Buzzworks Scottish Open Putting Championship 2016 in Prestwick

Putting Plus miniature golf course in Prestwick to host the Buzzworks Scottish Open Putting Championship.

The team at the Putting Plus Putting Green in Prestwick, Scotland have let me know that the course will once again be hosting the Scottish Open Putting Championship. This year the tournament takes place from the 9th to the 17th July.

The competition is open to all - with a number of different categories. Check out the Putting Plus Facebook page for more information about the event.

Good luck to all the competitors taking part.

You can find the seafront Putting Green on Prestwick's Promenade. We're hoping to play the course one day!

A view of the Prestwick Putting Course in 2014

Links:

- Putting Plus on Facebook
- Putting Plus on Google+
- Buzzworks

Related blog posts:
- Golf Putting Green in Prestwick
- Putting
- Key Mini Golf dates for 2016

Crazy Golf in Burray, Orkney

Brand new Crazy Golf course open in the Orkney Islands.

The UK's most northerly Crazy Golf course has opened on Burray, one of the Orkney islands. The course is the brainchild of the island community and has received some great coverage since it opened last weekend.

A view of the most Northerly Crazy Golf course in the UK

Back in 2014 I was contacted by Dave and Pamela Woodcock from the island after they'd found my blog and it's been great to be able to give them help in getting the course built. From the photos they've sent over from the early days of building to the finished course it certainly looks unique, well constructed (one of the key factors with the 'inclement' weather conditions up there) and plays to the local heritage.

Burray's Crazy Golf course

Each of the holes on the course was designed by local schoolchildren and Orkney-based architect Paul Green. There were over 100 designs submitted and the best of these made the cut to the final 12!

It looks like a nice and unique miniature golf layout

Another nice touch is that each of the pupils at the Burray Primary School are being presented with a golf putter and ball to encourage them to use the new course.

The Old Man of Hoy - hole 8 on the Burray Crazy Golf course

The island of Burray is home to around 400 people and the course is free to play (with a small hire charge if you need to borrow a putter and ball), with all ages welcome. There is talk of competitions and local matches amongst the islanders, as well as a challenge tournament versus the rest of the world!

Hole 8 - the Old Man of Hoy - under construction in August 2015

The scorecard at the course looks great too, with each hole themed and named after famous island landmarks.

The UK's most Northerly Crazy Golf course has a very nice scorecard

The course is part of a community park development in Burray village and is open year round. The newly developed area has been funded by Orkney Islands Council, Sport Scotland Legacy 2014, Awards for All and Scottish Sea Farms, as well as additional fundraising and donations from the island community.

How tricky does this hole look! We can't wait to see and play this finished version

We're looking forward to a game or two on the Burray course.

On our travels we've already played at the Easternmost courses in the British Isles (a Putting Green and Adventure Golf course in Lowestoft, Suffolk) and on the two highest courses - both on the Great Orme in Llandudno, Wales.

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

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.

A miniature golf postcard from Helensburgh in Scotland

We recently added another great old minigolf postcard to our collection.

While at the Charing Cross Collector's Market in London we found a postcard showing the Putting Green and West Clyde Street in Helensburgh.

The real photograph postcard showing the Putting Green and West Clyde Street in Helensburgh. Published by Valentine's. Number 217052.J.V. Postally unused and undated, but believed to date from the early 1930's

We visited Helensburgh during a Crazy World of Minigolf Tour roadtrip in April 2012. Unfortunately it was a bit too early in the season for a game on the links Putting course.

A view of the (out of season) Putting Green in Helensburgh as it was when we visited in 2012

We love playing on grass miniature golf courses and the Putting Green in Helensburgh looked like a nice place for a game. There's been a course on the same spot since the 1920's so it's a very historic location.

You can find out more about Postcard Collecting in Picture Postcard Monthly magazine and the Picture Postcard Annual. Two publications which I contribute to and write for.

Related blog posts:
- Putting Green
- Putting Course
- Postcards
- Unplayed Minigolf Courses on our Roadtrip to Scotland & Back

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow Richard and Emily on Twitter. You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

A Millport Crazy Golf postcard from the Isle of Cumbrae

Last year we visited the lovely little Isle of Cumbrae to play the Crazy Golf course in Millport, the island's only town. It's a great island to visit and just a short ferry voyage from Largs.

As a big collector of minigolf postcards I had to snap up this brilliant Valentine's "Silveresque" style postcard that shows the Crazy Golf course.

