Showing posts with label Postcard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Postcard. Show all posts

Monday, May 02, 2022

National Postcard Week

Happy National Postcard Week.


This week is National Postcard Week in the USA.

Post Card - Jekyll Island, Gergia. Golf House and miniature golf course. Marsh Post Card Service. Postally unused, undated
Post Card - Jekyll Island, Gergia. Golf House and miniature golf course. Marsh Post Card Service. Postally unused, undated

We're huge fans of sending and receiving postcards and have built up a big collection of minigolf, crazy golf, putting and adventure golf postcards over the years.

Post Card - South of the Border. South Carolina at the N.C. - S.C. Border. ACE-HI ADVERTISING, INC. Postally unused, undated
Post Card - South of the Border. South Carolina at the N.C. - S.C. Border. ACE-HI ADVERTISING, INC. Postally unused, undated

Post Card. Grand Haven State Park, Grand Haven, Michigan. Water Wonderland Card Company. Postally unused, undated
Post Card. Grand Haven State Park, Grand Haven, Michigan. Water Wonderland Card Company. Postally unused, undated

  • When did you last send a postcard?

  • When did you last receive a postcard?

  • Do you have a favourite postcard?

Check out Reflections of a Bygone Age for more information on postcard collecting.


The 2022 Picture Postcard Annual is available now and includes a feature that I wrote about Butlin's Monorails.

Butlinland Skegness – Putting Green and Monorail by John Hinde Studios. Sent on 4 Aug 1980
Butlinland Skegness – Putting Green and Monorail by John Hinde Studios. Sent on 4 Aug 1980

Here's a selection of postcards from our collection.


Bridlington Princes Parade. The Spa Boating Lake. Photochrom Co. Ltd.
Bridlington Princes Parade. The Spa Boating Lake. Photochrom Co. Ltd.

Crazy Golf, North Shore, Blackpool. 50. Bamforth Post Card. Unposted. Undated
Crazy Golf, North Shore, Blackpool. 50. Bamforth Post Card. Unposted. Undated

A Weetabix Gang Crazy Mini Golf Weeta-Card postcard from 1983
A Weetabix Gang Crazy Mini Golf Weeta-Card postcard from 1983

Pat Regan's Putting Green in Broadstairs - postcard. Undated
Pat Regan's Putting Green in Broadstairs - postcard. Undated

Miniature Golf Links, Brighton. Postally used 29 August 1927
Miniature Golf Links, Brighton. Postally used 29 August 1927

One of two postcard designs you can find at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing
One of two postcard designs you can find at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing

Worthing, Denton Gardens, Putting Green. The Photochrom Co Ltd. Posted to Birchington, Kent on 30 July 1928
Worthing, Denton Gardens, Putting Green. The Photochrom Co Ltd. Posted to Birchington, Kent on 30 July 1928

Butlinland Minehead. Crazy Golf and Chair Lift. John Hinde Studios. 24 May 1976
Butlinland Minehead. Crazy Golf and Chair Lift. John Hinde Studios. 24 May 1976

Putting Green, Great Yarmouth. Postcard postally used on the 11th November 1927. Publisher unknown
Putting Green, Great Yarmouth. Postcard postally used on the 11th November 1927. Publisher unknown

Tuesday, April 05, 2022

A mini golf putting postcard from Burgh Hall in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

A look at a miniature golf postcard from our collection.


Here's a postcard showing a mini golf grass putting course at Burgh Hall Country Club Chalet & Caravan Park in the 1970s.

The card was posted to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne from Lowestoft, Suffolk on the 24th May 1977.

BURGH HALL COUNTRY CLUB postcard. Posted 24 May 1977
BURGH HALL COUNTRY CLUB postcard. Posted 24 May 1977

We'll be heading back to Great Yarmouth this summer for the Big Mini Golf Tour taking place across miniature golf courses in Great Yarmouth, Hemsby and Gorleston-on-Sea.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

A minigolf postcard from Pontin's Holiday Village in Hemsby, Norfolk

A look at a minigolf postcard from our collection.


Here's a long-lost Crazy Golf course depicted on a Pontin's multi-view postcard of the Hemsby Holiday Village in Hemsby, Norfolk.

PONTIN'S HOLIDAY VILLAGE, HEMSBY, NORFOLK R5713 by Photo Precision Limited, St Ives. Unposted, undated
PONTIN'S HOLIDAY VILLAGE, HEMSBY, NORFOLK R5713 by Photo Precision Limited, St Ives. Unposted, undated

The layout is of the Eternit Miniature Golf style - a rarity on these shores.

We'll be heading back to Hemsby this summer for the Big Mini Golf Tour taking place across miniature golf courses in Great Yarmouth, Hemsby and Gorleston-on-Sea.

You can play minigolf at the Lost World Adventure Golf and Stonehenge Adventure Golf in the seaside town of Hemsby.

Saturday, February 19, 2022

A minigolf postcard from Great Yarmouth. Sent in 1927

Stepping back in time for a look at minigolf in Great Yarmouth in the 1920s.


