Picture Postcard Magic - Barry Island

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

Mini Golf in Goodrington Sands

On this day in 2015 - we visited our 600th miniature golf course in the UK.

We played the Mini Golf course in Goodrington Sands on the 4th June 2015 during our mammoth road trip around the South West coast of England.

In two weeks we visited 62 minigolf courses.

The Beton-style Concrete 18-hole Goodrington Park Mini Golf course in Goodrington Sands, Paignton was the 600th course visited in the UK and the 621st overall.

 

When our travels began in September 2006 we had a target to visit all 600 courses in the UK. Between then and now hundreds more course have opened, while others have closed, been demolished, abandoned or refurbished.

We've now been to 948 courses, including 39 overseas.

Hopefully we'll get to return to Devon and the South West again in the future as we had a marvellous time in 2015.

The Jurassic Golf course at Santa-Fe Adventure Park in Swanage, Dorset was the 600th course visited overall on our tour on Sunday 31st May 2015.

Check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions

Miniature golf postcards from Brighton

A look at four old minigolf postcards from Brighton.

I've enjoyed spending some time looking through our minigolf postcard collection during lockdown. Emily and I have found some brilliant old postcards at fairs, charity shops, car boot sales, antique shops and online over the years. Some are quite new and date from the 2000's while some are from the early 1900's. We also really enjoy finding brand new postcards on sale at minigolf courses we visit.

Three of the same location

One of the first minigolf course postcards I bought is also the earliest dated card I have of Brighton. The colourised card shows the 'Miniature Golf Links, Brighton' and was posted from Brighton to West Harrow on the 29th August 1927.

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

The next dated card I have shows the 'New Miniature Golf Course and Carpet Gardens, Brighton' - the same course as above - and was posted from Wolverton in Buckinghamshire to Rochester, Kent on the 27th May 1928.

New Miniature Golf Course and Carpet Gardens, Brighton. Postally used 27 May 1928. Publisher unknown

The Tuck's card No. 2162 I have shows the same area and is captioned 'Lower Parade & Miniature Golf course, Brighton'. It was posted from Brighton to Fulham on the 10th October 1928. However, looking at the course, surrounding area and the clothing people are wearing I would suggest the course was the first to be on the site and was there pre-1927.

Lower Parade & Miniature Golf course, Brighton. Postally used 10 October 1928. Tuck's Photogravure Postcard No. 2162

The pier in the background of those three postcards is the West Pier.

One of a different old course

The next dated card was posted from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire to Lancing, Sussex on the 15th April 1945. This card is captioned 'Aquarium & Palace Pier showing Miniature Golf Links, Brighton'.

Aquarium & Palace Pier showing Miniature Golf Links, Brighton. Postally used 15 April 1945. Publisher unknown

Playing minigolf in Brighton

We've played minigolf in Brighton a number of times over the years but haven't been to the south coast seaside resort since 2011. Where have the last nine years gone!

The 12th course visited on our travels. This was back in July 2007

One of the first courses played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the Crazy Golf on the seafront near the Palace Pier back in 2007.

Your private green minigolf postcard

A playable postcard from the Netherlands.

I found this fun minigolf postcard at the last postcard fair I attended in Stockport.

The Dutch text reads Vouw de ansichtkaart langs de stippellijnen, en druk het balletje uit de kaart (Fold the postcard along the dotted lines and push the ball out of the card)

It was published by GreenCards and can be turned into a putting cup by folding along the perforations and popping out the golf ball in the middle.

A crazy golf postcard from Butlinland Minehead

A look at an old crazy golf postcard from Butlin's Minehead.

One of the old miniature golf postcards I found at the last postcard fair I attended before the pandemic lockdown was this superb John Hinde one showing the Crazy Golf and Chair Lift at Butlinland Minehead.

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

The card was posted from Minehead to Devizes in Wiltshire on the 24th May 1976.

I grew up on holidays at Butlin's holiday camps in Minehead, Bognor Regis and Ayr.

I've got brilliant memories of the monorail, funfair, laser tag and arcades there. It's little wonder that even now I'm such a big fan of the British seaside, crazy golf and video-games.

Crazy Golf postcards from Ilfracombe

A look at a pair of miniature golf postcards from Ilfracombe.

I bought this pair of crazy golf postcards from Ilfracombe, Devon at the last postcard fair I attended.

Mini Golf Course. Sea Front. Ilfracombe. Taw Valley Wholesale Co. 1977

Crazy Golf at Ilfracombe. Taw Valley Wholesale Co. Photocolour TV/IF312

Both were published by the Taw Valley Wholesale Co, Ilfracombe. Neither are postally used.

We visited the course on our tour of the South West in the summer of 2015. It hasn't changed much at all.

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