Crazy Golf, Millport, Isle of Cumbrae. A Valentine's "Silveresque" 3059V Style Postcard, published by Valentine & Sons Ltd. Dundee and London. Postally used at 4.15pm on the 4th June 1964 and mailed from Millport itself

The Millport Crazy Golf course was the 339th course played and 564th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. If you take a look at the course photos below you'll see that the course has changed very little since the 1960's. You can still see the very same hole layouts and obstacles!

Emily playing the three tunnel hole that you can see on the postcard

The toughest hole on the course was there in 1964 and it's still there now. You can see it in the background of the postcard

The double humps hole and the ramp & three holes hole can be clearly seen on the postcard

You can still purchase postcards of the course from one of the shops in Millport. We bought a stack of them to post to friends and family on our holiday.

Link:
- Millport Crazy Golf

Related blog posts:
- Postcard
- Postcards
- Crazy Golf in Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter. You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Buzzworks Scottish Open Putting Championship in Prestwick

Putting Plus miniature golf course in Prestwick to host the Buzzworks Scottish Open Putting Championship.

John Hunter at the Putting Plus Putting Green in Prestwick, Scotland has let me know that the course will be hosting the Inaugural Scottish Open Putting Championship on the weekend of the 1st and 2nd August 2015.

The first-ever Scottish Open Putting Championship is sponsored by Buzzworks and there is a £1000 prize up for grabs (conditions apply, please see the poster, or contact the organisers for details).

The Buzzworks Scottish Open Putting Championship tees-off with qualification on Saturday 1st August, with the final taking place on Sunday 2nd.

The competition is open to all. Check out the Putting Plus Facebook page for more information about the event.

Good luck to all the competitors taking part. It's always great to see new minigolf competitions being set-up.

You can find the seafront Putting Green on Prestwick's Promenade.

A view of the Prestwick Putting Course in 2014

Links:

- Putting Plus on Facebook
- Putting Plus on Google+
- Buzzworks

Related blog posts:
- Golf Putting Green in Prestwick
- UK Mini Golf Competitions in 2015

Adventure Golf Island's Wednesday Night League

Adventure Golf Island at Fife Leisure Park in Dunfermline, Scotland is starting up a new Minigolf League this week.

Emily and I played the Adventure Golf Island courses in 2012

From Wednesday 17 June players players will be able to compete in a weekly league night at Adventure Golf Island with the chance to win up to £50.

Every Wednesday competitors will play both the Treasure Island and Pirates Cove courses. For more information check out the Adventure Golf Island Facebook page.

League nights are great fun and it's nice to see a course putting together a regular competition.

Back in 2008 I played in the Star City Adventure Golf League in Birmingham where I finished the season as runner-up.

Adventure Golf Island will also be hosting a British Minigolf Association tournament on Sunday 28 June. The third edition of the Scottish Open will be played on both courses with an 8.30am tee-off time. More information is available on the BMGA website.

The Adventure Golf Island courses were the 294th and 295th courses played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in 2012 while we were on a roadtrip exploring the north west of England, some of Scotland and the north east coast.

Emily playing the Adventure Golf Island course on our tour of Scotland

Links:
- Adventure Golf Island website
- Adventure Golf Island on Twitter
- Adventure Golf Island on Facebook

Stonehaven, Kincardineshire Official Holiday Guide

Finding an old Official Holiday Guide, including Mini Golf Putting, for the town of Stonehaven, Kincardineshire.

While on a day out in Bedford I noticed an Antiques and Collectors fair going on at St Paul's Church so popped in to see if I could find any minigolf postcards or ephemera.

I was in luck as I found an interesting old Official Guide for visitors to the seaside town of Stonehaven.

The Stonehaven Official Guide, designed and produced under the authority of the Town Council by Mearns Publications. Printed by Langstane Press, Aberdeen

Flicking through the guide I spotted a half page photo of the Putting and Bowling Greens on page 19.

Some of the entertainment and leisure facilities on offer to visitors to the town

On page 22 it states there were two putting courses in the town, and on page 35 the cost per round is given as 6d.

Stonehaven is on the north east coast of Scotland and lies 15 miles south of Aberdeen. Stonehaven is now a part of Aberdeenshire as Kincardinshire lost its administrative status in 1975. I couldn't find any other dates of publication of the old guide, but it is pre-decimal (before 1971). Very interesting to see the old phone numbers listed too - only four-digits long!

