Where to find minigolf and tenpin bowling entertainment centres.
Traditionally the two leisure activities have been quite separate and distinct, with people choosing to do either one or other and most operators running either a minigolf course or tenpin bowling alley.
The Mini Golf course and tenpin bowling alleys sit side-by-side at Lane7 in Newcastle
With the boom in the popularity of minigolf and the growth in new courses, a number of tenpin bowling centres have added minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf courses.
A cricket-themed hole on a crazy golf course on the floor below a bowling alley at the Level Preston entertainment centre
We're fans of both games and we've been to quite a few places on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour that have both entertainment options.
Minigolf and tenpin bowling centres:
Lane7 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne - Mini Golf and tenpin bowling.
If you are interested in installing or building a minigolf course and would like to receive specialist help, Richard Gottfried is able to provide experience, knowledge and support for all aspects of minigolf business, at any stage of the process. Get in touch to find out more.
Playing Glow-in-the-dark Bowlingo at Mr B's amusement arcade in Rhyl.
Last month I had a fun day out in Rhyl and Prestatyn with my friend and minigolf rival Peter Jones. As it was out of season we didn't get to have a go on the miniature railway or play any of the Crazy Golf courses there. Luckily the amusement arcades were open so we were able to have a game of UV glow-in-the-dark black light Bowlingo at Mr B's amusement arcade!
New indoor mini golf venue opening at the York Stadium Leisure Complex.
York Stadium Leisure Complex will soon be home to three 9-hole Mini Golf courses as part of a new tenpin bowling and minigolf attraction at the new site.
The bowling and minigolf venue from the Hollywood Bowl Group will also include a bar, diner and amusement arcade.
New indoor Crazy Golf course opening at Preston Guild Hall.
Part of the redevelopment of Preston Guild Hall includes the opening of a new Crazy Golf course. Trailer Trash Jim's Crazy Golf will be located on Level 1 of Level - Preston's new leisure and entertainment venue.
It sounds like a brilliant place as not only will there be an indoor Crazy Golf course on Level 1, but you can also play Laser Tag and Arcade Games. Level 2 has Ten Pin Bowling and Darts, while Level 3 of the centre is home to a Daredevil Assault Course.
Level at Preston Guild Hall opens on Friday 8th December.
Playing the new Medieval-themed Adventure Golf course at Namco Funscape in Tamworth.
The Adventure Golf course has some incredible theming
On Sunday 10th September the Castle Adventure Golf course at Namco Funscape in Tamworth became the 774th visited and 460th played overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.
Head through the portcullis to the Castle Adventure Golf course
In our match up on the Castle Adventure Golf course I picked up the victory with a score of 55 to Emily's 62.
Putting my way to the win
We normally regard each hole on a course as a par-2 - so an 18-hole layout would be a par-36 course. In the case of Castle Adventure Golf the course par of 69 for the 18-holes is far more realistic a target as it's a very tricky course indeed.
Emily on hole 2
The 18-hole layout is certainly not the easiest course we've played! A lot of the holes are very bumpy and uphill, with extra plateaus too. That said, each of the holes is unique and the theming is some of the best we've seen on our travels.
My brother Christopher owns a suit of armour and would love the course. I was half expecting the knight to move!
A tricky circular forge hole
This hole was excellently executed
Hanging around on the Tamworth Adventure Golf course
A Ham and Egger in his element
Interestingly the course is half indoors and half outdoors - not something we've seen all that often either. Some of the outdoor holes were also under shelter too.
One of the outdoor - but under cover - holes
The last hole before heading back inside to play the 17th and 18th
We didn't have time for a game, but we did see a few people giving it a go.
It's interesting to see how many variations of sports and games are being created at the moment, with the likes of Footgolf, Rugby Golf and Football Pool either growing in popularity or being tested. All good stuff to get people more active and having fun.
Spotting some fun new posters at the Tenpin bowling centre at Parrs Wood.
