Adventure Golf at Beacon Park in Lichfield

Lichfield's Beacon Park is getting a new Adventure Golf course.

The new outdoor Adventure Golf course at Beacon Park in Lichfield, Staffordshire is being created as part of improvement works to the facilities at the park.

The park's Pitch & Putt course will also be changed, going from an 18-hole to a 9-hole course, but with improved fairways and greens. Footgolf and disc golf will also be retained.

Check out the Lichfield District Council and Lichfield Historic Parks websites for more information.

The Adventure Golf course at Beacon Park will be a new one for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We've been to Beacon Park before. Back in September 2017 we played the Eternit-style Miniature Golf course at the park. That layout became the 461st played and 775th visited on our travels.

Crazy Golf at Beacon Park in Lichfield (September 2017)

Crazy Golf at Beacon Park in Lichfield (September 2017)

100 names for Miniature Golf

A look at different names for miniature golf.

Looney Golf in Bradford - the name makes a change from the 'usual' Crazy Golf often found in the UK

There are a number of different names for the game of miniature golf and on our crazy golfing adventures we've found 100 different names for it:

1. 3D Golf
2. 4D Golf
3. 5 Star Crazy Golf
4. Abenteuergolf
5. Adventure Crazy Golf
6. Adventure Golf
7. Adventure Golf Grass Putting
8. Adventure Putting
9. Bahnegolf
10. Bangolf
11. Beach Golf
12. Beton
13. Blacklight Indoor Mini Golf
14. Carpeted Miniature Golf
15. Chrizy Golf
16. Circuito de Minigolf
17. Cosmic Golf
18. Crazee Golf
19. Crazier Golf
20. Crazier Nolf
21. Crazy Adventure Golf
22. Crazy Golf
23. Crazy Golf Adventure
24. Crazy Golf Pool
25. Crazy Jungle Golf
26. Crazy Pool
27. Crazy Putting Challenge
28. Crazy Snooker
29. Cwrs Golff Bach
30. Eternit
31. Extraordinary Golf
32. Fantasy Golf
33. Feltgolf
34. Garden Adventure Golf
35. Garden Minigolf
36. Ghetto Golf
37. Golf Byr
38. Golff Anturus
39. Golff Bach
40. Golf FX
41. Golff Giamocs
42. Golff Gwallgof
43. Golff Gwirion
44. Golff Gwyllt
45. Golff Mini
46. Golf Trail
47. Grass Putting
48. Gwallgolff
49. Hindernis Billard
50. Indoor Adventure Golf
51. Indoor Crazy Golf
52. Indoor Miniature Golf
53. Indoor Mini Golf
54. Indoor Minigolf
55. Junkyard Golf
56. Jurassic Golf
57. Krazy Golf
58. Le Mini Golf
59. Llain Bytio
60. Looney Golf
61. Maes Golff
62. Magical Crazy Golf
63. Magical Golf
64. Magical Golf FX
65. Midgetgolfbaan
66. Mini Golf
67. Mini-Golf Garden
68. Mini Putting
69. Mini Sculpture Golf
70. Miniature Crazy Golf
71. Miniature Golf
72. Miniaturgolf
73. Miniaturegolf
74. Miniatvre Golf
75. Minigolf
76. Minigolff
77. NIFO Steel Minigolf
78. Novelty Golf
79. Obstacle Golf
80. Pit-Pat
81. Pit-Pat Table Golf
82. Pitch & Putt
83. Plonk Golf / Plonk! Golf
84. Portable Crazy Golf
85. Portable Minigolf
86. Portaputt
87. Putting
88. Putting Course
89. Putting Green
90. Putt Putt
91. Ratagolf
92. Realistic Miniature Golf
93. Retro Golf
94. Rock N Golf
95. Snookergolf
96. Super tech mini golf
97. Swedish Felt
98. Table Golf
99. Themed Golf
100. Woolly Golf / Wooly Golf

Do you know of any other names, or call it something else yourself? Do let us know in the comments.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK. There are now more than 1,000, and there are lots of new places to play the game opening all the time. Several courses have closed over the years, while others have been refurbished, redeveloped or completely transformed into new layouts.

All the of the changes and updates means our minigolf quest to visit every course is becoming never-ending! When we originally set off to visit as many courses as possible the target list was 600 in the British Isles. We've still got around 50 of those original courses to visit.

We've now been to 1,064 courses overall in the last 18 years, with 1,007 of those locations in the British Isles.

Together with my brother Christopher - a charter member of the tour - and his family, we've visited a total of 1,111 courses.

Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book to see a lot more minigolf records too!

You can see all of the courses we've visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list.

