Social distancing at Strokes Adventure Golf course in Margate

Strokes Adventure Golf in Margate, Kent has reopened with social distancing measures in place.

Find out more about the 18-hole outdoor adventure golf course on the Strokes Adventure Golf website and Facebook Page.

I enjoy seeing the Strokes Adventure Golf daily weather updates on social media.

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. . . . #minigolf #⛳ #golf #thanet #visitkent #visitengland #weatherforecast #crazygolf #margate #minigolf #weekend #thursday #lovemargate #southeast #kent #broadstairs #weather #canterbury #amateurphotography

A post shared by Minigolf Margate, Westbrook (@strokesadventuregolf) on Jun 18, 2020 at 12:03am PDT

We've got many happy memories of playing the tricky and well designed course at Strokes over the years and look forward to playing there again in the future.

Strokes Adventure Golf in Margate was the 34th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Social distancing at Hastings Adventure Golf

The three miniature golf courses at Hastings Adventure Golf have reopened with social distancing measures in place.

Visit the Hastings Adventure Golf website for more information.

We've played at Hastings Adventure Golf a lot over the years and look forward to having a few more rounds there in the future.

The World Crazy Golf Championships were due to take place at Hastings Adventure Golf earlier this month. This was me playing hole 2 in front of a crowd at the 2014 World Championships

The 18-hole Crazy Golf course at Hastings Adventure Golf in East Sussex turned 45 years old this year, having opened on Saturday 21st March 1975.

Hole 7 of the Crazy Golf course at Hastings Adventure Golf. One of my all-time favourite courses

Social distancing minigolf

Minigolf in the time of coronavirus and social distancing.

We're interested in seeing examples of Covid-19 social distancing at minigolf courses around the world - from signage to scorecards we'd like to see them and share them.

If you're a course owner, minigolf club or player please do get in touch with your examples.

Social distancing at minigolf courses

It'll be interesting to see the changes to how minigolf is played as lockdown restrictions ease and it becomes safer to get out and about a bit more.

I've been writing about social distancing and the impact of coronavirus on minigolf and competitive socialising venues. You can see more of my posts at 'The Coronavirus (Ham & Egger) Files'.

Social distancing Pitch & Putt

We don't have any adventure, crazy or mini golf courses in Stockport, but we do have a Pitch & Putt miniature golf course at Bruntwood Park in Cheadle Hulme. We saw the social distancing measures in place there while out on our daily exercise recently.

The remains of Blockbuster Video in Manchester

A return look at the remnants of the Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester.

I spotted the remains of a Blockbuster Video store while driving to Manchester last October. I returned for a look at the Fallowfield Retail Park location during my lockdown daily outdoor exercise time yesterday.

Some more of the inside of the store has become visible since my first visit. You can now see the remains of a computer system, a CRT TV on a desk and a larger CRT TV hanging from the ceiling.

How TV's should be

I wonder what the last film trailer to be shown on that telly was?

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013.

Oh how times have changed since then.

Social distancing

As with all of the other shops at Fallowfield Retail Park the pathways and walls have had Covid-19 social distancing signs and stickers added.

There's nobody around to observe social distancing from

It's quite something to see the remains of a defunct brand from 'the before times' alongside the signs-of-the-times during the coronavirus pandemic.

A Covid-19 social distancing sign on the exterior of the long since closed Blockbuster store

The tented bay you can see in the right of the photo is part of a drive-in Covid-19 test facility!

A look at the old store

Did you ever rent games from Blockbuster? I remember buying a few ex-rental PlayStation games from the Luton store in the early noughties

Frozen in time

I wonder what the last item to be dropped in here was?

Some old paperwork

Unfortunately in the coming months and years we are likely to see a number of other brands disappear.

The last Blockbuster

There is currently one independently owned franchise still operating as Blockbuster in the USA and you can find it in Bend, Oregon.

We were planning to visit Portland, Oregon later this year. The Blockbuster in Bend is 174 miles from Portland and a 3-hour journey by car.

There used to be a Carphone Warehouse in Fallowfield. That store was another casualty of the retail wars. They actually bought Tandy when that went out of business too. My first job was at a Tandy franchise in my home town back in the 1990s

Blockbuster Crazy Golf

Interestingly there is still another 'Blockbuster' store in the UK. It's part of the Ghetto Golf indoor crazy golf course at The Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham.

The Blockbuster Video hole at Ghetto Golf in Digbeth, Birmingham

Do you have a favourite defunct brand? Are the remains of an old brand still visible on a building where you live or work? Do let me know.

Putter Madness prep

The team at Putter Madness are getting prepped for when they are able to operate their portable minigolf courses at events in the future.

One of the new pieces of branded signage is this new ‘Please wash your hands’ strut card.

Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby

Social distancing measures in place at Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby.

Our friends over at Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby, Norfolk have put cleaning and social distancing measures in place and the course is now open to players.

The 9-hole adventure golf course is one of my favourites. The layout has some excellent theming and tricky obstacles. I also love the fact they sell minigolf merchandise and I've added key-rings, mugs and trophies to my collection and the Crazy Golf Museum's vault on my visits.

Playing the course on our first visit in 2009

Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby was the 88th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in May 2009. We've been to a total of 948 courses since September 2006.

What a view. Such a nice spot for a game on a lovely sunny day

An easy 2...

We've also competed in tournaments at the Lost World course. Emily's team was third in the 2010 Lost World Adventure Golf Pro-Am, while my pairing were runners-up in 2011.

Brad Shepherd and Emily at the 2010 tournament. The course provides the perfect setting for a competition

Check out the Lost World Adventure Golf website and Facebook Page for more details, opening times and prices.