We enjoy a game of bowling and last week we visited the Tenpin bowling centre at Parrs Wood for the first time in what seemed like ages. Walking through the entrance we spotted some new posters that made us smile.
I'd like to see these warning posters in more places
It's always nice to see some added FUN - especially somewhere like a bowling alley where the game SHOULD DEFINITELY BE FUN.
I've done 'The Robot' as a celebration after scoring a minigolf hole-in-one
In our match-up I picked up the win and we both got some Strikes. I wasn't far off getting a Turkey at one point too.
What do you call 'Tag'? Emily calls it 'It' or 'Tag', while I know the game as 'Tig'
We were lucky enough to get magic Lane 13 on our visit. We also beat the rush and played in 'Haunted Bowling Alley' conditions like something out of Scooby Doo
In the meantime I'll be wasting some time popping bubble-wrap and other stuff on the Don't be a groan up website.
New medieval-themed Crazy Golf course now open at Namco Funscape in Tamworth.
There's a new 18-hole Minigolf course Namco Funscape in Tamworth. The medieval-themed layout has 9 indoor holes and 9 outdoors - a combination you don't normally see on a course.
We're big fans of tenpin bowling and have visited a number of Namco Funscape centres. We've won a few bowling tournaments at the Luton venue over the years too.
I'm a big fan of Laser Tag, so it was a very pleasant surprise to see that there's a Laser Tag game arena at the Parrs Wood entertainment complex in Manchester.
At the Sector 7 Laser Tag Adventure it's the Reds versus the Greens
Parrs Wood is just down the road from us and the Sector 7 Laser Tag can be found within the Tenpin bowling centre. We can't wait to return for a game there.
In the seemingly everlasting Laser Tag war waged between the forces of the REDS, BLUES, GREENS, and YELLOWS, players in our Laser Tag Rankings have taken part in battles in 'laser-war-torn' places including Birmingham, Hemel Hempstead, Bristol, London, Peterborough, Crawley, New Brighton, Cannock, Whitstable, Skegness, Rayleigh and Milton Keynes. Links:
- Tenpin Parrs Wood
- Parrs Wood Manchester
Report from the new Mayor of Luton’s Charity Tenpin Bowling Competition at Namco.
The Mayor of Luton Tenpin Bowling Championship Trophy!
On Thursday 27th September 2012 the Ham & Eggers Tenpin Bowling Team turned out for the second of this year's Charity Tenpin Bowling Challenge tournaments for the Mayor of Luton's charities. The competition took place at Luton's Namco Funscape in the Galaxy Centre and the team beat seven others to be crowned the champions.
The Ham & Eggers Tenpin Bowling Team - Back Row from l-r: Christopher Gottfried, Emily Gottfried, James Cunliffe. Front Row: Richard Gottfried, Simon Hall. Not pictured Laura Wood.
Ham & Eggers Team – Player Results:
1. James Cunliffe - 145 + 115 = 260 - Top player overall on the night
2. Laura Wood - 144 + 100 = 244
3. Simon Hall - 118 + 117 = 235
4. Richard Gottfried - 115 + 111 = 226
5. Christopher Gottfried - 123 + 100 = 223
6. Emily Gottfried - 109 + 85 = 194
The team scored a total of 1,382 points over the two rounds.
Two of the Ham & Eggers Tenpin Bowling Team were able to attend the trophy presentation by the Mayoress on the 30th October and also played a one-on-one challenge game which saw Simon 'Practice' Hall beat Richard 'Classics' Gottfried 108 to 96 having scored a Turkey in the tenth frame!
On the night the team also had a couple of wins in the Raffle! The evening of bowling and the raffle raised a total of £448 for the Mayor of Luton’s charities.
One of the Raffle Prizes fails at Tenpin Bowling
The Ham & Eggers are looking forward to the next charity tenpin bowling event whenever that may be.