Related blog posts:

• Definitions of Miniature Golf
• Types and Variants of Miniature Golf

Definitions of Miniature Golf

A look at names for the game of miniature golf.

Minigolf Miraflores in Mallorca, Spain in May 2023

There are a number of different names for the game of minigolf. While there are some design standards for courses, most would be regarded as 'fantasy' courses where the end result is limited only by imagination, building regulations and budgets.

In the UK many people would refer to 'minigolf' as 'crazy golf'. This is me and the sign for 'The Original Crazy Golf' course (established in 1926) in Skegness, Lincolnshire back in May 2015

Here's a look at the common names for the game of putting:

Minigolf (also Mini Golf, Mini-Golf, Miniature Golf) – Minigolf is a catch-all name for the game and can be used to describe every type of course no matter its make-up or design.

Some Pitch & Putt and Par-3 Golf courses also describe themselves as Minigolf / Miniature Golf.

Adventure Golf – Adventure Golf is a relatively new name for the game and mostly describes a course with theming such as pirates, jungles, dinosaurs and space.

Crazy Golf – Crazy Golf is a name most commonly used in the UK. It is seldom, if ever, used overseas except in tourist spots popular with UK natives.

An equivalent name in the USA would be Goofy Golf.

Mini-putt – Mini-putt courses are similar in appearance to Putt-Putt courses however they have distinct standardised hole designs and are particular to Canada.

"Mini-putt" is the Québécois term for the game of minigolf, thanks largely to the popularity of the Quebec cable sports show 'Défi mini-putt' in the 1970s and 80s.

Pitch & Putt – Sometimes Pitch & Putt courses will use the name Miniature Golf or Minigolf.

Putt-Putt – Putt-Putt is a trademark and denotes specific patented types of miniature golf courses. Most courses can be found in the USA, with some still in operation in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Putt-Putt is sometimes incorrectly used as a catch-all / interchangeable name with Minigolf to describe a course or the game.

Putting – Grass Putting courses and Putting Greens are a type of minigolf and are often found at the seaside or in parks and gardens.

We have found 100 synonyms, types and variants of minigolf on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour travels to date.

Crazy Golf at the Yorkshire Ice Cream Farm Hatfield, Doncaster

What do you call the game? Do let us know in the comments.

Number of holes on a miniature golf course

Most minigolf courses consist of either 9 or 18 holes. There are also a number of 12-hole courses. Some venues have two, three or four separate 9-hole or 12-hole courses to create 36-hole centres.

Some courses classify themselves as 19-hole courses by including a Lucky Last Hole where a free game can be won.

Pop-up miniature golf

There are also a growing number of pop-up minigolf courses created for retailtainment activity and promotions, sports tasters, marketing events, art installations and more.

Miniature Golf competitions and tournaments

As well as being played as a fun, leisure activity there is also an official competition side to the game.

Tournament play is more established in continental Europe, although the UK and USA have governing bodies and hold a number of competitions each year.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation

The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the governing body for minigolf and has member nations around the world.

Players competing in official WMF tournaments tend to use putters specially designed for the needs of minigolfers as well as minigolf balls made of rubber and designed with competition players in mind, allowing them to find the best hole-in-one shot.

Tournaments are held on four types of minigolf courses and the WMF has its own definitions:

Feltgolf – Feltgolf courses (also known as Swedish Felt) are a type of course made of a felt covered wooden base consisting of 18 holes from a selection of 32 standardised designs.

Concrete – Concrete courses (also known as Beton) are a type of course made of a concrete base with metal rails as borders. They consist of 18 standardised holes. Some courses have a mirror-image of certain designs.

Miniaturegolf – Miniaturegolf courses (also known as Eternit) are a type of course made of a thin concrete material consisting of 18 holes from a selection of 28 standardised designs.

Minigolf Open Standard (MOS) – these are courses that do not fit into the above standard types and would be more recognisable to most players in the UK and USA. MOS courses include Adventure Golf courses, Crazy Golf layouts and Minigolf courses that take inspiration from regular golf. Each hole on a WMF-sanctioned MOS course can range from 3 to 40 metres in length.

Competitions are also held on the Stern Golf and Cobi Golf systems, although these types of courses are not well known outside of Germany.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK?

There are lots of new minigolf courses being built, in development or planned to open in the UK.

Minigolf is an incredibly popular activity for all ages and there are new courses opening up all the time in a wide-range of outdoor and indoor locations.

Whereas the game in the UK has traditionally been a seaside pastime, over the last decade it has grown to be a game enjoyed by people in more and more towns and cities - with many catering to a late night audience.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK?

As at September 2024 there are approximately 1,350 minigolf courses around the UK and British Isles (including Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and other islands). This includes public courses, as well as those at pay to enter attractions, holiday parks, hotels and other 'non-standard' locations.