At a guess I would say the guide was produced in 1966. A recent event shown is the reopening of the old tolbooth by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1963. There is also an advert on the inside back cover for Milne's Soft Drinks and Cordials - they are endorsed by Andy Ross, the 1965 winner of the Suffolk Point to Point.

Looking online the current official website for the town is the Stonehaven Guide. You can still find a Putting course at the Stonehaven Recreation Grounds Club. Its existence was confirmed by George McGillivray of the Stonehaven Guide.

The old guide is great find, with some nice minigolf and seaside holiday history.

Over the years Emily and I have enjoyed some very nice trips to Scotland on our travels.

Links:
- Stonehaven Guide website
- Stonehaven Guide on Twitter
- Kincardineshire
- The Crazy Golf Museum

Related blog posts:
- Putting courses
- Putting greens
- Scotland

Lost in translation

We love travelling around the UK and in the last month we've travelled to Scotland and Wales and noticed a lot of dual language signs.

I always really enjoy driving in Wales as you know you're in a foreign country when you see the first ARAF on the road.

ARAF

On the doors of the toilets in the games-room of our hotel in Cwmbran there was a confusing situation!

Toileting abroad

It didn't help that neither of us could remember which symbol (depicted on the dragon tails) was the right one for male/female!? I suppose blue is quite obviously the men's lavvy.

Rather unhelpfully when I contacted my personal Welsh to English translation service by text I received a reply of "Men and Women". It took a second text to clarify the correct way round! Thank goodness neither of us had to go at the time.

After Araf (for 'Slow') and Allan (pronounced "Achlan", the Welsh word for 'Out' as in an exit) I like seeing signs for Canol y dref.

A brown sign pointing to Crickhowell's Canol y dref

We enjoyed our visits to Abergavenny (Y Fenni) and Crickhowell (Crug Hywel) and while in Builth Wells (Llanfair ym Muallt) we took a snap of Emily's new favourite Welsh words.

A Welsh Bus Stop in Builth Wells

Back in 2009 we went on a brilliant roadtrip around the Welsh coast and visited some great places - including Tenby, which in Welsh has a great name - Dinbych-y-pysgod - which means little town of the fishes / little fortress of the fish.

Check out our blog post about English to Welsh translations for Mini and Crazy Golf that we spotted on the trip.

This time we were in Wales for the World Alternative Games (Gemau Byd Arallddewisol) in Llanwrtyd Wells (Llanwrtyd). At the Games we ran the Finger Jousting (Ymwan Bys) Championships, played Portaputt (Portaputt) and competed in the World of Grip (Byd Gafael).

We're looking forward to many more roadtrips around the UK.

Related blog posts:
- Wales
- Minigolf etc. - English to Welsh translations
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list of courses visited and played

Crazy Golf at Callendar Park in Falkirk, Scotland

A visit to the Crazy Golf course in Falkirk's Callendar Park.

The final of the fourteen Miniature Golf courses we visited on our holiday in Scotland was at Callendar Park in Falkirk. The course became the 576th visited overall and the 233rd unplayed course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Unfortunately as we visited after spending the day out in Glasgow it was closed when we arrived. It looked like a good layout and similar to courses we've played in Motspur Park in London, Wimbledon Park and Wythenshawe Park in Manchester.

You can follow the Brown Signs to Callendar House and the park too.

Link:
- Falkirk Community Trust - Callendar Park website

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Scotland

Derelict Minigolf course in Ayr

Finding another unplayable miniature golf course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

The 230th course NOT played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

When we arrived in Ayr we had a wander around the town and headed for the seafront. It was too late in the day to play the Mini Championship Golf course at Pirate Pete's, or the Crazy Golf and Mini Golf Putting on the seafront, but we scouted them out ready for a play on Monday.

Continuing just along the prom from the Crazy Golf and Putting I noticed a kiosk with a blanked out sign and guessed that it might be another Minigolf course. What I didn't realise was that it'd be a derelict 18-hole course!

On close inspection of the 'ghost sign' on the hut it said "Putting & Crazy Golf"! There was no sign of the Putting on the site anymore

The layout was a Miniaturegolf/Eternit type of course, with felt added to the concrete base. Quite a find!

The derelict Minigolf course in Ayr was the 230th course we've visited but not played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, and the 572nd visited overall since September 2006.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Scotland
- Ayr