Results of the Mayor of Luton’s Charity Tenpin Bowling Competition at Namco
On Thursday 8th March the Ham & Eggers Tenpin Bowling team headed to Namco Fun Station in Luton’s Galaxy Centre to take part in the Mayor of Luton’s Charity Tenpin Bowling Challenge.
The Ham & Eggers Tenpin Bowling Team with the Mayor of Luton - from l-r: Laura 'Spinsten' Wood, Emily 'Skipping Rope' Gottfried, Christopher 'Ted Spin' Gottfried, Don 'The Mayor of Luton' Worlding, Richard 'Bowling Shirt' Gottfried, James 'The Great Sparedini' Cunliffe
A call had gone out for teams to compete in the two-round competition and the Ham & Eggers signed on the dotted line to try to best the Mayor!
On the night the team were unable to win the whole event, but did finish in a creditable 3rd place in the 11 team field. The evening of bowling and the raffle raised a total of £700 for the Mayor of Luton’s three charities in 2012 - The Lister Kidney Foundation, Keech Hospice Care and Action for Kids.
Ham & Eggers Team – Player Results:
1. Christopher Gottfried – 155 + 109 = 264
2. Richard Gottfried – 129 + 125 = 254
3. James Cunliffe – 106 + 138 = 244
4. X – 113 + 109 = 222
5. ? – 94 + 95 = 189
6. Emily Gottfried – 85 + 86 = 171
7. Laura Wood – 89 + 52 = 141
The team scored a total of 1,485 points over the two rounds for a team average of 212.14. The winning team had a team average of 264.20 and the runners-up scored 239.50. The Mayor's team finished the contest in 6th position with an average of 176.80.
All the highlights & happenings and fun & games from the past year!
2011 saw another busy year of blogging here on The Ham & Egger Files. The site began on the 21st of December 2006 and in the past five years a total of 1,350 blog posts have been published! 450 of them being written in 2011.
During 2011 we've played a further 72 Miniature Golf courses, taking the total played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour to date to 282, with a further 162 visited but not played for a variety of reasons. This makes a grand total of 444 visited overall since the 30th of September 2006!
Us with some FREE Minigolf Game Passes won at Great Yarmouth
Below is a month by month breakdown of some of the highlights of our year of Adventures on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour (and in other sports and games).
On Thursday 15th December 2011 me and Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley met up in Milton Keynes for a "Best-of-Three, no wait make it Best-of-Five Games Series" for the title of MK Winter Sporting Challenge Champion! We had planned to play a lot of Quasar Laser Tag at the Tenpin Mega Bowl at MK Leisure Plaza, however there were no spaces in games until 9pm! So with time to spare we headed to the brand new Pirate Island Adventure Golf at the Abbey Hill Golf Centre for a game of Minigolf.
Photo: Not me & Marc having a Pirate Battle on a Minigolf Island!
As I had arrived in MK before Marc, I had managed to get a game in beforehand (making it minigolf course #281 played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!). Not that my warm-up game helped too much in our challenge match. Under floodlight conditions we hit the 18-hole course and it's excellent Pirate-theming for a match played in very cold conditions.
Photo: Marc Putting on a Double Plateau Hole
Photo: Richard on a Raft attached to a Minigolf Island
To say the match was one-sided in the early stages would be an understatement as Marc, the BMGA British #89, raced ahead over the Front-9 holes.
Video - Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley Plays the 10th Hole at Pirate Island Adventure Golf:
Photo: Marc has a testing second Putt on the 18th hole
But by the 17th hole the match was level on both Strokeplay and Matchplay! I stepped up first and hit a two, Marc played his first shot which ended in the rocks, played his second and waited... and it ran just passed the hole and he had to settle for a very unfortunate three. The final scores - Richard 52, Marc 53.
Game One - Winner - 'Squire' Richard Gottfried
Following the Minigolf match we decided to head back to the Mega Bowl to have a warm game of Quasar.