Developments over the last two decades

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the British Isles. Only two of those original courses were indoor venues. Now the indoor game is booming and you can find minigolf courses indoors at shopping centres, retail parks, and in town and city centres around the country.

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've now been to a total of 1,064 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, with 1,007 of them in the UK. Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book to see a lot more minigolf records too!

Of the original list of 600 we've still got to visit 39 of the public courses. In addition there are a further 150 courses at pay to enter attractions, hotels and holiday parks that we've not yet been to.

On top of these 189 courses from the original list there are hundreds more courses that have opened over the last 18 years! We tracked 320 courses that opened between May 2020 and July 2023. And between August 2023 and September 2024 a further 150 courses have opened, or are in development.

More new courses to come

There are around 100 new courses being created each year - some are on old sites/locations, some are completely new venues, others are short-term 'pop-ups', while others are in planning/development, or under construction.

A few things to note

Please note that minigolf in the UK is not an exact science and courses are opening, in planning/development, and being 'lost' quite often. Others are being refurbished, and some are completely renovated to the point where they could be considered entirely new courses.

Find new courses

For information about new minigolf, crazy golf, and adventure golf courses opening in the UK take a look at the posts with the New course tag here on the Ham & Egger Files minigolf blog where I regularly update about new places to play the game.

Let's talk minigolf

If you know of a new course opening in the UK please do get in touch and let us know.

Minigolf at Burrowhead Holiday Village

I recently found out there is a Pitch & Putt course, Crazy Golf, and a Putting Green at the Burrowhead Holiday Village in Cutcloy, Scotland.

It's always interesting finding out about new places to play minigolf. Hopefully we'll get to visit these layouts on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

Check out the Burrowhead Holiday Village website for more information. 

Minigolf at Coate Water Park in Swindon

The two miniature golf courses at Coate Water Park in Swindon, Wiltshire will be reopening this summer.

The 18-hole Pitch & Putt layout and 18-hole Crazy Golf course at Coate Water Park in Swindon closed during the coronavirus pandemic and haven't reopened since.

They're now set to open for play again from July.

The Crazy Golf course at Coate Water Park was the 750th course visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in August 2017.

Minigolf courses in Manchester & Greater Manchester

A look at minigolf courses in Manchester & Greater Manchester.

There are a number of options for minigolfing in Greater Manchester, with a variety of courses to play, ranging from traditional crazy golf to indoor minigolf to new adventure golf layouts. The city centre itself has seen an increase in courses over the last few years and there are more to open in the coming months too!

Here's a list of the minigolf courses in Manchester

• Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre - two indoor adventure golf courses
• Junkyard Golf at First Street - three indoor crazy golf courses.
• Treetop Adventure Golf at The Printworks in Manchester - two indoor adventure golf courses
• Dino Falls Adventure Golf at the Trafford Golf Centre - two outdoor adventure golf courses
• Roxy Ball Room on Deansgate - indoor mini golf course
• Roxy Ball Room on Withy Grove - indoor crazy pool (think of a cross-between pool and crazy golf)
• Putters Crazy Golf at the Urban Playground in Manchester Arndale - indoor crazy golf
• Crazy Golf at Challenge Point Manchester - indoor crazy golf
• Mini Golf at King Pins at the Manchester Arndale - indoor mini golf

Here's a list of the minigolf courses in Greater Manchester

• The Lost Valley Adventure Golf at Amazonia, Market Place Shopping Centre, Bolton - an indoor adventure golf course
• Haigh Woodland Park, Wigan - an outdoor adventure golf course
• Haigh Woodland Park, Wigan - an outdoor crazy golf course
• UV Crazy Golf at One Adventure in Droylsden - an indoor crazy golf course
• Pitch & Putt at Bruntwood Park in Cheadle, Stockport - an outdoor miniature golf course
• Puttstars at Rochdale Riverside - three indoor minigolf courses
• Park Square, Cheadle Heath, Stockport - an outdoor Putting Green (for tenants only)
• Parr Fold Park in Walkden - a Pitch & Putt course
• Kearsley Golf Range - Pitch & Putt and Putting Greens
• Victoria Park in Pendlebury, Swinton - an outdoor putting green
• Buile Hill Park in Salford - a Pitch & Putt course
• Woodheys Park in Sale - a Pitch & Putt course
• HUKD Golf in Bury - indoor crazy golf

Minigolfing in Manchester

We've been travelling to play minigolf in Manchester on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2009 when I won the Mini Masters and Mini Open at the Trafford Golf Centre. I also won the Chrizy Golf Masters at Piccadilly Place in 2012. We moved to Stockport in 2016 and have continued to compete in events. Emily won the Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open in 2019, while I won the tournament in 2018. I also won the DinoFalls Masters at the Trafford Golf Centre in 2018.

