Miniature Railway at Abbotsfield Park in Manchester

A look at the model railway at Abbotsfield Park in Flixton, Manchester.

Last Saturday we were driving from the Trafford Centre to Altrincham and decided to take a 'scenic' route. It's always interesting exploring new places and over the years we've found a number of hidden and previously unknown miniature golf courses this way.

A lovely summer's day in Greater Manchester

This time however we spotted a miniature railway at Abbotsfield Park in Flixton.

A steam engine in action

The model railway at Abbotsfield Park is operated by the Urmston & District Model Engineering Society.

You can get rides around the park and there was a train running while we were there. But it was very very rainy so we didn't have a go on it.

Since we moved up to Greater Manchester we've found quite a few miniature railways. There are three in Stockport borough!

Related blog posts:
- Miniature Railways
- Manchester

Link:
- Urmston & District Model Engineering Society

Emily wins the 2019 Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Championship

Emily Gottfried wins the Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Championship at the Trafford Centre in Manchester.

The 2019 Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Champion - Emily Gottfried

Emily is the 2019 Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Champion after winning the tournament held last weekend.

Emily scored a course record of 30 on the Temple Ruins layout - the course par is 42 - which was enough to fend off the challenge of thousands of other players who competed over the four-day event. Her round included seven holes-in-one on the 18-hole course.

The PIAG champ

As well as the nice trophy Emily received a 6-month free game pass so we enjoyed another round yesterday evening. We're looking forward to our next minigolf match-ups at Paradise Island Adventure Golf.

Emily playing hole 11 of the Temple Ruins course at Paradise Island Adventure Golf

The annual PIAG Open competition takes place across the brand's seven venues and is the largest Open tournament in the UK with thousands of players competing across three age categories at each venue. The 2020 tournament will see players also compete at the new Paradise Island Adventure Golf site in Plymouth.

More details on the PIAG courses in Manchester, Cheshire Oaks, Glasgow, Livingston, Sheffield, Derby, Rushden Lakes and Plymouth can be found on the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website.

Related blog posts:
- Emily Gottfried - Player Profile
- Paradise Island Adventure Golf
- Playing the Paradise Island Adventure Golf courses at the Trafford Centre in Manchester

Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Championships 2019

The Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Championships are once again taking place at the indoor Paradise Island Adventure Golf courses around the country.

This year's event runs from the 18th to the 21st July and will also see action at the newest Paradise Island Adventure Golf venue at Rushden Lakes.

I won the PIAG Open at the Manchester course last year - it was a title I'd wanted to win for years

More details of the event and the other PIAG courses at Cheshire Oaks, Glasgow, Livingston, Manchester, Sheffield and Derby can be found on the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website and on the PIAG social media accounts.

New course at Dino Falls Adventure Golf at Trafford Golf Centre

Plans are underway to expand the Dino Falls Adventure Golf course at Trafford Golf Centre.

There are plans for a further 18-holes at Dino Falls

The existing 18-hole dinosaur-themed course opened in November 2017 and has proved to be incredibly popular. The team at Trafford Golf Centre are now planning to add another 18-hole course to the venue.

We played the original Dino Falls Adventure Golf course last April

Dino Falls Adventure Golf is one of our local courses and is just a short drive down the M60. It was the 476th course played and 792nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

For more information on the new course, and opening times and prices for the existing course visit the Dino Falls Adventure Golf website.

Check out some more photos from our visit to Dino Falls Adventure Golf last year.

Last April I competed in the first-ever DinoFalls Masters Adventure Golf competition at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester - and won it!

I added the Dino Falls Masters title to my minigolf resume last season

I've now won four tournaments at the Trafford Golf Centre site. In addition to the DinoFalls Masters and the MMGC Invitational, I won the 2009 Mini Masters and Mini Open on the 9-hole Championship Miniature Golf course which used to be at the venue. That particular course was the 84th played on our tour. It closed in 2013.

We're looking forward to swinging by the new course at Dino Falls Adventure Golf when it opens.

Related blog posts:
- Manchester
- Trafford Golf Centre
- Dino Falls Adventure Golf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Minigolf courses in Greater Manchester

Links:
- Dino Falls Adventure Golf
- Trafford Golf Centre

Winning the Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Championship 2018

Yesterday evening I collected my trophy and prize for winning the Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Championship at the Trafford Centre venue in Manchester.

What a tournament to win. It's a title I've wanted to win for years! 

Richard Gottfried - Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Champion 2018

My score of 31 - the course par is 42 - was enough to fend off the challenge of hundreds of other players who competed over the four-day event.

As part of the prize I received a 6-month free game pass so Emily and I enjoyed a two-round 36-hole game over the two courses yesterday too. We shot a fair few aces on both courses, but were nowhere near the form of last week! We're looking forward to our next match-up at Paradise Island Adventure Golf.

