Memories of The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze game experience

We played The Crystal Maze game at the CC2000 tenpin bowling & entertainment, near Narbeth in Wales back in 2009.

The Crystal Maze was a staple part TV diet during my childhood and teenage years, and it would've been brilliant to go on the show.

During our minigolfing road-trip around the Welsh coast in 2009 we took a break from playing Crazy Golf to visit the Oakwood Indoor Family Entertainment Centre - where we entered The Crystal Maze!

At that time it was the last remaining example of the 'Cyberdrome Crystal Maze' games in the UK. Sadly it closed for good in June 2010. It would've been brilliant to return for a few more games there.

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze was absolutely superb to play. We think more of them should have been built back in the day. There were only ever eight built - five in the UK, two in Japan, and one in Dubai.

Just like the TV show, games were played in four themed zones - Aztec, Futuristic, Medieval, and Ocean. But unlike the TV show players were guided around the maze by Merlin - a computerised Maze Master.

We managed to win six of the nine games we played, and in the Crystal Dome itself we collected 103 Gold and 28 Silver 'tokens' for a grand total of 75. So we didn't win the "super-duper" prize. However, we were first on the leaderboard for the day and got "1st of 1" printed on our souvenir certificate!

At that time the Cyberdrome Crystal Maze was the closest you could get to playing the real Crystal Maze. Now you can play The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience in London and Manchester. The Manchester venue is so close to us that we really ought to get a team together for a game there!

Photos of The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in Tenby (2009).

Being set a task by Merlin

Aztec Zone

Futuristic Zone

Medieval Zone

Ocean Zone

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

Inside the Crystal Dome ready to 'collect' some prize tokens

Crazy Golf at Au Vodka's new HQ in Swansea

There's an indoor minigolf course for staff to play at Au Vodka's new HQ in Swansea, Wales.

The indoor Crazy Golf course is a 9-hole layout and in keeping with the brand's identity is gold and black throughout.

Check out the Au Vodka website for more information.

New Mini-Golf course in Porthcawl

There's potential for a new Mini-Golf course to be created as part of a redevelopment plan in Porthcawl.

The plans for the course are part of wider leisure and infrastructure developments for the seaside town.

If created the course would be another new one for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. It'd also be nice to return to Porthcawl as we haven't been there for a while.

New minigolf courses in the UK

Information about new minigolf courses being built, in development and planned to open in the UK.

Minigolf is an incredibly popular activity for all ages and there are new mini-golf, crazy golf and adventure courses opening up all the time in a wide-range of outdoor and indoor locations.

Whereas the game in the UK was more traditionally a seaside pastime, over the last decade it has grown to be a game enjoyed by people in more urban settings - with many minigolf venues catering to a late night audience.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK?

As at January 2025 there are approximately 1,370 minigolf courses around the UK and British Isles (including Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and other islands). This includes public courses, as well as those at pay to enter attractions, holiday parks, hotels and other 'non-standard' locations.

Developments over the last two decades

When our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the British Isles. Only two of those original courses were indoor venues. Both of these were on the East Anglian coast (in Felixstowe and Great Yarmouth), and both locations still have minigolf courses. The indoor course at Manning's Amusements in Felixstowe has recently been removed and is being replaced by a brand new layout that is set to open in the same location at Easter this year.

As the year-round, indoor game is booming and you can find minigolf courses indoors at shopping centres, retail parks, and in town and city centres around the country.

The game was traditionally played on days out, short breaks and holidays, either at the seaside or on holiday camps. While the game has always been enjoyed by people old enough to pick up a putter, it has become a game played as much by groups of adults as it is by families.

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've now been to a total of 1,075 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, with 1,017 of them in the British Isles. Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book to see a lot more minigolf records too!

Of the original list of 600 we've still got to visit 39 of the public courses. In addition there are a further 150 courses at pay to enter attractions, hotels and holiday parks that we've not yet been to.

