Report from the Surrey Invitational Minigolf Tournament 2016

Results of the second Surrey Invitational Tournament.

On Saturday 14th May five semi-pro minigolfers competed in the second edition of the Surrey Invitational Tournament in a two-round, two-course, 27-hole contest.

The Surrey Invitational Tournament competitors line-up for a shot at the title in Woking Park

The competition was played at the 9-hole Eternit Miniature Golf course at Woking Park, and the 18-hole Swedish Felt B-Run course at Stoke Park in Guildford. The staging of the 2016 event coincided with National Miniature Golf Day.

Inaugural Surrey Invitational Tournament champion Matt 'The Don' Dodd leads out the players on hole 1 at Woking Park

The champion after 27-holes of play was Burpham's Oliver 'The Machine' Florence, who was victorious with a score of 65, having shot rounds of 19 and 46. Luton's 'Squire' Richard Gottfried became a two time S.I.T. runner-up with a total of 74, with Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried picking up the bronze medal with a score of 82.

The new Surrey Invitational Tournament champion Oliver 'The Machine' Florence captured the title and big minigolf trophy at Guildford's Stoke Park

The first stage of the Surrey Invitational Tournament was won by Surrey's Steve 'F1' Gow with a score of 17(-1) on the Woking Park layout. However, the veteran and GB international was unable to maintain the momentum and scored 68 in round two to finish in fourth place.

Steve 'F1' Gow playing the snakey second hole in Woking

Defending champion Matt 'The Don' Dodd scored rounds of 33 and 61 to finish in fifth place.

Ollie on target in Woking

New Surrey Invitational Tournament champion Oliver 'The Machine' Florence said "At the first Surrey Invitational in 2014 I had a prior engagement which meant I had to leave the tournament after the first round and it was really disappointing as I was in the lead. I was a bit worried I was going to have to depart early this year as I was scheduled to attend my mother's birthday tea at 4pm in Weybridge but luckily I managed to get the job done before heading off to enjoy the party."

Oliver in action on hole 6 of the Woking Park Mini Golf course

Florence commented "Among the sandwiches my particular favourites were the mini ham rolls but I also took a shine to the cream cheese and cucumber offerings. After a round of scones, both fruit and plain, with raspberry jam and cream, I partook in a delightful mango cheesecake among other sweet treats."

Florence added "Thanks to Richard and Emily for organising the Surrey Invitational and Matt and Englefield Green's finest Steve for taking part. I look forward to defending the magnificent trophy next time."

The scores and first-round rankings from Woking were:
1. Steve 'F1' Gow - 17
2. Oliver 'The Machine' Florence - 19
3. 'Squire' Richard Gottfried - 24
4. Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried - 28
5. Matt 'The Don' Dodd - 33

'Squire' Richard Gottfried playing the second hole in Woking

Matt tackles the fifth hole

Steve on the seventh

Each round winner of the Surrey Invitational Tournament gets to lift the trophy, but only the overall winner gets to keep it until the next edition of the event.

Steve 'F1' Gow with the Grand Prix - for the first round at least

The scores and second-round rankings from Guildford were:
1. Oliver 'The Machine' Florence - 65
2. 'Squire' Richard Gottfried - 50
3. Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried - 54
4. Matt 'The Don' Dodd - 61
5. Steve 'F1' Gow - 68

Tournament leader Steve Gow tees-off round two at Guildford's Stoke Park

Emily playing the second hole. Quite possibly the most difficult hole in minigolf - all of the players scored a seven on it!

Matt tackling another very difficult hole

Richard has slightly better luck than Matt as Ollie looks on

Steve playing his second shot as Ollie gets ready to tee-off

The final rankings and two-round totals from the Surrey Invitational Tournament 2016 were:
1. Oliver 'The Machine' Florence - 65
2. 'Squire' Richard Gottfried - 74
3. Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried - 82
4. Steve 'F1' Gow - 85
5. Matt 'The Don' Dodd - 94

Surrey Invitational Tournament champion Oliver 'The Machine' Florence playing the Stoke Park loop-di-loop hole. Strangely, the loop is turfed on the outside!

