourite - the shooting gallery.

The Treasure Cove Shooting Gallery at the Pleasure Island Amusement Arcade in Whitby

Related blog posts:

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date

- Arnold Palmer Minigolf Putting Course in Whitby

- Not playing the Mini Golf course in Whitby
- Fake Crocodiles! Or are they Alligators?
- Indoor Minigolf, Crazy Golf and Adventure Golf courses

A great piece of Minigolf ephemera

Spotting some famous Minigolf faces on a Crazy Golf course leaflet!

On my journey south from the east Midlands heading to Luton I made a stop at Northampton’s Roadchef services and while stretching my legs I perused the leaflets on display by the entrance/exit.

One that caught my attention was that for Quest Merry Hill – a great Krazy Golf, high ropes and Nerf combat arena centre in Westfield Merry Hill in Dudley.

On closer inspection I was surprised to see my Midlands Minigolf Club team-mates Paul ‘Johnson Paul Johnson’ Johnson and Chris ‘Who’ Harding on the front cover!

The Quest Merry Hill leaflet

Paul 'Johnson Paul Johnson' Johnson playing shot number ? on hole 7 at Quest Merry Hill

Chris also features on the inside, playing a shot on the 9th hole.

Chris on the 9th at Quest Merry Hill

When I spoke with Paul he was just as surprised as me to hear he was on the leaflet!

It’s a great piece of Minigolf ephemera and history and one I’ll be keeping in my collection of Miniature Golf stuff, as well as putting a copy in the Crazy Golf Museum.

The photos were taken during a visit by a group of us ‘Pro’ minigolfers in April this year when we were also filmed and interviewed on the BIG Krazy Golf open day.

It’s a great course with some unique hole layouts and obstacles. It’s also got some of the most vivid course colours I’ve seen on my Minigolf travels.

Related blog posts:

- Krazy Golf at Quest Merry Hill

- Quest Krazy Golf Video Now Online

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

- Ephemera

- Merchandise

Links:

- Quest Merry Hill

- Northampton Roadchef Services

- Pear Communications leaflet distribution

Quest Krazy Golf Video Now Online

Video Showcasing the 9-hole Krazy Golf course at the Quest Adventure and Entertainment Zone at Westfield Merry Hill.

While helping to launch the new 9-hole Krazy Golf course at Quest Merry Hill in Dudley me, Emily and our fellow BMGA Tour Pros and members of the Great Britain Minigolf Sport Team were filmed in action on the excellent course, as well as being interviewed!

Check out the video here.

Links:

- Quest Merry Hill

- Quest Krazy Golf

- British Minigolf Association

- Great Britain Minigolf Sport Team

- UrbanCrazy

- Westfield Merry Hill

Related Blog Posts:

- Krazy Golf at Quest Merry Hill
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date

- Types and Variants of Miniature Golf visited and played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Join the British Minigolf Association for the 2013 Minigolf Season

Krazy Golf at Quest Merry Hill

Visiting and playing the new 9-hole Krazy Golf course at Quest Merry Hill.

On Saturday 6th of April along with fellow members of the British Minigolf Association and Great Britain Minigolf Sport Team Emily and I were invited along to the grand opening of the new 9-hole indoor Krazy Golf course at the Quest adventure and entertainment zone at Westfield’s Merry Hill shopping centre in Dudley.

Warming up before the Mini Golf Open competition at the Quest Krazy Golf course

The format of the day saw us practice playing the course, coach staff and the public and compete in challenge matches against shoppers! We also contested the Mini Golf Open amongst the six seasoned Tour veterans and GB team members, with former BMGA British Minigolf Champion Jon ‘The Stance’ Angel victorious with a score of 18(par) in his round.

2013 Quest Mini Golf Open competition results:

1. Jon ‘The Stance’ Angel – 18(par)

2. Chris ‘Who’ Harding – 19(+1)

3(T). Paul ‘The Overtaker’ Johnson – 21(+3)

3(T). Emily ‘Lemony’ Gottfried – 21(+3)

5. ‘Squire’ Richard Gottfried – 23(+5)

6. Owen ‘Jackpot’ Johnson – 26(+8)

The course is great fun and interesting to play. The holes are unique and there are plenty of hole-in-one opportunities, along with some tricky shots too!

From l-r 'Squire' Richard Gottfried, Squire' Richard Gottfried and Squire' Richard Gottfried playing hole 2 

The course record before the Minigolf Open Day was held by the course manager Mark Knox with a great score of 17(-1), but by the end of the day two-time World Crazy Golf Champion Chris ‘Who’ Harding had managed to shoot a low of 16(-2) to set the course record.

Chris 'Who' Harding takes the course record

It was nice for us to be able to pass on Minigolf hints and tips through the coaching sessions and challenge matches, and plenty of people were giving the course and game a try.

Hole 4 has a steep hill and camber to deal with

In a challenge match between me and Emily I won with a score of 17(-1) to Emily’s 19(+1). And in a match between me, fellow Minigolf adventurer Owen ‘Jackpot’ Johnson and Chris, I won with a score of 17(-1) to Chris’ 18(par) and Owen’s 24(+6).

Almost an Ace on hole 2

For more information on the Quest Krazy Golf course do check out the Quest website. As well has the Minigolf course the adventure area has a Nerf combat arena, shooting galleries and high ropes activities for all ages!

After we’d played the main Minigolf event we had a go on the Nerf combat game which was fast paced, great fun and a little bit painful if you got hit by a Nerf foam ‘bullet’ at close range!

Nerfed

Emily and Owen also had a go on the High Ropes activity which is situated above the main Quest area – you could easily miss seeing it unless you look up when you enter/exit Quest!

Emily on the High Ropes Extreme

All-in-all it was a great day out. We’ll definitely be back to play the course again and hopefully there’ll be more Miniature Golf tournaments at the course in the future.

A laser effect surrounding the cup on hole 3 at Quest Merry Hill

The course was the 528th Emily and I have visited and the 317th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 6

Hole 6

Hole 7

Hole 8

Hole 9

Hole 9

Links:

- Quest Merry Hill

- Quest Krazy Golf

- British Minigolf Association

- Great Britain Minigolf Sport Team

- UrbanCrazy

- Westfield Merry Hill

Related Blog Posts:

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date

- Types and Variants of Miniature Golf visited and played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Join the British Minigolf Association for the 2013 Minigolf Season