Plans for the Crazy Golf course at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry

There are plans for a new Crazy Golf course to replace the existing one at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry, Shropshire.

Playing the Cae Glas Park Crazy Golf course in 2020

There aren't many 'Eternit' type Miniature Golf courses here in the UK at all and some of those that do still exist have been modified over the years. The course at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry is one of the best examples you can find.

Holes 1-9 of the course

We've played the Crazy Golf course at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry several times on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour over the years. The first was in 2009 at the end of a road-trip around Wales when we re-entered England. It was the 149th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Holes 10-18

We returned in 2012 as the course hosted one of two minigolf events as part of the town's Oslympic Games.

We last played there in 2020 when we were able to travel with a bit more freedom during the Coronavirus Pandemic. The 18-hole layout was still in great condition with some nice hole-in-one opportunities to be had.

For many years the Cae Glas Park Crazy Golf course has been one of, if not, the best value courses in the UK. The current price to play is £2 for adults, £1 for juniors, or £5 for a family (2 adults, 2 children). Amazing prices and the course is well worth a play.

We're obviously BIG fans of minigolf and seeing new courses being created, however it'll be a real shame to see a part of minigolf history disappear as the course in Oswestry is such a fun, tricky and testing place to play the game.

Check out the Oswestry Town Council website for more information.

Memories of the 2012 Oslympic Games

Looking back at the 2012 Oswestry Games multi-sport event in Shropshire.

Back in the summer of 2012 we were proud to be a part of the Oswestry Games. The festival of sport in Shropshire saw the sport of minigolf included in a multi-sport games event in the UK for the first time.

The coaches and competitors in the Pro-Am minigolf tournament at Cae Glas Park

The Oswestry Games, or 'Oslympics' as they became known, were a mammoth undertaking for the organisers at the Oswestry Sports Council and it was a real pleasure and honour for Emily and I to organise the minigolf events along with other coaches and players from the national tour.

The Oswestry Games consisted of more than 50 sports and cultural events held over ten-days in July 2012.

Minigolfing at the Oswestry Games

Things got off to a great start on our first night in the town - not only were we recognised while on our way to the sporting quiz night at the town's cricket club, but we also won the bronze medal in the quiz itself.

The bronze medal winning quizzing minigolfers

The Saturday morning of the Games saw us organise coaching sessions for locals youth and adult players on the 18-hole 'Eternit' miniature golf course in Cae Glas Park in the town centre. This was followed by the BMGA Oswestry Games Pro-Am Minigolf Classic team tournament in the afternoon - won by Marc 'The Force' Chapman, Steve Sturdy and Chris Powell.

On the tricky Cae Glas Park miniature golf course

Sunday was the closing day of the Games and a large number of clubs, regional organisations and national governing bodies gathered at the Leisure Centre for a jam-packed day of sporting fun, games and competition.

Playing the Putterfingers Crazy Golf course at the Oswestry Games

With a Putterfingers modular Crazy Golf course we took centre stage and had a large number of the public, athletes and competitors from other events joining us for a round on the 9-hole course.

We scooped Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the Games - and what very fine medals they are too

We ended our trip to the Oslympics by contesting the BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship - which I won!

The podium for the pro-tournament - Marc Chapman, me and John Moore

Did you know - Miniature Golf was once played during the actual Olympic Games! While it was not officially part of the Games programme, the participants in the Golf tournament at the 1904 Olympic Games held in St Louis, USA also competed in a Putting Championship on a specially built miniature golf course at the Glen Echo Country Club.

It'd be great to see miniature golf become an Olympic sport one day. And we'd also like to see the Oswestry Games return once more. Perhaps when the UK next hosts the Olympics, minigolf will be an event, and Oswestry will host their Games again.

The future for the sport of miniature golf looks bright, with the international governing body - the World Minigolf Sport Federation - gaining further recognition on the global stage all the time.

Back in 1989 the sport (Bahn Golf) was a demonstration event in the IWGA World Games in Karlsruhe, Germany. The WMF is also hoping to have minigolf included in other multi-sport events in the future.

