Signs of the coronavirus pandemic times

A look at signs of the Coronavirus pandemic, social distancing and lockdown.

I've been documenting the coronavirus pandemic in a number of ways, one of which is by photographing the different signs and posters I see on my walks and limited travels.

We're one year into lockdown in the UK and in that time I've collated some 922 of these (and counting) on my Instagram account.

One of the very first signs I snapped was this one during a local walk that passed by Cheadle Angling Club on Demmings Road in Cheadle.

We first saw social distancing measures in place at a miniature golf course in person on a walk to Bruntwood Park in Cheadle in May last year.

There is certainly a real variety of warnings, instructions and directional signage to do with social distancing, and I was amused by this photo Emily took of the social distancing measures in place on an escalator in M&S!

Surely the 2 metre apart distance stickers should be on the moving walkway as well, rather than the static sides of the escalator? I wonder how many people adhere to the rule and wait for the person ahead of them to reach the first marker?

Have you seen any interesting, quirky or amusing signs during these pandemic times? Do let me know.

City Golf Europe Adventure Golf photo competition

City Golf Europe are running an Adventure Golf course photo competition.

The Adventure Golf course at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

City Golf Europe has built over 300 adventure golf courses in European countries and are now looking to find out which Adventure Golf holes minigolf fans think are the most beautiful.

Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Ufford Park Hotel in Woodbridge, Suffolk

Jiggers Miniature Golf course at the Thorpeness Golf Club & Hotel in Suffolk

We've played a number of City Golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, ranging from permanent Adventure Golf and Mini Golf courses, to their more traditional Swedish Felt types of course.

Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Norwich Family Golf Centre

The Blackpool Pleasure Beach course - scene of my Pleasure Beach Open tournament victory in 2009

The Adventure Golf course at Hoebridge Golf Centre in Old Woking

Sports World Mini Golf at O'Leary's in the Mall of Scandinavia, Sweden

The Swedish Felt Crazy Golf course at Malkins Bank Golf Club in Betchton, Sandbach

The Swedish Felt Crazy Golf course on Southend Pier

The deadline for submission of photos is 30th September 2019.

Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Ufford Park Hotel in Suffolk

More info on the Adventure Golf photo competition can be found on the City Golf Europe website.

Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Norwich Family Golf Centre

"Last pick in a gang draft"

"Last pick in a gang draft" a portrait by Emily Gottfried

Minigolf in Sweden - Mariefred and Siggesta Gård, Värmdö near Stockholm

John Snelgrove has sent over some more great photos from two more miniature golf courses he's spotted from his travels in Sweden. Both are close to Stockholm.

The first minigolf course is in Mariefred. John tells me its a picturesque town on Lake Mälaren and in addition to the minigolf there is a miniature railway too. Sounds marvellous and it looks great there.

What a nice setting for a game of minigolf

The miniature railway looks great too

The course is a Swedish Felt type

The second course is in Siggesta Gård, on Värmdö and is more of a fantasy course compared to the Swedish Felt layout in Mariefred. It also looks brilliant and a course I'd definitely like a round or two on.

The course looks quite tricky, with some long holes

Quite a u-turn!

A fenced off feeding cow as an obstacle!

Followed by a GIANT teacup and saucer

Quite a normal hole after the teacup

The course looked like it was proving popular

A road bridge takes you to the green on this hole

A building you play into / out of!

Earlier this year John sent me some great snaps of the snow covered 'Bangolf' minigolf course at the Hellasgården in Nacka, Sweden and courses in Sandhamn and Sigtuna. It's always lovely to see different courses from around the world.

In 2011 Emily and I viisted Sweden to play for the Great Britain team in the WMF Nations Cup international tournament in Stockholm.

Related blog posts:
- Sweden
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

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.

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Minigolf in Sandhamn and Sigtuna, Sweden

I've received more brilliant photos from John Snelgrove from his visits to two miniature golf courses in Sweden.

The first was a 12-hole course in Sandhamn, on an island around 50km from Stockholm.

Sandhamn Minigolf course by John Snelgrove, May 2016

Sandhamn Minigolf course by John Snelgrove, May 2016

Sandhamn Minigolf course by John Snelgrove, May 2016

The second was an 18-hole layout in Sigtuna, Stockholm.

Sigtuna Minigolf course by John Snelgrove, May 2016

Sigtuna Minigolf course by John Snelgrove, May 2016

In April John sent me some great snaps of the snow covered 'Bangolf' minigolf course at the Hellasgården in Nacka, Sweden.

In 2011 Emily and I played for the GB team in the WMF Nations Cup international tournament in Stockholm.

On National Miniature Golf Day this year we played the refurbished Swedish Felt Mini Golf course in Guildford's Stoke Park, and later this month we'll be playing the new Swedish Felt course on the end of Southend Pier.