Surrey Invitational Tournament Hall of Fame
2016 - Oliver 'The Machine' Florence
2014 - Matt 'The Don' Dodd

National Miniature Golf Day Tournament Hall of Fame
2016 - Oliver 'The Machine' Florence
2015 - Brad 'The Fist' Shepherd

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Jungle Adventure Golf at Hersham Golf Club

New Adventure Golf course opening at Hersham Golf Club.

My friend, rival, sometimes team-mate and fellow minigolf blogger Oliver 'The Machine' Florence tipped me off about a new Adventure Golf course opening on his patch soon.

A view of the new Jungle Adventure Golf course opening at Hersham Golf Club soon. I've not seen a caged gorilla like that on a miniature golf course before (photo by Oliver Florence)

I hear the course is being built by City Golf, the team behind a number of other Adventure Golf courses in the UK and around the world. We've played quite a few on our travels and enjoy the testing and tricky layouts.

We're looking forward to giving the course a play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Perhaps we'll play for the Surrey Invitational Tournament or Oliver Florence Birthday Invitational titles on the new layout...

You can find Hersham Golf Club on Assher Road, Hersham, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, KT12 4RA. Check out the Hersham Golf Club website for more information.

Related blog posts:
- Surrey
- Oliver 'The Machine' Florence

Links:
- Hersham Golf Club website
- The Minigolfer blog

Adventure Golf at Horton Park Golf Club in Epsom

A visit to the Jungle Island Adventure Golf course at Horton Park Golf Club in Epsom, Surrey.

On Sunday 16 November 2014 Emily and I headed to Surrey to compete in the inaugural Surrey Invitational Minigolf Tournament against our friends and fellow competition players Matt 'The Don' Dodd, Helen 'Hells Bells' Dodd and Oliver 'The Machine' Florence in a two-round, two-course contest.

The second course we played was the 18-hole Jungle Island Adventure Golf course at Horton Park Golf Club in Epsom.

The course was the 353rd played and 587th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

A round of minigolf at the course costs £9.25 for adults and £7.25 for children. The course is open seven days a week and is open from 9am.

There's currently a limited offer to buy an annual pass to play the Jungle Island Adventure Golf that looks like a good deal.

The limited edition annual pass at Jungle Island Adventure Golf

More information can be found on the Horton Park Golf Club website, Twitter and Facebook.

Links:
- Jungle Island Adventure Golf
- Horton Park Golf Club

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Adventure Golf at Hoebridge Golf Centre in Woking
- Surrey Invitational Tournament Minigolf Report
- Fake Crocodiles (or are they Alligators?) at Minigolf courses!

Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Hoebridge Golf Centre in Woking

A visit to the Pirate Island Adventure Golf course at Hoebridge Golf Centre in Woking, Surrey.

On Sunday 16 November 2014 Emily and I headed to Surrey to compete in the inaugural Surrey Invitational Minigolf Tournament against our friends and fellow competition players Matt 'The Don' Dodd, Helen 'Hells Bells' Dodd and Oliver 'The Machine' Florence in a two-round, two-course contest.

We began the day at Hoebridge Golf Centre in Woking - home to the 18-hole Pirate Island Adventure Golf course.

The course was the 352nd played and 586th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Playing a shot on a big green

Matt holes out on the very long par-5 third-hole

In the drink

As is Matt

Oliver in great form at the Pirate Island Adventure Golf course

Helen plays a shot on the BIG minigolf loop-di-loop

Emily inspects the cannon as Oliver prepares to putt

The first hole at the stern of the pirate ship

The pirate ship has two holes and three tee-off points

Inside the pirate ship is a blacklit hole!

Emily plays a shot inside the pirate ship

A round of minigolf at the course costs £8.25 for adults and £5.25 for children (4-16 year olds). The course is open seven days a week and is open from 9am til late. There are deals for families and groups too and you can also find out more by signing-up to the Pirate Island Golf enewsletter.

More information can be found on the Hoebridge Golf Centre website, the Pirate Island Adventure Golf website and Facebook.

There are also Pirate Island Adventure Golf courses in Milton Keynes, Castleford and Nottingham. We've played the MK course at Abbey Hill Golf Centre on our Tour and are looking forward to visiting the Castleford and Nottingham courses in the future.

The course was built by City Golf, check out their website too.