We're hoping to one day visit the Olimpiapark Munchen too as the venue has an eternit miniature golf course that was set-up in the Athletes Village for the 1972 Olympic Games. That'd be a great course to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Putt Putt Social Crazy Golf Tournament in Telford

A Crazy Golf tournament is being held at Putt Putt Social in Telford on Friday 17th May.

The team event will be contested at the indoor Crazy Golf venue.

Visit the Putt Putt Social website for more information.

Easter Mini-Golf in Shrewsbury

Free mini-golf at The Darwin shopping centre in Shrewsbury this Easter.

There will be a pop-up 9-hole mini-golf course at The Darwin shopping centre in Shrewsbury on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th March.

Visit the Shropshire Council website for more information.

We enjoyed two trips to Shrewsbury last year and are looking forward to returning this year. Unfortunately we won't be there in time for the Easter mini-golf event.

Players Golf & Games in Shrewsbury

There's a new indoor minigolf course in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

Players Golf & Games opened in Shrewsbury in late 2023 and is home to a 9-hole indoor crazy golf course.

Check out the Players Shrewsbury website for more information.

We went to Shrewsbury twice last year, both times before Players opened. It'll be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour next time were in the town.

Treasure Island Adventure Golf at Wonderland Telford

A look at the Treasure Island Adventure Golf course at Wonderland Telford in Telford Town Park in Shropshire.

We had a look at the Treasure Island Adventure Golf course at the Wonderland Telford theme park in Telford Town Park earlier this month!

We first visited the course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour while en route to Oswestry on Friday 13th July 2012. It was the 500th course we'd been to and the 300th played!

We really enjoyed our visit to Wonderland Telford and are looking forward to returning in the future.

Visit the Wonderland Telford website for more information.

Dinosaur at Wonderland Telford!

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've visited a total of 956 courses since our adventures began at Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea on the 30th September 2006.

We've been to 46 courses in 2020, with 15 of those being new courses visited. We've swung by eight new courses in the time of coronavirus.

We've got 40 of the original 600 we set out to visit left and a lot of new courses to play at too!

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Social distancing at Telford Town Park's Adventure Golf course

A look at the social distancing and Covid-19 measures on the Adventure Golf course in Telford Town Park.

We revisited the Adventure Golf course in Telford Town Park while on a recent trip to Telford, Shopshire.

The course is open but currently has restrictions on the opening times, with online bookings required to enter the course.

 

Visit the Telford Town Park website for more information.

A look at minigolf and competitive socialising in the time of coronavirus and social distancing

I've been blogging about the world of minigolf since 2006 and have seen how the game boomed in the last decade.

The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works into the whole world and as such minigolf courses and competitive socialising venues have taken a hit.

I've collated a number of blog posts from recent months, looking at the rise of competitive socialising, tenpin bowling and minigolf combinations, minigolf in a retail setting, technological innovations through minigolf scoring and loyalty apps, as well as the popularity of mixing art and minigolf.

You can read more about social distancing at minigolf courses in this blog post - Social distancing minigolf.

Minigolf in the time of coronavirus

My specialist knowledge and experience in the worlds of minigolf and marketing were recently demonstrated in InterGame's discussion of the opportunities and challenges of operating a mini-golf venue amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

You can watch the Minigolf in the time of Covid-19 video on the InterGame website and YouTube.

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Playing Crazy Golf at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry

A revisit to the Cae Glas Park Crazy Golf course in Oswestry, Shropshire.

There aren't too many 'Eternit' Miniature Golf courses here in the UK and some of those that do exist have been modified over the years.

One of the best examples is at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry.

We first played the course in 2009 and returned to compete on it during the Oswestry Games in 2012. It was the 149th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

It was nice to have a game on it again earlier this week. Even if it started tipping it down as soon as we teed-off.

The 18-hole layout is still in great condition and there are some nice ace opportunities.

The course only costs £1.30 for adults / 50p for children to play! Unbelievable value.

Cae Glas Park is a superb setting and right in the town centre.

We're looking forward to playing it more in the future.

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Orange Wednesday

Last Wednesday was a very orange Wednesday.

It was brilliant to spot this old Orange Mobile shop sign while we were in Oswestry last Wednesday. A relic from another time.