While we were waiting for the 9pm game slot we decided to have a game of the Crazy Golfers Favourite - Air Hockey. Despite leading for most of the (10-minute!) match I lost 8-9 after scoring an own goal in injury time. The game conditions were quite interesting, with just two of us and with no Emily to fetch #TheMan when the Puck went flying off the table there were a lot more throw-ins than usual!
Game Two - Winner - Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley
With 9pm approaching we headed to the check-in desk, signed the disclaimer (no running, no swearing, no fighting, no rifle-butts to the face etc.), found out that it would just be a one-on-one match and then waited to be called through to the Briefing Room. While we were waiting to go through Marc had the opportunity to have his photo taken with one of his Minigolf heroes!
Photo: Marc and his Minigolf Hero
Once in the Briefing Room the man said that before we could play we would have to watch "The DVD"! He seemed quite apologetic that we'd have to sit through it, however Marc and I were quite excited as in all the times we've played Laser Tag we've never had a briefing through a TV/DVD! The video was very informative, told us we were playing "Q-2000" and that once the film was over we'd be led to "The Vesting Room"!
The Milton Keynes Quasar Arena was very maze-like, with narrow passages leading to a central hub. With the game beig a solo battle the bases were unfortunately not in play. The game saw each of us trying to track the other down and in the quite big arena you had to take your opportunities and use the element of surprise on your opponent. Marc managed to do this and scored more hits, ending the game with a win for the REDS.
Photo: RED Marc and GREEN Richard
In the Quasar Stats for our game Marc was playing as RED 9 while I was GREEN 12. Marc won with a Hit Ratio of 0.9% after firing 855 shots and scoring 1,600 points! Inconceivably I was shown to have fired 4,003 times in our battle and ended with a Hit Ratio of 0.1% and 1,000 points!?
In the Never Ending Laser Tag War waged between the forces of the REDS, BLUES, GREENS, and YELLOWS players in the Laser Tag Rankings have taken part in Laser Battles in 'laser-war-torn' places including Birmingham, Hemel Hempstead, Bristol, London, Peterborough, Crawley, New Brighton, Cannock, Whitstable, Skegness, Rayleigh and Milton Keynes.
Updated Laser Tag Rankings following the MK Battle:
Click to enlarge image
Game Three - Winner - Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley
With the series at two-wins-to-one in Marc's favour we headed to the Pool tables. The table we played on seemed to have a bit of a slope and was also a bit troublesome if you were shooting from one end of it, as you had to open the door to the Hurricane Simulator arcade machine to get any sort of leverage!?
The other Pool table was out of order, but happened to be the one with any chalk in the chained up chalk holder!
In our match Marc won, with me still having three balls left to pot when Marc nailed the black for victory.
Game Four - Winner - Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley
After playing Pool we (I) tried to make the series a best-of-seven event, but Super Mario Kart wouldn't accept any of our coins and someone had jammed a pound coin and a ten pence piece in the coin slot of Out Run 3, putting paid to any chance of another win for me.
Overall Champion of the MK Winter Sporting Challenge - Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley
Ultimate MK Games Champion Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley said "I knew it was going to be tough, especially after the minigolf. But I always believed in myself and that belief was justified."
Perennial Runner-Up ‘Squire’ Richard Gottfried said “Well done to Marc on his big win at the games. It was well deserved indeed and he was unlucky not to beat me at the Minigolf too! I’m looking forward to some more games of Laser Tag and visits to #TheButtons soon.”
The new Pirate Island Adventure Golf course at Abbey Hill Golf Centre in Two Mile Ash is well worth a visit and we'll be heading back again. Hopefully we'll get to play the Quasar with more people next time too.
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
.JPG "One of the Raffle Prizes fails at Tenpin Bowling")
.JPG "The Ham & Eggers Tenpin Bowling Team with the Mayor of Luton - from l-r: Laura 'Spinsten' Wood, Emily 'Skipping Rope' Gottfried, Christopher 'Ted Spin' Gottfried, Don 'The Mayor of Luton' Worlding, Richard 'Bowling Shirt' Gottfried, James 'The Great Sparedini' Cunliffe")