We're looking forward to our next visit to Hemsby and the Norfolk coast.

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Crazy Golf at The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre in Preston

A look at the social distancing measures in place on the Crazy Golf course at The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre in Preston.

The 18-hole Secret Garden Crazy Golf course is one of the new minigolf courses we had planned to play before the coronavirus pandemic hit. The course is part of The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre in Preston, Lancashire.

We've heard great things from everyone who has had a chance to play there so far and the photos we've seen of the course have been amazing.

The team at The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre have kindly sent over photos of The Secret Garden Crazy Golf course and details of the measures they've put in place to make it as safe as possible for players and to be COVID-19 Secure in 2020.

The Crazy Golf course is open, however booking is compulsory.

Visit The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre's website for more information, opening times and prices.

In addition to the Crazy Golf course the centre is home to a wide-range of activities that will be reopening in the coming weeks and months.

The impact of coronavirus

It'll be interesting to see the changes to how minigolf is played as lockdown restrictions ease and it becomes safer to get out and about a bit more.

I've been writing about social distancing and the impact of coronavirus on minigolf and competitive socialising venues. You can see more of my posts at 'The Coronavirus (Ham & Egger) Files'.

Social distancing Pitch & Putt

We don't have any adventure, crazy or mini golf courses in Stockport, but we do have a Pitch & Putt miniature golf course at Bruntwood Park in Cheadle Hulme. We saw the social distancing measures in place there while out on our daily exercise recently.

Restarting the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We're looking forward to restarting our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. It's currently paused at 948 course visits. We were on quite a roll this year as we visited 20 courses in the first 20 days of 2020.

We were also closing in on visiting the final 40 courses that were on our original list of 600 when our travels began in 2006.

Links:
- The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre website
- Staying 'COVID-19 Secure' in 2020 video

Related blog posts:
- Preston
- Social distancing
- A look at minigolf and competitive socialising in the time of coronavirus and social distancing

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

Social Distancing Minigolf

Seeing new signs at miniature golf courses.

While we're still in lockdown some outdoor minigolf courses have been allowed to reopen as long as they have put in place social distancing measures.

We've seen examples of these measures at our local Pitch & Putt course at Bruntwood Park in Cheadle Hulme.

While out on our daily outdoor exercise we've been photographing social media signs, posters and messages and logging them on Instagram as a record of the times we're living through.

We'd be interested to see the different Covid-19 / social distancing posters and signs at minigolf courses in the UK and around the world.

Take a look at the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions

Social distancing at Cheadle Makers Market

We went to our first outdoor market during the coronavirus pandemic on Saturday morning.

It was an interesting experience indeed.

There was a lot of social distancing signage and a good range of stalls.

There were lots of people out and about too too. Unfortunately not everyone understands what arrows and warning signs mean.

We didn't stay there for too long, but did buy some nice gin and mixers from DS Artisan Food & Drink before we scarpered.

I've been posting snaps of the wide-range of social distancing posters and signs I see on my daily outdoor exercise during the time of coronavirus. You can see them here on the blog and on my Instagram. I've seen some interesting, colourful and clear ones. And some really terrible ones too.

Pubs of Stockport during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown

A look at Stockport's pubs during the lockdown.

I've been photographing the pubs of Stockport while out on my daily exercise.

This is No. 131 - The Jolly Sailor in Davenport.

The Jolly Sailor is the first of the pubs we've seen open during lockdown, albeit in a very limited manner. They are serving takeaway coffee and cakes.

Here are the social distancing signs and measures they have put in place.

You can see more of my Stopfordian Pub photos on Instagram.

We're looking forward to when pubs reopen and it's safe to visit them again.

We've missed going to the pub for pub quizzes, but have been doing quite a few during lockdown.

Social distancing and Covid-19 signs

Have you seen any particularly good, bad, or downright ugly social distancing signage during the pandemic?

I think the signs at Stockport bus station are nice and clear.

It's going to be interesting to see how social distancing signs change and develop over time and as more places reopen.

Recording the signs

I've been snapping signs I see during my daily outdoor exercise and logging them on Instagram.

Social distancing minigolf

The first social distancing signs at a miniature golf course we've seen in person were at Bruntwood Park's Pitch & Putt course last month.

Social Distancing Miniature Golf

Seeing social distancing miniature golf in Cheadle.

We saw social distancing measures in place at a miniature golf course in person for the first time today.

The additional rules of Pitch & Putt during the current 'new normal'

It was at Bruntwood Pitch & Putt in Bruntwood Park, Cheadle, Stockport.

Spacing lines for queuing at the course

We were out on a bike ride for our daily exercise and cycled through the park.

The green of hole 1

The lady at the course said they'd had a good morning with players enjoying a game on the 18-hole layout.

A view of one of the holes at Bruntwood Park's Pitch & Putt course

We saw a couple of pairs out on the course just after a downpour.

You can just make out two golfers playing the course in the distance

There was clear signage and spacing marked out for queuing to the kiosk. There were also spaces marked out on the approach to the first tee.

Social distancing signage at the entrance

Spacing marked out on the approach to the first tee

Playing at Bruntwood Pitch & Putt

Bruntwood Park's Pitch & Putt was the 695th course we visited and 414th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We played there on Miniature Golf Day 2016.

Playing hole 1

Visit the Bruntwood Pitch & Putt website for more information.

I always keep my minigolf scorecards, but someone had discarded theirs elsewhere in the park. Sad to see

Related blog posts:

• Cheadle
• Stockport
• Coronavirus
• Social Distancing
• Bruntwood Pitch & Putt
• Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
• The next normal rules of minigolf
• Competitive socialising in isolation
• The Coronavirus (Ham & Egger) Files

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