Visit the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website for more information about the PIAG courses in Cheshire Oaks, Derby, Glasgow, Livingston, Manchester and Sheffield.

Happy tenth birthday to Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Manchester

Today is the tenth birthday of Paradise Island Adventure Golf at Manchester's Trafford Centre.

Happy tenth birthday to Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Manchester and congratulations on the minigolf milestone.

About to score a hole-in-one on the 11th hole at Paradise Island Adventure Golf last December

The Tiki Hut Trail and Temple Ruins Adventure courses at the Trafford Centre's 36-hole indoor Adventure Golf venue were the 85th and 86th courses played on our travels back in 2009. We've returned a number of times since then and following our move north in 2016 Paradise Island Adventure Golf is actually now one of our local courses.

There are six Paradise Island Adventure Golf courses and the Manchester layout recently received a spruce up as part of the birthday celebrations. The course now includes some of the features found at the Sheffield and Cheshire Oaks courses, including ships, sharks and seagulls.

Some of the ship theming at the Sheffield venue

Next week Paradise Island Adventure Golf tees-off it's own Open tournament, with each of the Paradise Island Adventure Golf courses in the country inviting players to submit their scores to the competition leaderboard.

Visit the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website for more information about the courses in Cheshire Oaks, Derby, Glasgow, Livingston, Manchester and Sheffield.

Related blog posts:
- Manchester
- Paradise Island Adventure Golf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

The DinoFalls Masters

Results of the DinoFalls Adventure Golf Masters competition at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester.

On Friday 6th April I competed in the first-ever DinoFalls Masters Adventure Golf competition at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester - and won it!

Playing a tricky tee-shot up onto a ridge

The 18-hole DinoFalls Adventure Golf course is a nice layout and is an eye-catching sight from the M60.

Putting on the 18th

The event saw hundreds of players complete a round and submit their scores. My win in The DinoFalls Masters came with a score of 37.

I returned to DinoFalls Adventure Golf to compete in a Midlands Minigolf Club Invitational Tournament on Wednesday 11th April and won that too. What a great week.

The Midlands Minigolf Club competitors at DinoFalls Adventure Golf

MMGC DinoFalls Invitational Tournament results:
1. Richard Gottfried - 40*
2. Henri Myers - 40
3. Alex Hyman - 41
4. Rocky Bullin - 43
5. Steve Sturdy - 45
6. Ruth Burke - 46
* won a sudden-death play-off at the first extra hole

The DinoFalls Adventure Golf course at the Trafford Golf Centre was the 476th played and 792nd visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Check out the DinoFalls Adventure Golf and Trafford Golf Centre websites for more information.

I've now won four tournaments at the Trafford Golf Centre site. In addition to the DinoFalls Masters and the MMGC Invitational I won the 2009 Mini Masters and Mini Open on the 9-hole Championship Miniature Golf course which used to be at the venue. That particular course was the 84th played on our tour. It closed in 2013.

I certainly cracked the DinoFalls Adventure Golf course on my recent visits

Mini Golf Masters

This week will see a number of Mini Masters miniature golf tournaments taking place.

Teeing-off on Wednesday 4th April is the first MiniLinks Mini Major of the year at MiniLinks in Lytham Saint Annes.

Hole 1 of the MiniLinks Par-3 miniature golf course

DinoFalls Adventure Golf at Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester is hosting its first-ever DinoFalls Masters tournament between Thursday 5th and Sunday 8th April.

On Sunday 8th April two CrazyPutt Masters Tournaments are being held at the CrazyPutt Adventure Golf courses in Nottingham and London.

You can find the CrazyPutt Adventure Golf courses at the Riverside Family Golf Centre in Nottingham and the N1 Golf Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range in London.

In April 2007 I made my British Minigolf Association tournament debut in the British Masters. This year the 18th staging of the event will be at Mr Mulligan’s Dino Golf in Sidcup on Sunday 22 April.

We visited the Adventure Golf courses in Sidcup back in 2010

Back in 2009 I won the Mini Masters at the Championship Miniature Golf course in Manchester.

The 2009 Mini Masters Champion

Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Manchester

A revisit to the Paradise Island Adventure Golf course in Manchester.

On Thursday 28th December we visited Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre in Manchester for a round with our friend and Finnish minigolf champion John Mittler. There are two 18-hole indoor courses at Paradise Island Adventure Golf and we picked the Temple Ruins minigolf course for our round.

Dressed for the occasion

Paradise Island Adventure Golf is our local course - a short drive up the M60 - and we've played there a few times on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. They were originally the 85th and 86th played on our travels back in 2009.

John playing the 18th

John got off to a brilliant start with an ace on the first hole, although this was followed by a pair of threes. I started off with three steady twos, while Emily shot two, three, two.

