A scorecard from Blackbeard's Adventure Golf in Hunstanton

A look at a minigolf scorecard from Blackbeard's Adventure Golf in Hunstanton, Norfolk.

Many thanks to my friend and minigolf rival Steve Lovell for sending me this scorecard from Blackbeard's Adventure Golf in Hunstanton, Norfolk.

He played a few rounds there pre-pandemic.

When we visited Blackbeard's Adventure Golf in May 2011 the two 9-hole courses were called The Aztec Trail & Blackbeard's Adventure. On the recent scorecard they are named Pirates Course and Aztec Course.

A view of the Aztec course from our visit in 2011

I always thought it was a curious mixture of two adventure golf themes as you tend to find one or other, rather than both together.

Putting on a pirate ship

The Aztec course was the 246th played and the Pirate course was number 247 on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The holes leading to the ruins of an Aztec temple

For more information visit Blackbeard's Adventure Golf website and Facebook Page.

We're looking forward to a return to the east coast resort that faces west in the future.

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Minigolf at Priory Golf Centre in Wimblington, March

While on an East Anglian road-trip last week we swung by the Priory Golf Centre in Wimblington, March, Cambridgeshire as our friend and minigolf rival Steve Lovell had told us there was an Adventure Golf course there.

Unfortunately the centre was closed last Friday afternoon.

Steve tells us that the Adventure Golf course is looking in a lot better condition than when he first played it a few years ago.

It appears that the whole of the Priory Golf Centre is undergoing a refurbishment.

There is also a Par-3 Pitch & Putt course there and the signs at the entrance also mention Putting Greens.

Minigolf at Brooklands in Lancing

A look at the old minigolf course at Brooklands in Lancing.

There are only 7-holes still in place

Many thanks to our friend and minigolf rival Steve Lovell for sending over these snaps he took of the minigolf course Brooklands in Lancing, West Sussex.

The windmill obstacle is still there

It's always interesting to see courses - especially those that appear to have been forgotten or abandoned!

It took a few looks to figure out that this obstacle is a train. At least, that's what I think it is

We've tried visiting Brooklands Pleasure Park on our trips to Worthing over the years, but we always got there too late to have a game.

Rooftop Mini Golf in Puerto Del Carmen, Lanzarote

Guest blog post about a rooftop Mini Golf course in Puerto Del Carmen, Lanzarote

Many thanks to my mate and minigolf rival Steve Lovell and his friend Brian Butterworth for sending over these snaps of a rooftop minigolf course in Lanzarote.

A view of the Jurassic Kingdom Adventure Golf course

The dinosaur themed adventure golf course is called Jurassic Kingdom and can be found on the top floor of the Biosfere Shopping Centre in Puerto Del Carmen.

A view from the rooftop at the Biosfere shopping centre. There's a little train ride on the right!

This course isn't the first we've heard about in Lanzarote, as my sister-in-law Jo spotted a coulourful Mini Golf course by the beach in Puerto Del Carmen in 2014.

We love seeing minigolf courses from around the world. It's great to know there's another one we can play, if and when, our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour takes us to the Canary Islands.

Link:
- Jurassic Kingdom Adventure Golf

Related blog posts:
- Lanzarote
- Guest blog posts

Scorecards and record scores from Rainforest Adventure Golf

Record low scores shot at Rainforest Adventure Golf in Dublin.

Thanks to my friend, rival, sometimes team-mate and fellow minigolf traveller Paul 'Johnson Paul Johnson' Johnson for posting me a couple of the scorecards from Rainforest Adventure Golf in Dublin, Ireland.

Paul competed in the recent IMGA Irish Open minigolf tournament held on the Aztec Trail course at the indoor Rainforest Adventure Golf centre in Dundrum Town Centre and finished in tenth place.

During the tournament - the first held under the auspices of the Irish Mini Golf Association and the first Irish Open held in the Republic of Ireland - the world record low score for the 'Minigolf Open Standard' (MOS) classification of minigolf was broken as Pauli Kuikka of Sweden shot a round of 23(-13) during the tournament. That official score and record followed GB's Steve 'Sheila' Lovell's world record low round of 22(-14) which was shot the previous day.