One of the earliest miniature golf postcards I have in my collection is this one showing the Putting Green on Marine Parade in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Putting Green, Great Yarmouth. Postcard postally used on the 11th November 1927. Publisher unknown
Putting Green, Great Yarmouth. Postcard postally used on the 11th November 1927

The postcard was sent to Hayes, Middlesex on the 11th November 1927.

You can see the Hippodrome in the left of the image and this building is still standing and is the Hippodrome Circus on St George's Road. If you visit now you'll find a row of buildings in front of the Hippodrome itself!

You will also find that there is still a minigolf course on the same spot as the Putting Green.

Castaway Island Adventure Golf on Marine Parade in Great Yarmouth
Castaway Island Adventure Golf on Marine Parade in Great Yarmouth in 2016

Now called Castaway Island Adventure Golf the site was an Arnold Palmer Putting Course that we played a number of times on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Playing the Arnold Palmer Putting Course on Marine Parade in Great Yarmouth in June 2011
Playing the Arnold Palmer Putting Course on Marine Parade in Great Yarmouth in June 2011

It's proof, if proof were needed, that Great Yarmouth has long been a minigolf hot-spot.

Minigolf Putting in the UK

The first miniature golf course in the world was created at St Andrews in Scotland in 1867. That links course is still there.

The decades that followed saw a boom in the game with minigolf courses popping up around the country. In 1926 the first Crazy Golf course opened in England, with the layout created on South Parade in Skegness, Lincolnshire.

Minigolf in Great Yarmouth

There are a number of brilliant mini, crazy, putting and adventure golf courses on the seafront in Great Yarmouth, as well as in the wider Greater Yarmouth areas of Gorleston-on-Sea and Hemsby.

The minigolf courses in the seaside resort will play host to the Big Mini Golf Tour - a campaign to highlight the courses in the area this Spring and Summer season.

Friday, November 26, 2021

Butlin's Monorails in the Picture Postcard Annual

The 2022 Picture Postcard Annual is out now.


Picture Postcard Annual 2022
Picture Postcard Annual 2022

The new Picture Postcard Annual is available now and includes a feature that I wrote about Butlin's Monorails.

Butlinland Skegness – Putting Green and Monorail by John Hinde Studios. Sent on 4 Aug 1980
Butlinland Skegness – Putting Green and Monorail by John Hinde Studios. Sent on 4 Aug 1980

There's a lot of great content in the annual including a wide-range of features, event listings, dealer contacts and more.

You can buy the 2022 Picture Postcard Annual from the Reflections of a Bygone Age website.


We made it to one postcard fair this year - at Stockport Town Hall - and we're looking forward to hunting for more old postcards of minigolf, monorails and holiday camps next year.

Sunday, April 18, 2021

Monorails and minigolf!


A Typical Butlin Monorail. Postcard S25. Skegness 1971
A Typical Butlin Monorail. Postcard S25. Skegness 1971

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

A Couple of Putts see in the New Year

Many thanks to our friends Tom & Robin at A Couple of Putts for sending us this ace new miniature golf postcard.

A Couple of Putts Happy Holidays postcard 2020

The minigolfing duo are seeing in the New Year by posting a hole-in-one video from a different course each day throughout January to #Make2021aHoleInOne.

Happy New Year! We’re feeling hopeful about 2021 and we’re kicking it off with some fun. Let’s have an ace of a new year!

Check out the A Couple of Putts website for more information.

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Been up to much this year?

What have you been watching during lockdown?


Blockbuster Entertainment postcard by Boomerang

I managed to find these nice Blockbuster Entertainment postcards by Boomerang earlier this year. I think they sum up 2020 nicely.

Blockbuster Entertainment postcard by Boomerang

Blockbuster Entertainment postcard by Boomerang

I've enjoyed researching the lost brand and seeking out remnants of old Blockbuster stores in the limited time we've been allowed outdoors during the pandemic.

Blockbuster Entertainment postcard by Boomerang

Check out my guest post about Blockbuster Video on the Picture Postcard Magic blog from Reflections of a Bygone Age.


Picture Postcard Magic 31st October 2020 with Richard Gottfried What have you been watching during lockdown? With 2020...

Posted by Reflections of a Bygone Age on Saturday, 31 October 2020

A crazy golf course postcard from Blackpool

A look at an old minigolf course postcard from Blackpool.


The unposted postcard shows the Crazy Golf course that was located right outside the Pleasure Beach. It was removed in 2008 and replaced by an Adventure Golf layout. I won the Pleasure Beach Open tournament on that course in 2009.

South Shore and Promenade, Blackpool. PT18828. Unposted
The postcard is likely to be from the late 1970s

Related blog posts:

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

A Weetabix Crazy Golf postcard

Until recently I hadn't had a Weetabix Crazy Golf postcard in my collection.

This advertising postcard from 1983 shows the Weetabix Gang playing a game of minigolf and is one of a set. Other activities the gang get up to include playing cricket on the beach, building a sandcastle, playing a test-of-strength machine and fishing on a pier.