About to ace the 11th hole

At the end of our round I came out the winner with a score of 31 (five aces and no dropped shots), John shot a 37 for second place, while Emily shot the course par of 42.

My round of 31 beat the previous best in December

Check out the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website for more information and opening times.

Emily tackling the 17th hole

Paradise Island in Manchester was the last minigolf course visit of 2016 - and it's likely to be the last minigolf course we visit this year too!

In July this year we played the courses as part of the PIAG Open competition. On that occasion I shot a 39 (including a seven) and Emily had a 42 on the Temple Ruins course. We also had a round at the Paradise Island Adventure Golf centre at Cheshire Oaks this summer.

Related blog posts:
- Paradise Island Adventure Golf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Manchester

Links:
- Paradise Island Adventure Golf
- The Trafford Centre

Videos:
- John Mittler Ace on Hole 8
- Richard Ace on Hole 11
- Richard Ace on Hole 18

Dino Falls Adventure Golf at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester

A look at the new Dino Falls Adventure Golf course at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester.

After an evening's shopping at the Trafford Centre we swung by the Trafford Golf Centre for a look at the new Dino Falls Adventure Golf course.

Hole 9

We're looking forward to having a round on the 18-hole course when the weather is a bit nicer than it was last night!

Hole 18

It's not the first time the Trafford Golf Centre has been home to a minigolf course. Back in the late noughties there was a 9-hole Championship Miniature Golf course on the site. A course I won two tournaments on in 2009 - the Mini Masters and Mini Open! The previous minigolf course there was the 84th we played. Dino Falls Adventure Golf became the 792nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the Trafford Golf Centre and Dino Falls Adventure Golf websites for more information, opening times and prices.

Related blog posts:
- Dinosaur
- Manchester
- Adventure Golf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
- Trafford Golf Centre
- Dino Falls Adventure Golf

New dinosaur Adventure Golf course heading to the Trafford Golf Centre

New Adventure Golf course at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester.

A jurassic adventure golf course is heading to the Trafford Golf Centre in Greater Manchester. The new 18-hole DinoFalls Adventure Golf course will be built at the golf facility which sits just off the M60.

It's not the first time the Trafford Golf Centre has been home to a minigolf course. Back in the late noughties there was a 9-hole Championship Miniature Golf course on the site. A course I won two tournaments on in 2009 - the Mini Masters and Mini Open!

We're looking forward to visiting and playing the new dinosaur adventure golf course at the Trafford Golf Centre as part of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour to visit all the courses in the UK. It'll be very local to us! Since 2006 we've been to 752 courses. The previous minigolf course at the Trafford Golf Centre was the 84th we played.

Playing minigolf at the Trafford Golf Centre during the Mini Open tournament in 2009

As well as the new DinoFalls Adventure Golf course, Trafford is also home to the 36-hole indoor courses at Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the intu Trafford Centre and an 18-hole Crazy Golf course at Wythenshawe Park. In central Manchester you can play at Junkyard Golf, although this month the indoor Crazy Golf course is moving from its location in Piccadilly to a new home in the Northern Quarter.

There are also minigolf courses in Bolton and Wigan which are worth a visit.

Related blog posts:
- Dinosaur
- Manchester
- Adventure Golf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
- Trafford Golf Centre

Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre

Playing at the indoor Paradise Island Adventure Golf courses at the Trafford Centre.

Yesterday evening we headed along for a couple of rounds of minigolf at Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre in Manchester.

I last played the course back in April 2009 while Emily had a round on the course in April of this year. The Tiki Hut Trail and Temple Ruins Adventure courses were originally the 85th and 86th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Our rounds on the courses last night were part of the PIAG Open competition running from the 20th to 23rd July, with entry to the contest open to anyone playing a round on the layout. The PIAG Open is also running at the other Paradise Island Adventure Golf venues at Cheshire Oaks, Glasgow, Livingston, Sheffield and Derby.

The Open Championship scorecard

First up we played the Temple Ruins Adventure where I shot a 39 (including a dreaded 7 on the 5th hole) to Emily's 42. On the Tiki Hut Trail we both improved our scores. I settled into the course a bit more and recorded a 34, with Emily hitting a 38.

  

Check out the videos from our visit on our YouTube Channel and on the links below.



We're looking forward to visiting our next Paradise Island Adventure Golf course.

Link:
- Paradise Island Adventure Golf website

Related blog posts:
- Paradise Island Adventure Golf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Videos:
- Temple Ruins hole-in-one 
- Temple Ruins hole-in-one - hole 4
- Temple Ruins hole-in-one - hole 11
- Temple Ruins hole-in-one - hole 18
- Tiki Hut Trail hole-in-one - hole 5
- Tiki Hut Trail hole-in-one - hole 11
- Tiki Hut Trail hole-in-one - hole 13