We popped into a charity shop to escape the rain and while browsing spotted this old Orange mobile phone too. I used to sell mobiles from that era when I got my first job at Tandy back in 1996!

Orange launched in 1994 and merged with EE in 2010. The orange brand was continued until 2015 with existing customer plans ceasing in 2019.

Other lost and defunct brands

We've seen a number of old shop signs and retro retail remnants on our travels including Tandy in Hitchin; RadioShack in St Annes on the Sea; Toys R Us stores in Ancoats, Manchester, Warrington, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent and Preston; Woolworths Big W in Brunstane, Edinburgh; Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent; BHS in Stockport; Kwik Save in Barrow-in-Furness; Cooltrader in Blackpool; Happy Shopper in Preston and Blockbuster Video stores in Manchester, Colne, Oldham, Cheadle Hulme, Marple, Hastings, Felixstowe, Telford, Prescot and Chester.

Adventure Golf in Telford Town Park

A look at the Adventure Golf course in Telford Town Park.

We swung by the Adventure Golf course in Telford Town Park while on a recent trip to Telford, Shopshire.

The 12-hole Adventure Golf course was made by City Golf and has a Telford-theme to it featuring local landmarks.

It was the 716th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when I first visited it in October 2016. we've now been to 956 courses since September 2006.

Unfortunately it hasn't been open on either occasion I've been there.

The course is open but currently has restrictions on the opening times, with online bookings required to enter the course.

Visit the Telford Town Park website for more information.

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Medals from the Oswestry Games

A look at medals from the Oswestry Games in 2012.

These are some of the best medals I've ever won playing minigolf. They came from competing in tournaments at the 2012 Oswestry Games in Shropshire.

The Gold was from the BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship and the Bronze medal was from the BMGA Oswestry Games Pro-Am Minigolf Classic. The silver medal was won by Emily in the Pro-Am team competition.

The Oswestry Games were a superb multi-sports event and festival of sport. They tapped into the Olympic spirit of London 2012.

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Mini Golf at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry

A look at the Miniature Golf course at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry.

On this day in 2012 we were in Oswestry, Shropshire for The Oswestry Games multi-sports festival.

We first visited the Cae Glas Park Miniature Golf course at the end of our road-trip around Wales in 2009. It was the last course we played on the trip and the first one after crossing the border back into England.

It's one of the few Eternit type of miniature golf courses in the UK.

We had a brilliant time in the Oswestry as part of the Oslympics. We met some great people, put on some fun coaching sessions and played in two excellent competitions.

The Oswestry Games minigolf team - from l-r Emily Gottfried, Ruth Burke, Steve Sturdy, Richard Gottfried, Marc Chapman, John Moore

We were also bronze medalists in the Oswestry Games pub quiz at the Cricket Club.

We're looking forward to revisiting Oswestry and playing the course again in the future.

Jolly Rodger Crazy Golf at Wonderland Telford

A look back at our visit to the Treasure Island Adventure Golf course at Wonderland Telford.

We visited the 500th course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour while en route to Oswestry on Friday 13th July 2012.

It was memorable for a number of reasons. As well as being a landmark course visit we clearly remember how bad the weather was on that day. It was tipping it down! We were the only people brave (foolish) enough to play the course. It was also one of the most unique layouts we've played as each of the holes had a different playing surface. Some were concrete, others had felt, others were wooden and some were a mixture!

Watering Hole was an incredibly appropriate name for this hole!

The obstacle and shape of this hole reminded us of some Swedish Felt Mini Golf courses. Except it had metal rails and a concrete base!

That's a huge obstacle in the way!

Pitching my putt

You wouldn't want to over hit your shot into the end of this hole 

The Treasure Island Adventure Golf course at Wonderland Telford became the 300th course we managed to play on our travels.

Emily won our minigolf match-up on the 9-hole course with a score of 29 to my round of 30.

On board the wooden Pirate Ship hole

Emily playing hole 1

Quite the follow-through on my shot

We've now been to 949 courses since September 2006.

About to walk the plank

Check out the Wonderland Telford website for more information.

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