A Weetabix Gang Crazy Mini Golf Weeta-Card postcard from 1983
A Weetabix Gang Crazy Mini Golf Weeta-Card postcard from 1983

The Weeta-Card was used to enter a Golf Video Giveaway and posted from Reading, Berkshire to Leatherhead, Surrey. Unfortunately the postmark cancellation is too feint to make out the date of posting.

The Weetabix Gang consisted of Brian, Bixie, Brains, Crunch and Dunc. The Crazy Golf Weeta-Card shows Bixie playing the minigolf hole, Brian as her opponent, with Dunc and Crunch looking on. I don't know what Brains was up to as he's nowhere to be seen.

Related blog posts:

- Postcards

- Advertising

- Crazy Golf

- Minigolf

- Breakfast

- Cereals

Link:

- Weetabix

An old Putting Green postcard from Blackpool

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from Blackpool.

This old postcard showing the Putting Green at the North Shore in Blackpool was posted on the 10th of October 1938.

The Putting Green, North Shore, Blackpool. Posted 10 October 1938

We've visited the course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Unfortunately the kiosk was closed so we couldn't get a game. At that time in 2009 there was also a Crazy Golf layout next to the grass Putting Course.

Sunday, December 20, 2020

An old crazy golf postcard from Blackpool

This old minigolf postcard by Photo Precision Limited shows the South Shore Baths and Promenade in Blackpool.

South Shore Baths and Promenade, Blackpool. PLX18827. Photo Precision Limited. Posted 17 Sep 1980
I'd say the prominent feature on the card is the crazy golf course in the foreground

It was posted on the 17th September 1980. A month before I was born.

Last year I had my family's cinefilm converted and was amazed to see my parents playing crazy golf in Blackpool in August 1980. That round was on the course at Princess Parade on the North Shore.

The South Shore Crazy Golf course was located right outside the Pleasure Beach. It was removed in 2008 and replaced by an Adventure Golf layout. I won the Pleasure Beach Open tournament on that course in 2009.

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Picture Postcard Annual 2021

The new Picture Postcard Annual is out now.


Picture Postcard Annual 2021

The 2021 Picture Postcard Annual is now available from Reflections of a Bygone Age.

The annual includes 65 features on picture postcards on a wide range of topics. I'm happy to say minigolf is well covered.

Picture Postcard Annual 2021

Picture Postcard Magic

It's been brilliant to contribute to the Picture Postcard Magic blog from Reflections of a Bygone Age this year. Check out my guest posts in the links below:

- Minigolf postcards from Bournemouth

- Holidays at Barry Island

- My home town of Abingdon-on-Thames

- Back in Brighton

- What have you been watching during lockdown?

Links:

- Reflections of a Bygone Age website

- Buy the Picture Postcard Annual 2021

Monday, November 02, 2020

Picture Postcard Magic - What have you been watching during lockdown?

Check out my latest guest post for the Reflections of a Bygone Age blog.

Picture Postcard Magic 31st October 2020 with Richard Gottfried What have you been watching during lockdown? With 2020...

Posted by Reflections of a Bygone Age on Saturday, 31 October 2020

Friday, October 23, 2020

90 years since the first National Tom Thumb Golf Championship took place

The first National Tom Thumb Championship was contested in Chattanooga, Tennessee 90 years ago today.

Garnet Carter created the first artificial miniature golf course in the USA in 1926. The first of the 'Tom Thumb Golf' brand of miniature golf course was an 18-hole layout located near Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

By 1930 there were some 25,000 miniature golf courses in the USA, 3,000 of which were the now patented Tom Thumb course franchises.

The course and fantasy theming caught the imagination of visitors and on the 23rd October 1930 the final of the first-ever National Tom Thumb Championship took place.

Qualifying events had taken place in all of the then 48 states of the USA, with 200 players representing 30 states in the grand final. The event had a total prize fund of $10,000, with the champion winning $2,000!

We haven't played a Tom Thumb Golf course on our travels, but we do have some nice old postcards of Tom Thumb courses in our collection. This one is of a course at Westende Bains in Belgium

Westende Bains, Belgium - Le Tom Thumb Golf - Date Unknown

Check out the Crazy Golf Museum website for more details of minigolf history.

Monday, August 17, 2020

A postcard from Stockport

Dropping you a line from the Greater Manchester High Risk Coronavirus Protection Area Lockdown Zone.

A postcard from Stockport

Monday, July 13, 2020

Picture Postcard Magic - REALLY CRAZY GOLF!

The latest post on the Reflections of a Bygone Age blog is about Golf. John Claydon’s Confessions of a Collector post includes some mentions of Crazy Golf.

Monday, June 29, 2020

Picture Postcard Magic - Back in Brighton

Here's my latest post for the Reflections of a Bygone Age blog.

Saturday, June 20, 2020

Picture Postcard Magic - Abingdon-on-Thames

Check out my latest guest post on the Picture Postcard Magic blog from Reflections of a Bygone Age. It's about my home town of Abingdon.

Monday, June 08, 2020

New minigolf postcards?

We love seeing, sending and receiving minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf postcards.

One of two postcard designs you can find at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing
One of two postcard designs you can find at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing

Do you know of any new/contemporary ones?

Does your course produce them?

Please do get in touch.