Former courses

• Championship Miniature Golf at the Trafford Golf Centre - an outdoor miniature golf course
• Chrizy Golf at Piccadilly Place - pop-up Christmas-themed crazy golf course
• Tea Party Mini Golf at Spinningfields, Manchester - a pop-up mini golf course
• Junkyard Golf at the Great Northern Warehouse and at Piccadilly Place - indoor crazy golf courses
• Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport - an outdoor crazy golf course
• Walkden Town Centre - pop-up crazy golf course

Derelict and abandoned courses

• Stamford Park, Stamford Street, Stalybridge, Tameside - an outdoor crazy golf course
• Wythenshawe Park, Wythenshawe - an outdoor crazy golf course

Please do get in touch and let us know of any other minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf, pitch & putt, or putting layouts we don't yet know about in the area.

Minigolf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

A look at the miniature golf courses at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside, Cumbria.

Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

We had a nice long weekend in the Lake District in June where we revisited some courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf and Pitch N Putt at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside is home to a Crazy Golf course and a Pitch N Putt layout.

Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

We last visited Ambleside on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in April 2012 when the location was also home to a Putting layout. That has been replaced by Croquet.

Croquet at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

The Pitch N Putt looks like a nice tricky layout and the views and location are very pleasant indeed.

Pitch N Putt at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

Pitch & Putt at Woodheys Park in Sale

An unexpected miniature golf course visit.

We found another miniature golf course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour while driving to Altrincham this morning!

Pitch & Putt at Woodheys Park in Sale

We took a more scenic route than usual and while driving through Sale spotted a sign for the 18-hole Pitch & Putt course at Woodheys Park.

Pitch & Putt at Woodheys Park in Sale

Naturally, we swung by for a look.

Pitch & Putt at Woodheys Park in Sale - looking quite autumnal already!

The 18-hole Pitch & Putt course at Woodheys Park in Sale became the 998th miniature golf course location visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Pitch & Putt at Woodheys Park in Sale

We wonder how many other minigolf layouts are lurking in Greater Manchester that we haven't been to yet?

Pitch & Putt at Woodheys Park in Sale

Visit the Woodheys Park website for more information.

Minigolf courses on the Fylde Coast

There are a number of minigolf courses on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, with layouts to be found in Fleetwood, Blackpool, St Annes on the Sea, Lytham and Lytham St Annes.

Check out my posts below for more info on each course.

Crazy Golf at Marine Gardens in Fleetwood

Pitch & Putt Miniature Golf at Marine Gardens in Fleetwood

Crazy Golf on Princess Parade in Blackpool

Dino Adventure Golf course at the Blackpool Tower

Graffiti Golf on the Central Promenade in Blackpool

Adventure Golf at the Pleasure Beach in Blackpool

Krazy Golf at Stanley Park in Blackpool

Putting course at Stanley Park in Blackpool

Crazy Golf on St Annes Pier in St Annes on the Sea

Pennines Putting at the MiniLinks in St Annes on the Sea

Crazy Golf at the MiniLinks in St Annes on the Sea

Par-3 Golf at the MiniLinks in St Annes on the Sea

Adventure Golf at Fairhaven Lake in Lytham St Annes

Crazy Golf at Lowther Gardens in Lytham

Putting course at Lowther Gardens in Lytham

We've also visited a number of courses on the Fylde coast that are sadly no longer there.

Check out our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour post to see all of the courses we've been to since September 2006.

If you know of any other courses we haven't yet visited please do let us know.

Pitch & Putt at Marine Gardens in Fleetwood

A look at the Pitch & Putt miniature golf course at Marine Gardens in Fleetwood.

We took a look at the Pitch & Putt course at Marine Gardens on our recent trip to the seaside town.

The location is also home to a Crazy Golf course. And the remains of a Miniature Railway!

The Marine Gardens Crazy Golf course and part of the old miniature railway line

There also used to be a Crazy Golf course a stone's throw away at Marine Hall Gardens. We played that course in 2009. Sadly it was removed in 2012.

Marine Hall Gardens in Fleetwood

Old Miniature Railway at Marine Gardens in Fleetwood

There used to be a Miniature Railway at the Marine Gardens Pitch & Putt and Crazy Golf venue in Fleetwood.

We spotted the remains of a miniature railway while taking a walk round the Pitch & Putt and Crazy Golf course at Marine Gardens in Fleetwood.

You can still see - and walk through - the old miniature railway tunnel on the perimeter of the Pitch & Putt miniature golf course