The best ever score on an indoor minigolf course

The previous best score on an Adventure Golf course was 24 - at Hastings Adventure Golf - this score remains the record low for an outdoor 'MOS' course.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the umbrella organisation of 63 Minigolf sports associations worldwide and recognises four types of minigolf - MOS, Concrete, Miniaturegolf and Feltgolf.

The aim in any round of competition minigolf is to score as many holes-in-one as possible, with Par for each hole regarded as two shots. Many courses have their own Par system, with some holes being a Par-3, 4 or 5. The world record lowest score on a course is a perfect 18 - 18 consecutive holes-in-one!

Emily has shot a 24 in competition - at the 2011 WMF Nations Cup in Sweden - which is still a national women's record score on the Miniaturegolf format of the game. On our visit to the Crazy Golf course at Bainland Country Park in Woodhall Spa I scored a 'perfect' round of 9 holes-in-one in a row. However, there were five cups to putt into on each of the holes!

The only Crazy Golf course we've played with five cups to putt into

The 2017 IMGA Irish Open tournament was the third ever Irish Open and the first held in the Republic of Ireland. The first two Irish Opens were held in 2006 and 2007 at the Pirates Adventure Golf course in Dundonald, Belfast, Northern Ireland. For more information on the IMGA and WMF check out the links below.

Links:
- World Minigolf Sport Federation
- Irish Mini Golf Association
- Rainforest Adventure Golf

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. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

A new bus shelter in Stockport

My mate and minigolf rival Steve 'Le Velle' Lovell recently tagged me in a Stockport bus stop-related post on the Angry People in Local Newspapers Facebook page and asked if there was "any chance you could do a Ham and Egger piece on this...".

Well, yes. Yes there is.

I recognised the spot where the bus stop shelter should be straight away. It's on Edgeley Road, near St Lesmo Road, and we play pétanque just up the road from it at Alexandra Park in Edgeley.

On a recent drive up the road I noticed that JCDecaux have replaced the shelter.

The new bus shelter on Edgeley Road in Stockport

All's well that ends well.

A while back I noticed a sign on a lamppost that said the area used to have a tram line running through it

Related blog posts:
- Stockport
- Bus
- Steve Lovell

Cambridgeshire and Essex Open minigolf championship

Cambridgeshire and Essex Open championship to be held at Dunton Hills, Essex.

The Cambridgeshire & Essex Mini Golf Club are hosting their first-ever Open Tournament on the 10th October.

The Cambridgeshire and Essex Open championship will be a three-round tournament played on the 18-hole Miniature Golf course at the Dunton Hills Family Golf Centre in West Horndon, Essex. Play will tee-off at 1pm, with the course open for practice in the morning.

CEMGC member Emily in action on the Dunton Hills course

For more information on the tournament and the Cambridgeshire & Essex Mini Golf Club (CEMGC) check out the club's Facebook page.

Emily putting at Dunton Hills

The CEMGC have organised three Invitational events at the course, with Emily winning the first contest in December 2014, while I won the next event in February of this year. The Sussex Wasps Minigolf Club Captain Steve Lovell won the most recent competition at the venue in August.

Richard playing the 46 foot long 16th hole at Dunton Hills 

The Dunton Hills Minigolf course was the 299th played and 499th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in July 2012.

Links:
- Cambridgeshire & Essex Mini Golf Club on Facebook
- Dunton Hills Family Golf Centre website
- Cambridgeshire and Essex Open competition event page on Facebook

Related blog posts:
- Playing the Dunton Hills Miniature Golf Course in West Horndon, Essex
- Minigolf at Dunton Hills Family Golf Centre in Essex
- CEMGC Invitational Minigolf Tournament
- Dunton Hills Invitational Minigolf Tournament

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

Dunton Hills Invitational Minigolf Tournament

Richard Gottfried wins the Dunton Hills Invitational minigolf tournament

Leagrave minigolfer Richard Gottfried got his 2015 minigolf season underway with victory in the Dunton Hills Invitational tournament played at the Dunton Hills Family Golf Centre in West Horndon, Essex on Sunday 15 February.

Luton Minigolfer Richard Gottfried in action at the Dunton Hills Invitational competition in West Horndon, Essex

Organised by the Cambridgeshire & Essex Mini Golf Club, the Dunton Hills Invitational saw seven British Minigolf Association Tour Pro players compete over three rounds on the 18-hole miniature golf course.

