Showing posts with label Somerset. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Somerset. Show all posts

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Mini Golf course at Vivary Park in Taunton

Playing the Mini Golf course in Taunton's Vivary Park.

The Mini Golf course in Vivary Park, Taunton

The 380th course we played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the 18-hole Mini Golf course at Vivary Park in Taunton, Somerset.

The last stop on our tour around the South West of England last summer

It's a brilliant course that rewards well aimed shots. It's similar to the great miniature golf courses you can find in Dorridge, near Solihull, and Stratford-upon-Avon. Like those two courses Vivary Park has also been the host venue for a tournament - the 2006 British Minigolf Championship, won by Wallsend's John 'Thighs' Moore.



The layout was the 62nd visited and 17th played on our tour of the South West of England in the summer of 2015. It became the 640th we visited in the UK, and the 661st overall.






In our minigolf match at Vivary Park on the 12th June 2015 Emily scored 45 and I shot a par round of 36. We'd definitely play there again. Check out the photos below to see the 18-holes.

























For more information, opening times and prices visit the Tone Leisure website. There's also a regular golf course in the park, as well as a Footgolf layout. As you can see from the photos of the course there's a high ropes centre there too.

Related blog posts:
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Mini Golf in the South West of England

Link:
Tone Leisure website

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Friday, September 25, 2015

Mini Gulf minigolf at Dismaland

Photos of the miniature golf course at Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park.

Crazy Mini Golf at Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park in Weston-super-Mare. Photo by Matt Dodd
The oil caliphate themed crazy golf course at Dismaland

Our fellow minigolf enthusiasts Matt and Helen Dodd recently visited the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare and went along to the Dismaland theme-park created by renowned street artist Banksy. They were kind enough to send along some photos of the five-hole Mini Gulf course which features an oil caliphate theme.

Crazy Mini Golf at Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park in Weston-super-Mare. Photo by Matt Dodd
A flamingo looks on

When I asked Matt, the reigning Surrey Invitational Minigolf Champion, what the it was like, he said "It was a dreadful course."

Crazy Mini Golf at Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park in Weston-super-Mare. Photo by Matt Dodd
The corner of the flamingo hole

"But it's Dismaland after all." he added.

Crazy Mini Golf at Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park in Weston-super-Mare. Photo by Matt Dodd
It might've been dismal, but it was only a quid a go. Although for five-holes after you've already paid to go in and it doesn't look so cheap. That grey sky looks bleak too

With the Dismaland site closing this weekend it's a course we won't ever get to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. But it's great to know that plenty of people got to have a go on the layout before it shut down.

Crazy Mini Golf at Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park in Weston-super-Mare. Photo by Matt Dodd
Some barrels

Crazy Mini Golf at Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park in Weston-super-Mare. Photo by Matt Dodd
A green

Matt and Helen recently hit 102 minigolf courses visited on their travels! Their landmark 100th course visit was the Tropical Trail course at Treetop Adventure Golf in Cardiff, Wales. That's another course on our 'to play' list! Matt also let me know there's an Adventure Golf course at Fishers Farm Park in Wisborough Green, West Sussex - that was their 101st course played.

Crazy Mini Golf at Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park in Weston-super-Mare. Photo by Matt Dodd
Minigolf explorer Helen Dodd putting through an old tyre obstacle. In the Dismaland battle of the Dodds the result was a draw with a score of 18 apiece. There was no official par for the course. Nor were there scorecards

The Dismaland Bemusement Park was built on the site of the old Tropicana Lido on Marine Parade in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset. You can watch the Dismaland advert on YouTube to see what you've missed.

Weston-super-Mare has some permanent mini and crazy golf courses that we have played. We've also played a few art installation miniature golf on our tour too.

Link:
- Dismaland website

Related blog posts:
- Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park
- New indoor adventure golf course in Cardiff, Wales
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Banksy's Dismaland Bemusement Park

New temporary Bemusement Park open for the summer in Weston-super-Mare.

Renowned street artist Banksy has created a dystopian theme park on the site of the old Tropicana Lido in Weston-super-Mare called 'Dismaland', and the park features a Crazy Golf course.

We love visiting the British seaside and while there are some top spots for fun and entertainment, we've seen our fair share of dismal seaside resorts and deteriorating fun parks and amusement arcades amongst the 200 we've been to.

Having visited 669 Crazy, Mini and Adventure Golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour we have come across a large amount of derelict and abandoned courses.

One of the many many many derelict and abandoned miniature golf courses we've found on our tour
One of the many many many derelict and abandoned miniature golf courses we've found on our tour

We've even played the Crazy Golf course at the end of the world!

This was 'Golf Apocalypse' during the summer of 2012
What's more dismal, dystopian and crazy than playing a minigolf obstacle made of old tyres next to another that is made of the fuselage of a crashed plane. This was 'Golf Apocalypse' during the summer of 2012

Minigolf has been used in many artistic creations so it's not surprising to see a course pop-up at Dismaland. The 'Mini Gulf' layout features an oil caliphate theme, and the course is constructed from the old hockey pitch at Cheltenham Ladies College.

On our tour we've played art-based minigolf at the one-day only M!MS Mini Golf course in Bedford, Crazee Golf at the TinType Gallery in London, the Bompas & Parr food architecture course on the roof of Selfridges and Putt Putt #2 by TURF Projects in Croydon. We've also not played art courses in Clerkenwell and Folkestone, where the remnants of the old Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course were used to create a series of beach huts!

The '18 Holes' Crazy Golf art installation by Richard Wilson in Folkestone
The '18 Holes' Crazy Golf art installation by Richard Wilson in Folkestone

Putt Putt #2 by TURF Projects was a temporary art installation minigolf course in Croydon
Putt Putt #2 by TURF Projects was a temporary art installation minigolf course in Croydon

This year our friends over at A Couple of Putts created an art-installation course called Sparkle City Mini Putt in Spartanburg, South Carolina. While the team at The Putting Penguin have seen and reviewed a number of art-courses over the years. Earlier this summer my friend and crazy golf rival Gareth Holmes visited "The BEST Mini Golf Course in Venice" at artist's Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf.

Dismaland does look well worth a visit. Hopefully we'll get along before it closes for good on the 27th September this year.

As big fans of Crazy Golf we also run The Crazy Golf Museum - itself featured in the book Crap Days Out!

While you're in Weston-super-Mare there are plenty of other traditional seaside amusements to visit, along with three miniature golf courses.

Fella's Crazy Golf course near the pier in Weston-super-Mare
Fella's Crazy Golf course near the pier in Weston-super-Mare

The old grass Putting course and Miniature Railway we visited in 2011 was removed a couple of years ago, but I've recently heard it's re-opened and called 'The Putting Shed'.

Mini Golf course and Miniature Railway in Weston-super-Mare
Putters Junction Signal Box

At Dismaland there are a limited number of tickets available each day, with 4,000 punters allowed in at £3 per person, which sounds reasonable. Check out the Dismaland website for more information, opening times and a site map.

The Banksy artwork Well Hung Lover on Park Street in Bristol
Back in 2011 our friend and minigolf rival Kevin Moseley took us for a tour around Bristol and we spotted the Banksy artwork Well Hung Lover on Park Street

If you like your entertainment options to be unique and weird then I highly recommend a visit to the Novelty Automation arcade in London and the Under the Pier Show in Southwold, Suffolk too.

Link:
- Dismaland Bemusement Park website
- Banksy website
- The Crazy Golf Museum website

Related blog posts:
- Art
- Art Gallery
- Art Installation
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Weston-super-Mare
- Crazee Golf Art Exhibition to Open at the Tintype Gallery in London
- M!MS Empire Sunset Nine Hole Mini Golf course in Bedford
- Crazy Golf Course visited but not able to be played - Folkestone (Seafront) - 18-holes Art Installation
- Playing Bompas & Parr's Minigolf course on the roof of Selfridges
- Not playing Crazy Golf at Clerkenwell Design Week 2014
- Putt Putt #2 Crazy Golf in Croydon
- Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf
- Novelty Automation arcade in London
- Sparkle City Mini Putt in Spartanburg, South Carolina
- Crap Days Out - at The Crazy Golf Museum?
- Miniature Golf Putting at Weston-Super-Mare, plus a Miniature Railway
- Fella's Crazy Golf in Weston-Super-Mare
- Crazy Hills Putting Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf Course in Weston-Super-Mare

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Mini Golf in the South West of England

Visiting 62 more miniature golf courses on a tour of the South West of England.

We've been on some big road-trips in the past few years and this summer we had a brilliant two-week holiday around the coast of South West England.

Minigolf Explorers Richard and Emily Gottfried at Gilmores Golf in Newquay, part-way through their mammoth road-trip around the South West coast of England
At Gilmores Golf in Newquay, part-way through our mammoth road-trip around the South West coast of England

During our time away we visited the milestone 600th course. The Jurassic Adventure Golf course at the Santa-Fe Fun Park in Swanage, Dorset became the 364th course played when we visited on Sunday 31st May.

Jurassic Adventure Mini Golf course in Swanage, Dorset
Jurassic Adventure Golf in Swanage

Two weeks later we visited Mini Golf course number 661 at Vivary Park in Taunton, Somerset. The 18-hole course was the 380th we've played since the tour began in September 2006, and the 17th played on our holiday.

Mini Golf at Vivary Park in Taunton, Somerset
Mini Golf in Vivary Park, Taunton

We got into playing minigolf after making a resolution in 2006 to visit as much of the UK's coast and on this trip we reached 227 seasides visited. We're looking forward to our next holiday already.

Here's the list of the 62 courses we visited in Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset:
Swanage (Santa Fe Fun Park) - Jurassic Adventure Golf - 600th course visited overall
Lyme Regis (Lister Gardens) - Crazy Golf

Mini Golf course in Lyme Regis, Dorset
The Lister Gardens Mini Golf course in Lyme Regis

Seaton - Grass Putting Green
Oak Mead Family Golf Centre - Grass Putting Green
Oak Mead Family Golf Centre - Pitch and Putt
Salcombe Regis, near Sidmouth (Thorne Park Golf Centre) - Crazy Golf

Mini Crazy Golf course at Thorne Golf Centre near Salcombe Regis, Devon
Putting on the Crazy Golf course at Thorne Park Golf Centre near Sidmouth

Salcombe Regis, near Sidmouth (Thorne Park Golf Centre) - Grass Putting Green
Salcombe Regis, near Sidmouth (Thorne Park Golf Centre) - Pitch and Putt
Sidmouth (The Victoria Hotel) - Grass Putting Green
Sidmouth (The Belmont Hotel) - Grass Putting Green
Sidmouth (The Triangle / Coburg Fields) - Grass Putting Green
Exmouth (Seafront) - Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf
Exmouth (Seafront) - Grass Putting Green
Exmouth (The Imperial Hotel) - Grass Putting Green
Dawlish Warren (Funderland) - Adventure Golf

Funderland Adventure Mini Golf course in Dawlish Warren, Devon
A crazy hole on the Funderland Adventure Golf course in Dawlish Warren

Dawlish (Station Road) - Swedish Felt B-Run Mini Golf
Teignmouth (Sea Front) - Jurassic Adventure Golf

Adventure Mini Golf in Teignmouth, Devon
The Adventure Golf course in Teignmouth

Torquay (The Imperial Hotel) - Crazy Golf

Mini Golf at The Imperial Hotel in Torquay, Devon
Our hotel in Torquay had a Crazy Golf course - what a bonus!

Torquay (Torre Abbey Gardens) - Jungle Journey Adventure Golf
Paignton (Sea Front) - Pirates Bay Adventure Golf
Paignton (Junior Browns) - UV Indoor Crazy Golf - course removed from venue
Goodrington Sands, Paignton - Beton Mini Golf - 600th course visited in the UK

Mini Crazy Golf course in Goodrington Sands Paignton
The Goodrington Sands Beton Mini Golf course in Paignton

Roundham Head, Goodrington Sands, Paignton - Pitch and Putt
Torquay (Torre Abbey Gardens) - Pitch and Putt
Dartmouth (near Higher Ferry) - Grass Putting course
Plymouth (The Hoe) - Grass Putting course
Plymouth (West Hoe Park) - Treasure Island Adventure Golf
St Martins (Parkdean Looe Bay Holiday Park) - Crazy Golf
Looe (Looe Bowling Club, Marine Drive) - Upper Grass Putting course
Looe (Looe Bowling Club, Marine Drive) - Lower Grass Putting course

Miniature Golf Putting Green in Looe, Cornwall
Looe Bowling Club in Cornwall is home to two grass Putting courses with some great views

St Austell (Kidzworld Cornwall, Stadium Retail Park) - Mini Golf
Swanpool, Falmouth (Swanpool Park) - Crazy Golf

Crazy Golf course in Falmouth, Cornwall
The Crazy Golf course in Swanpool Park, Falmouth is in a great spot

Falmouth (Gyllyngvase Beach) - Crazy Golf - now part of a garden
Penzance (The Alexandra Inn) - pub beer garden Crazy Golf

Crazy Golf course at The Alexandra Inn, Penzance, Cornwall
The beer garden of The Alexandra Inn, Penzance has a 17-hole Crazy Golf course in it!

St Ives (Porthminster Beach) - Grass Putting course
St Ives (Porthmeor Beach) - Grass Putting course
St Erth (Penwith Pitch and Putt) - Crazy Golf

Crazy Golf at Penwith Pitch & Putt in St Erth, near St Ives, Cornwall
The Penwith Pitch & Putt centre in St Erth, near St Ives, has a very bright and colourful Crazy Golf course

St Erth (Penwith Pitch and Putt) - Pitch and Putt
Perranporth (Boating Lake) - Grass Putting course
Newquay (Gilmores Golf) - Beton Crazy Mini Golf

Crazy Golf at Gilmores Golf in Newquay, Cornwall
Playing the Beton Mini Golf course at Gilmores Golf in Newquay

Newquay (Trenance Gardens) - Crazy Golf

Crazy Golf in Trenance Gardens, Newquay, Cornwall
The Trenance Gardens Crazy Golf course in Newquay

Newquay (Trenance Gardens) - Pitch and Putt
Newquay (Killacourt) - Grass Putting course - out of season
Newquay (Tolcarne Beach) - Crazy Golf - course on the cliff has been removed
Newquay (Narrowcliff, near Tolcarne Beach) - Crazy Golf - hut remains, no course evident
Newquay (The Headland Hotel, near Fistral Beach) - Grass Putting course
Porth Island, Newquay (Krazy Golf at Newquay Football Golf) - Crazy Golf

Krazy Golf on Porth Island in Newquay, Cornwall
Putting at the Krazy Golf course on Porth Island, Newquay

Mawgan Porth - Crazy Golf
Mawgan Porth - Pitch and Putt
Berryfields Holiday Park, Porthcothan Bay - Crazy Golf
Padstow (Greens Cafe) - Crazy Golf - 650th course visited overall

Greens Cafe Crazy Golf course in Padstow, Cornwall
Playing a Pyramid hole in Padstow

Padstow (Greens Cafe) - Grass Putting / Pitch and Putt
Bude (Bude Haven Recreation Ground) - Crazy Golf

Bude Haven Crazy Golf course in Bude, Cornwall
A snakey hole in Bude

Bude (Bude Haven Recreation Ground) - Grass Putting Green 1
Bude (Bude Haven Recreation Ground) - Grass Putting Green 2
Bude (Crooklets Beach) - Pitch and Putt
Westward Ho! - Putting course on a signpost - not found
Westward Ho! (Pebble Ridge) - Pirate Adventure Golf
Woolacombe (The Bay Hotel) - Mini Golf (Pitch and Putt)
Woolacombe (Funderland) - 15-hole Adventure Golf
Ilfracombe (The Promenade) - Crazy Golf
Taunton (Vivary Park) - Mini Golf

It wasn't possible to stop at, or play all of the mini, crazy and adventure golf courses, or all the putting greens and pitch & putts we saw on this trip, or those we'd heard about beforehand.

On Broad Road in Swanage there is a piece of parkland that overlooks the bay and pier. This area has appeared on many postcards over the years and used to be home to a grass Miniature Golf course.

The Parkdean Holiday Park in West Bay, near Bridport used to have a Crazy Golf course. We checked, it's no longer there.

After we'd played the Crazy Golf course in Lister Gardens in Lyme Regis we noticed on the town map that the gardens are also home to a grass Putting Green. We had noticed a two-tier patch of land near to the course, but it wasn't laid out for putting. Perhaps it was too early in the season.

This year the Ladram Bay Holiday Park has created a Jurassic Adventure Golf course at the site in Otterton near Budleigh Salterton. We didn't get a chance to play it. Charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Christopher Gottfried did visit the course on a trip to Devon last year.

On that trip Christopher also visited Paignton and spotted a Crazy Golf course on the pier. On our visit we saw it had been removed. There were trampolines instead. The stroll along the pier wasn't all for naught though as I got to have a go on a Hillbilly Shooting Shack.

It's not minigolf, but it's a seaside classic - a Hillbilly Shooting Shack on Paignton Pier
It's not minigolf, but it's a seaside classic - a Hillbilly Shooting Shack on Paignton Pier

Other Crazy Golf courses we had to skip on this trip due to time constraints are at:
- Pecorama Games, Gardens and Trains in Beer
- Exmouth World of Country Life
- Babbacombe Model Village
- Holywell Bay Fun Park
- Lappa Valley Steam Railway
- Old MacDonald's Farm and Bed & Breakfast
- Bideford Atlantic Village
- Devon Railway Centre

There are also quite a few more miniature golf courses at holiday camps, caravan parks and hotels in the area.

Thanks to everyone for their tips and hints about places to visit on the trip, and special mentions to Tim 'Ace Man' Davies for his excellent course list on MiniatureGolfer.com, Jam Trubridge, Matt Dodd, Helen Dodd, Chris Harding, and Christopher Gottfried.

There'll be more blog posts about the courses we visited in the coming weeks so watch this space!

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Dorset
- Devon
- Cornwall
- Somerset

Videos:
- Crazy Golf Hole in One at the Jurassic Adventure Golf course in Swanage
- Mini Golf Hole in One at the Jurassic Adventure Golf course in Swanage
- Crazy Golf in Lyme Regis, Dorset
- Mini Golf in Lyme Regis, Dorset
- Mini Golf Hole-in-One at The Imperial Hotel in Torquay
- Crazy Golf Hole-in-One at The Alexandra Inn, Penzance 
- Playing Krazy Golf on Porth Island, Newquay