Links:

- Pirate Island Adventure Golf Woking

- Pirate Island Adventure Golf

- Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Hoebridge Golf Centre

- Hoebridge Golf Centre
- City Golf

Related blog posts:

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

- Surrey Invitational Tournament Minigolf Report
- Woking
- Adventure Golf at Horton Park Golf Club in Epsom
- Indoor Mini, Crazy and Adventure Golf courses
- Fake Crocodiles (or are they Alligators?) at Minigolf courses!

Minigolf Report from the Surrey Invitational Tournament

Woking’s Matt Dodd wins the inaugural Surrey Invitational Minigolf Tournament.

Surrey Invitational Tournament Minigolf Champion Matt 'The Don' Dodd with the S.I.T. trophy in Epsom

On Sunday 16 November 2014 five semi-pro minigolfers competed in the first-ever Surrey Invitational Tournament in a two-round, two-course, 36-hole contest.

The Surrey Invitational Tournament competitors at the Pirate Island Adventure Golf course in Woking, from l-r Richard Gottfried, Emily Gottfried, Oliver Florence, Matt Dodd, Helen Dodd

The competition was played at two 18-hole Adventure Golf courses, with Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Hoebridge Golf Centre in Woking first up to test the players, followed by a visit to the Jungle Island Adventure Golf course at Horton Park Golf Club in Epsom.

Matt 'The Don' Dodd in action on one of the two Pirate Ship holes at the Pirate Island Adventure Golf course in Woking 

The champion after 36-holes of play was Matt ‘The Don’ Dodd, the current British number 30, who triumphed with a score of 94(+22), having shot rounds of 48 and 46.

Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried holing-out a long second putt at the Jungle Island Adventure Golf course at Horton Park Golf Club in Epsom

Speaking after his maiden victory, new Surrey Invitational Tournament champion Dodd said “Thanks to everyone who took part. The competition was strong and it went to the final hole. I look forward to defending my title next year.”

Helen 'Hells Bells' Dodd easily handling a water hazard hole at the Jungle Island Adventure Golf course in Epsom

The first stage of the S.I.T. was won by Burpham’s Oliver ‘The Machine’ Florence with a score of 45. However, the British International and veteran of tournaments including the 2010 AMF Asian Open Championships, was unable to compete in the second round due to prior commitments.

S.I.T. first round winner Oliver 'The Machine' Florence in action on the Pirate Island Adventure Golf course at Hoebridge Golf Centre in Woking

The scores and first-round rankings from the Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Hoebridge Golf Centre were:
1. Oliver Florence – 45 (+9)
2. Matt Dodd – 48 (+12)
3. Richard Gottfried – 50 (+14)
4. Emily Gottfried – 52 (+16)
5. Helen Dodd – 58 (+22)

Each round winner of the Surrey Invitational Tournament gets to lift the trophy, but only the overall winner gets to keep it for the year. First-round winner Oliver 'The Machine' Florence holds the S.I.T. cup at Hoebridge Golf Centre

Play moved to the Jungle Island Adventure Golf course where Luton’s ‘Squire’ Richard Gottfried collected the round victory with a score of 45.

'Squire' Richard Gottfried putts through the remnants of a dinosaur at the Jungle Island Adventure Golf course in Epsom

The scores and second-round rankings from Jungle Island Adventure Golf course at Horton Park Golf Club were:
1. Richard Gottfried – 45 (+9)
2. Matt Dodd – 46 (+10)
3. Emily Gottfried – 47 (+11)
4. Helen Dodd – 50 (+14)
5. Oliver Florence – DNS / DNQ

Second-round winner of the Surrey Invitational Tournament 'Squire' Richard Gottfried holds the S.I.T. cup at Horton Park Golf Club

However, this wasn’t enough to take the overall title as Matt Dodd’s score of 46 saw him take a one-shot victory and claim the Surrey Invitational Tournament title and trophy for 2014.

Overall S.I.T. champion Matt 'The Don' Dodd in action on the Jungle Island Adventure Golf course at Horton Park Golf Club in Epsom

The final rankings and two-round totals from the Surrey Invitational Tournament (S.I.T.) 2014 were:
1. Matt Dodd – 94 (+22)
2. Richard Gottfried – 95 (+23)
3. Emily Gottfried – 99 (+27)
4. Helen Dodd – 108 (+36)
5. Oliver Florence – DNF

The Surrey Invitational Tournament 2015 will be played in Guildford.