Richard recorded a 54-hole score of 140 with rounds of 48, 45 and 47. Mark Wood of the CEMGC was runner-up with a score of 143, with Andy Wilde of the Sussex Wasps Mini Golf Club in third place.

Richard said “It’s marvellous to win the Dunton Hills Invitational tournament. The course is incredibly tricky and the competition was tough. It was a real battle for the title with Mark and it went all the way to the wire. Thanks to the CEMGC for organising the event, it was good fun and a great way to start the season.”

Full results of the Dunton Hills Invitational Minigolf Tournament:
1. Richard Gottfried (48-45-47) = 140
2. Mark Wood (46-44-53) = 143
3. Andy Wilde (50-49-46) = 145
4. Chris Wood (50-51-49) = 150
4. Brian Smith (48-54-48) = 150
6. Steve Lovell (46-51-55) = 152
7. Martin Greenhead (56-53-44) = 153

Next up for Richard and Emily is a trip to Hastings for the BMGA British Club Championships in March. Richard will be playing for the Midlands Minigolf Club, the 2008 national champions, while Emily will be competing as part of the Cambridgeshire & Essex Mini Golf Club.

Links:
- Dunton Hills Family Golf Centre website
- Cambridgeshire & Essex Mini Golf Club on Facebook
- CMGC website

Related blog posts:
- CEMGC Invitational Minigolf Tournament 2014
- Minigolf at Dunton Hills Golf Course in Essex
- Playing the Dunton Hills Miniature Golf Course in West Horndon, Essex
- Minigolf and Crazy Golf in Essex
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date

Latest Tat Challenges in Hastings

Results of the first-ever 60p Tat Challenges.

Tat Challenge veteran in action at the first 60 pence Tat Challenge in Hastings

Last month saw Kate Kelly crowned the Worlds £2 Tat Challenge Champion at the Old Town Amusements in Hastings and this month saw two more Tat Challenge contests take place in the East Sussex seaside resort.

The variation on the classic format of the sport saw competitors use 60 pence worth of two penny pence pieces to win as much tat from the buttons at the amusement arcade next door and a few from the Old Town Amusements.

The loot won by the winner of the first-ever 60p Tat Challenge

The first shootout took place on the evening of Saturday 22 November and five of the finest exponents of the endurance game took on the challenge to see how much they could win with just thirty bronzes.

The gold medal went to Will Donnelly who scored an amazing four pieces of Tat with his stake.

Will 'The Winner' Donnelly and his haul at the amusement arcade in Hastings

Results from 60p Tat Challenge Player's Championship #2 - Hastings, 23 November 2014
1st - Will Donnelly - 4 pieces of tat
2nd - John Moore - 3 pieces of tat
3rd - Seth Thomas - 2 pieces of tat
4th - Richard Gottfried - 1 piece of tat
5th - Dave Donnelly - 0 piece of tat whatsoever

A happy/surprise John 'Big Al' Moore with three minions in his winnings

Seth 'Two Bits' Thomas and his winnings

Richard Gottfried and a 'lego' man from the tupenny falls

The biggest hands in the sport of Tat Challenging, but Dave Donnelly drew a blank in the first-ever 60p Tat Challenge

Shootout two in the short form of the game saw Seth, Richard and Big Al return and were joined by Huntingdonshire's newest son and avid tatter Steve Lovell. Local competitor John 'Big Top Ted' McIver was unfortunate as he missed the start of the contest, as well as the end, as he was waylaid en route to the arena by his need to buy some chips.

With a bit apiece Steve and Seth picked up the win. The other competitors blanked. But at least Ted got some chips.

Steve Lovell and Seth Thomas are happy with their 'haul'. Each winner got to keep the one piece they'd won

Results from 60p Tat Challenge Player's Championship #2 - Hastings, 23 November 2014
1st (tied) - Steve Lovell and Seth Thomas - 1 piece of tat each
3rd (tied) - John Moore and Richard Gottfried - 0 pieces of tat each
DNS/DNF - John McIver

Following both contests the players continued to amass quite a haul of prize goodies, including an awful lot of minions and 'lego'.

Lots of Minions in the Buttons

A Lego logo above some not Lego bricks and figures in the two pence falls

60p Tat Challenge Hall of Fame
#1 - Will Donnelly
#2 - Steve Lovell and Seth Thomas

Related blog posts:
- Report from the 2014 Worlds Tat Challenge in Hastings
- Tat Challenges