Links:
- Seglarhotellets minigolf
- Sigtuna minigolf

Related blog posts:
- Sweden
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Stockholm, Sweden (Tantogårdens BGK, Tantolunden Park) - Beton Minigolf
- Stockholm, Sweden (Tantogårdens BGK, Tantolunden Park) - Eternit Minigolf

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.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

'Bangolf' minigolf course at the Hellasgården in Nacka, Sweden

I was very interested to receive some great photos from John Snelgrove who had spotted this Minigolf (Bangolf) course while in Sweden in January.

Hellasgården Bangolf. Photo by John Snelgrove (January 2016)

The Bangolf course is at the Hellasgården in Nacka, a large nature area 5km southeast of Stockholm city. John tells me the area also has a lake that you can skate on in the winter!

The Hellasgården Bangolf course under cover of snow. Photo by John Snelgrove (January 2016)

Looking online the course looks like it's of the 'Eternit' type, but with some modifications - not least the addition of felt to the playing surface. You can see some snaps of the course on the Hellasgården Facebook page here and here.

In 2011 Emily and I played for the GB team in the WMF Nations Cup international tournament in Stockholm. One of those courses was of a similar variety. The weather for that event was quite different to the conditions found on John's visit to Sweden though.

Emily in action on the 'Eternit' Miniature Golf course at the Tantogårdens Bangolf Klub in Tantolunden Park, Stockholm

Link:
- Hellasgården website - Minigolf

Related blog posts:
- Sweden
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Stockholm, Sweden (Tantogårdens BGK, Tantolunden Park) - Beton Minigolf
- Stockholm, Sweden (Tantogårdens BGK, Tantolunden Park) - Eternit Minigolf

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.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Watermelon specialists

That's quite the specialist area to open up a business in!

Logman Ltd - a business on Caledonian Road in London that specialises in watermelons

I haven't seen the shop unshuttered yet. Specialising in watermelons must be a very secretive business.

Love Worthing Photo Competition #useitorloseit

While in sunny Worthing for the recent BMGA British Masters miniature golf tournament at Splash Point Mini Golf course I spotted an advert for a Worthing Photo Competition in the Worthing Herald.

The competition is being run by Worthing Borough Council for its #useitorloseit campaign to make Worthing even more attractive for local residents and visitors to the town.

Here's our entry.

My favourite thing about Worthing is the excellent Splash Point Mini Golf course in Denton Gardens. Photo by Emily Gottfried

For further details of the competition check out the #useitorloseit page on Worthing Borough Council's website and the competition advert here.

Links:

- Splash Point Mini Golf

- Worthing Borough Council

- Worthing Herald

- #useitorloseit campaign

- #useitorloseit on Twitter

- Cobb Digital

Where skateboards (and skater’s shoes) go to die

While in London for a day out on Wednesday Emily and I wandered over the Hungerford Bridge and spotted this odd sight!

The skateboard (and abandoned shoes) graveyard on Hungerford Bridge in London

The bit of the bridge (one of the supporting struts) where the broken skateboards have been thrown is very near to the Southbank LondonSkatepark.

There were an awful lot of abandoned shoes in the ‘graveyard’ too! How many can you spot?

I recently read in the London Evening Standard that the Skatepark will be getting some investment to be redeveloped. A letter writer to the paper had suggested the area be turned into a Crazy golf course – that’d be a nice addition to the area as London has a dearth of permanent Miniature Golfcourses.

Related Blog posts:

- Abandoned Shoes
- London

Mini Golf by Simon Martin

New Minigolf book from photographer Simon Martin.

London, Kent & Brighton based photographer Simon Martin recently completed his latest project entitled 'Mini Golf'.

'Mini Golf' by Simon Martin - a great coffee table book

From late 2012 until May 2013 Simon travelled around the UK photographing a range of Mini, Crazy and Adventure Golf courses, as well as following the competition players on the British Minigolf Association Tour circuit to capture portraits of the players.

Simon Martin (l) presents Richard Gottfried with a copy of 'Mini Golf' at the 2013 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters tournament in Hastings

The book produced is a brilliant document of his travels to Minigolf 'hot spots' such as Brighton, Wroxham, Herne Bay, Blackpool, Great Yarmouth, Birmingham, Hemsby, Cheddar, Margate, Newport, East Finchley, Camden, Worthing, Sidcup, Canvey Island, The Mumbles, Arkley, Cwmbran, New Barnet and West Horndon. There are a couple of courses in the book that even Emily and I haven't yet visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

The player portraits are a nice touch too - some of us stars of the BMGA Tour are actually quite photogenic!

For more information on the Mini Golf project and to view some of the book's images please check out the Simon Martin Photography website.

Links:

- Simon Martin Photography

- Simon Martin Mini Golf Project

- British Minigolf Association

- Miniature Golf Books at the Crazy Golf Museum

Related blog posts:

- Miniature Golf Books for World Book Day

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour