A postcard from the Railway Convalescent Home in Herne Bay

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from from the Railway Convalescent Home in Herne Bay, Kent.

One of the nice old minigolf postcards I bought at the last postcard fair I attended was this one by Photochrom Co. Ltd. showing the Railway Convalescent Home in Herne Bay, Kent.

It's postally unused and undated.

The Railway Convalescent Home in Herne Bay was the first of ten homes opened by the railway industry for railwayworkers to recover from sickness and illness.

An old postcard from Bridlington

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from Bridlington.

One of the old postcards I found at the last postcard fair I attended before the pandemic lockdown was this one showing Bridlington Princes Parade and The Spa Boating Lake. It was published by Photochrom Co. Ltd. and is unposted and undated.

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

I'd guess that it's from the late 1920's or early 1930's.

Interestingly the minigolf course being played looks to be a portable layout.

Portable and pop-up minigolf courses are very often seen as a modern thing. However there have been a number of seasonal set-ups at seaside locations over the years.

We've really enjoyed our visits to Bridlington. It's a nice seaside town and we've had some fun games of minigolf there. One of those was a temporary course at the Foreshore Sands.

A Putting Green postcard from Butlin's Luxury Holiday Camp in Pwllheli

A look at a nice old Putting Green postcard from the Butlin's Luxury Holiday Camp in Pwllheli.

Putting Green, Butlin's Luxury Holiday Camp, Pwllheli. Published by Butlin's Photographic Services Ltd. Postally used on 4th June 1951

This is the oldest postcard I have showing the Putting Green at Butlin's Pwllheli. The other cards I have were posted in 1964 and 1966.

Butlin's Pwllheli opened in 1947 and closed in 1998.

Picture Postcard Magic - Bournemouth

Check out my guest post about minigolf postcards from Bournemouth on the Picture Postcard Magic blog from Reflections of a Bygone Age.

Guest blogger Richard Gottfried, King of mini-golf with a postcard collection to match, makes his debut in Picture Postcard Magic. What do you think of this theme for collecting? ⛳️https://t.co/H8hYRTKGei#MiniGolf pic.twitter.com/d2AldN0zOO

— Brian Lund (@Postcard_World) April 28, 2020

A Putting Green postcard from Butlin's Pwllheli

A look at The Putting Green at Butlin's Pwllheli.

Butlin's Pwllheli Putting Green. Real Butlin's photograph numbered P8. Postally used on 10th August 1966

The Putting Green looks a little more makeshift than on later Butlin's postcards.

I have another postcard showing the Putting Greens and Lawns at Butlin's Pwllheli holiday camp in my collection.

Monorail at Butlin's Minehead

A look at an old Butlins postcard from Minehead.

What a view of two monorails crossing above the swimming pool at Butlin's Minehead.

Butlin's Minehead - Monorail over Outdoor Swimming Pool by John Hinde Studios. Postally unused. Undated

My holidays at Butlin's

My parents met at the Butlin's holiday camp in Clacton-on-Sea in the 1970's. My family often went on holiday to the Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead. We also had one stay at the Bognor Regis and Ayr camps. I spent many summers in the 80's and 90's at the Barry Island Holiday Camp, itself a former Butlin's camp.

We used to ride the monorail at Butlin's Minehead all the time.

Riding the monorail with my brother Jon at Butlin's Somerwest World in Minehead

Minigolf postcards from Bournemouth

Check out my guest post for the Picture Postcard Magic blog from Reflections of a Bygone Age.

An old postcard from Worthing's Denton Gardens Putting Green

A look at an old postcard from Denton Gardens in Worthing, West Sussex.

Minigolf was first played in Denton Gardens on Tuesday 1st July 1924.

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

You can still enjoy a round of miniature golf on the Splash Point Mini Golf course there.

The 18-hole course was the 181st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Related blog posts:
- A Putting Green postcard from Denton Park in Worthing
- Worthing
- Splash Point Mini Golf

A Typical Butlin Monorail

A look at an old Butlins postcard from Skegness.

I'm always on the lookout for old minigolf postcards and when I'm sorting through them at fairs, car boot sales, or in charity or antique shops I always keep an eye out for holiday camp postcards too.

This is one of the wonderful Butlin's cards from the late 1960's and it ticks a number of my interest boxes.

Firstly it's got a prominent view of a miniature golf course being played.

Secondly it's a Butlin's holiday camp card.

And thirdly it's got a monorail on it!

A Typical Butlin Monorail. I have two other versions of this card, but with the caption of 'Butlin's Skegness Monorail' instead. One was postally used on 27th July 1971

Two firsts

Skegness was the first Butlin's holiday camp and it opened its doors on the 11th April 1936.

The camp at Butlin's Skegness was the location for the UK's first commercial monorail. It opened in 1965.

Since then a number of camps opened and closed, underwent facelifts and rebranding exercises and offered marvellous holidays to millions of people.

Holidaying at Butlin's

My parents met at the Butlin's holiday camp in Clacton-on-Sea in the 1970's. My family often went on holiday to the Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead. We also had one stay at the Bognor Regis and Ayr camps. I spent many summers in the 80's and 90's at the Barry Island Holiday Camp, itself a former Butlin's camp.

I have not yet visited the Skegness camp, but have had some brilliant holidays in Skeggy itself.

We also used to ride the monorail at Butlin's Minehead all the time.

My brother Christopher foudnd this snap of us riding the monorail at Butlin's Minehead back in the early 90's while looking through some old family photos

A crazy golf postcard from Bridlington

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Bridlington.

One of the very nice old minigolf postcards we found at the Stockport postcard fair was this one showing the Crazy Golf course on Royal Princes Parade in Bridlington.

Royal Princes Parade and North Bay, Bridlington. B.2247, printed and published by E.T.W. Dennis & Sons Ltd, Scarborough & London

It was posted to a someone called Richard in Grimsby from his Auntie Nellie. Unfortunatley the stamp and postmark are missing so there's no date for when it was sent.

We really liked our visits to Bridlington. Time flies as we were last there in 2015. We must return in the future.

A minigolf postcard from Rhos-on-Sea

A look at an old miniature golf course in Rhos-on-Sea.

One of the brilliant old minigolf postcards we bought at the Stcokport postcard fair was this one showing the Putting Course in Rhos-on-Sea.

Putting Course. Rhos-on-Sea. C1542. E.T.W. Dennis & Sons Ltd

Published by E.T.W. Dennis & Sons Ltd the postcard is postally unused and undated.

We've been to Rhos-on-Sea a couple of times on our travels. The first time was in 2009 and there was no sign of the course. The second time was in 2017 when we played the Crazy Golf course at the Rhos Fynach pub and restaurant on Miniature Golf Day. It was built on the site of the old Putting Course.

If you look past the course you can see the arched window on the seafront that also appears in the old postcard

Putting at Highcliffe-on-Sea

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Highcliffe-on-Sea.

We bought this nice old postcard showing a Putting Green while we were at the most recent Stockport postcard fair.

The Isle of Wight from Highcliffe-on-Sea. PT3098

We hadn't seen this particular card before and had never heard of Highcliffe-on-Sea.

The town is part of Christchurch borough in Dorset.

The card is postally unused, undated and has no publisher details on it. There is a code of PT3098 on it though. The details on the reverse say "The Isle of Wight from Highcliffe-on-Sea".

It's always nice to see old minigolf postcards. Some give us clues of new places to play, while others show long lost miniature golf layouts.

We had planned to visit Dorset at the end of this month, but that trip has been postponed until after the UK coronavirus lockdown. We'll have to go to Highcliffe-on-Sea and see what's at the same spot now.

I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who remembers the course and knows exactly where it was.

Looking online to see if there's still a course there my eye was drawn to the nearby Hoburne Naish Holiday Park in Barton on Sea where I noticed a minigolf course! Another one to add to our list...

A postcard from Butlin's Bognor Regis

The most recent Stockport postcard fair was a goldmine of nice old miniature golf postcards.

One of which was this John Hinde Ltd multi-view card showing The Putting Green at Butlin's Bognor Regis.

Butlin's Bognor Regis. John Hinde Ltd. Posted on 3 Aug 1981

The card was posted from the camp on 3rd August 1981 by Babs & Fred who were "Having a nice time." It was sent to Brightlingsea in Essex.

I always keep my eye out for old holiday camp postcards. They're fairly easy to spot as they tend to be nice and brightly coloured. There's also a good chance that minigolf or crazy golf will feature on them.

I wrote an article about Butlin's postcards in the November 2016 issue of Picture Postcard Monthly magazine. That piece was to celebrate the 80th birthday of Butlin's.

My family often went on holiday to the Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead. We also had one stay at the Bognor Regis and Ayr camps. I spent many summers in the 80's and 90's at the Barry Island Holiday Camp, itself a former Butlin's camp.

Miniature Golf at Thermal Hotel Guayarmina on Gran Canaria

Who would like to be on holiday in the Canary Islands right now?

I found this old postcard of the Thermal Hotel Guayarmina in the Agaete Valley in the Canary Islands while looking for minigolf postcards at the most recent Stockport Town Hall postcard fair.

In among the advertised health and tranquility benefits of staying at the Thermal Hotel on Gran Canaria is Miniature Golf! I wonder what the course was like?

Emily was actually due to go on holiday to the Canary Islands this summer, with a trip to Lanzarote booked and now cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Check out the blog posts below for photos and details of courses friends and family have sent to us from their travels to the Canary Islands.

Mini Golf in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote by Jo Tubby

Rooftop Mini Golf in Puerto Del Carmen, Lanzarote by Steve Lovell and Brian Butterworth

Mini Golf in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote by Richard Rochester

Mini Golf Aquarium in Lanzarote by Les Tubby

Minigolf San Antonio in Lanzarote by Les Tubby

Mini Golf at the Mediterranean Palace Hotel in Tenerife by Jason Mayne 

Mini Golf course in Puerto Colón, Tenerife by Philip Walsh  

Billiard Golf tables in Puerto Colón, Tenerife by Philip Walsh

A postcard from Pontins Prestatyn Holiday Centre

A look at an old postcard from Pontins Prestatyn Holiday Centre.

One of the old postcards I bought at the recent Stockport postcard fair was this one sent to Chester in 1987.

Pontin's Prestatyn Holiday Centre. Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Postally used in 1987

The Bamforth & Co. Ltd. card gives a nice view of the holiday camp.

Pontins Prestatyn Sands

Pontins Prestatyn Sands was the setting for the film Holiday on the Buses and we've stayed there twice for special events. The excellent swimming pool and main building on the card are still instantly recognisable today.

Outside the main building at Pontin's Prestatyn Sands holiday camp in 2014

The July 2019 issue of Picture Postcard Monthly magazine contains an article I wrote about Pontins postcards.

One of my prized minigolf possessions is from the Pontins Holiday Village. It's something of a crazy golf postcard holy grail as the sender wrote about the course depicted on the card.

Pontin's Prestatyn Holiday Village. Photo Precision Limited R5605. Postally used 8 July 1977

Putting Green at Marine Gardens in Worthing

Two old miniature golf postcards from Worthing.

Two of the old minigolf postcards I bought at the recent Stockport postcard fair were of the Putting course at Marine Gardens in West Worthing.

Neither were-posted and are both undated.

Marine Gardens, West Worthing. PT3206. Photo Precision Limited 

Putting Green, Marine Gardens, Worthing. Plastichrome by Colourpicture

We first visited the course in 2010 and revisited last April.

The Putting course at Marine Gardens in Worthing in July 2010

It hasn't changed too much over the years and is a nice spot to visit if you're in Worthing.

A postcard of Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester

A look at a postcard of Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester sent from Stockport in 1970.

The most recent Stockport postcard fair at Stockport Town Hall was a treasure trove of old miniature golf postcards. However, one that also caught my eye was this card showing Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester.

Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester. By Lilywhite Postcards., Brighouse. Published by Colin Richardson Printers Limited. Posted from Stockport in 1970

It's not just the image on the front that caught my eye as the message/address side has a very nice Stockport postmark cancellation celebrating the 750th Charter Anniversary of the town!

Ancient boroughs were historic units of lower tier local government.

The stamp has been removed and so some of the postmark is missing, but you can see it was sent from Stockport, Cheshire to Malvern, Worcestershire.

A postcard from Butlin's Pwllheli

A look at The Putting Greens and Lawns at Butlin's Pwllheli.

The recent Stockport postcard fair was a goldmine of old miniature golf postcards.

One of which was this card showing The Putting Greens and Lawns at Butlin's Pwllheli.

Butlin's Pwllheli The Putting Greens and Lawns. CT1306. Posted from the camp to Boston, Lincolnshire on the 1st June 1964

My family often went on holiday to Butlin's holiday camps in Minehead, Bognor Regis and Ayr - and I spent many summers in the 80's and 90's at the Barry Island Holiday Camp, which was formerly a Butlin's camp.

My brother Christopher foudnd this snap of us riding the monorail at Butlin's Minehead back in the early 90's while looking through some old family photos

I wrote an article about Butlin's postcards in the November 2016 issue of Picture Postcard Monthly magazine. That piece was to celebrate the 80th birthday of Butlin's.

An old postcard from the Putting Green, Denton Gardens, Worthing

Minigolf was first played in Denton Gardens on Tuesday 1st July 1924.

You can still enjoy a round of miniature golf on the Splash Point Mini Golf course there.

Splash Point Mini Golf was the 181st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Putting Green, Denton Gardens, Worthing. Photogravure by S. & E. Ltd., Hastings. Postally unused. Undated

Related blog posts:
- A Putting Green postcard from Denton Park in Worthing
- Splash Point Mini Golf
- Worthing

An old Crazy Golf course at Alum Chine in Bournemouth

A look at an old minigolf course at Alum Chine in Bournemouth.

I bought a number of superb old postcards at the last fair I attended, one of them was this cracking old card showing a temporary / portable Crazy Golf course at Alum Chine, Bournemouth. It was printed by Deardon & Wade Bournemouth. It's postally unused and undated.

Postcard of Alum Chine, Bournemouth. Printed by Deardon & Wade Bournemouth.Postally unused. Undated

It's brilliant seeing old, long-gone miniature golf courses depicted on postcards. Portable and pop-up minigolf courses are very often seen as a modern thing. However there have been a number of seasonal set-ups at seaside locations over the years.

We were really looking forward to revisiting Bournemouth, Boscombe, Southbourne, Poole and Sandbanks next month. That trip is now postponed until next year.