On top of these 189 courses from the original list there are hundreds more courses that have opened over the last 18 years! We tracked 320 courses that opened between May 2020 and July 2023. Between August 2023 and September 2024 a further 150 courses opened, or were in development. And between September 2024 and December 2024 another 27 new courses have been announced.

More new courses to come

There are 100+ new courses being created each year - some are on old sites/locations, some are completely new venues, while others are in planning/development, or under construction.

There are also quite a few other minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf courses that are short-term 'pop-ups', some of which have been used as proof of concept businesses and developed into permanent courses. 

A few things to note

Please note that minigolf in the UK is not an exact science and courses are opening, in planning/development, and being 'lost' quite often. Others are being refurbished, and some are completely renovated to the point where they could be considered entirely new courses.

Find new courses

For information about new minigolf, crazy golf, and adventure golf courses opening in the UK take a look at the posts with the 'New course' tag here on the Ham & Egger Files minigolf blog where I regularly post updates about new places to play the game.

Let's talk minigolf

If you know of a new course opening in the UK please do get in touch and let me know.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK? (Update: December 2024)

There are lots of new minigolf courses being built, in development or planned to open in the UK.

Minigolf is an incredibly popular activity for all ages and there are new courses opening up all the time in a wide-range of outdoor and indoor locations.

Whereas the game in the UK has traditionally been a seaside pastime, over the last decade it has grown to be a game enjoyed by people in more and more towns and cities - with many catering to a late night audience.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK?

As at December 2024 there are approximately 1,370 minigolf courses around the UK and British Isles (including Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and other islands). This includes public courses, as well as those at pay to enter attractions, holiday parks, hotels and other 'non-standard' locations.

Developments over the last two decades

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the British Isles. Only two of those original courses were indoor venues. Both of these were on the East Anglian coast (in Felixstowe and Great Yarmouth). The indoor course at Manning's Amusements in Felixstowe has recently been removed and is being replaced by a brand new layout that is set to open in the same location at Easter 2025.

Now the indoor game is booming and you can find minigolf courses indoors at shopping centres, retail parks, and in town and city centres around the country.

The game was traditionally played on days out, short breaks and holidays, either at the seaside or on holiday camps. While the game has always been enjoyed by people old enough to pick up a putter, it has become a game played as much by groups of adults as it is by families.

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've now been to a total of 1,072 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, with 1,014 of them in the British Isles. Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book to see a lot more minigolf records too!

Of the original list of 600 we've still got to visit 39 of the public courses. In addition there are a further 150 courses at pay to enter attractions, hotels and holiday parks that we've not yet been to.

On top of these 189 courses from the original list there are hundreds more courses that have opened over the last 18 years! We tracked 320 courses that opened between May 2020 and July 2023. Between August 2023 and September 2024 a further 150 courses have opened, or are in development. And between September 2024 and December 2024 another 27 new courses have been announced.

More new courses to come

There are 100+ new courses being created each year - some are on old sites/locations, some are completely new venues, while others are in planning/development, or under construction.

There are quite a few other minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf courses that are short-term 'pop-ups', some of which have been used as proof of concept businesses and developed into permanent courses. 

A few things to note

Please note that minigolf in the UK is not an exact science and courses are opening, in planning/development, and being 'lost' quite often. Others are being refurbished, and some are completely renovated to the point where they could be considered entirely new courses.

Find new courses

For information about new minigolf, crazy golf, and adventure golf courses opening in the UK take a look at the posts with the New course tag here on the Ham & Egger Files minigolf blog where I regularly post updates about new places to play the game.

Let's talk minigolf

If you know of a new course opening in the UK please do get in touch and let me know.

Crazy Golf at the Caban in Pendine Sands

The seaside town of Pendine Sands has a new Crazy Golf course.

There's a new Crazy Golf course located at the Caban in Pendine Sands, Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Find out more on the Caban website.

It's another new course for us to check out on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf course at the Rhos Fynach pub and restaurant in Rhos on Sea

A look back at playing the Crazy Golf course at the Rhos Fynach pub and restaurant in Rhos on Sea on Miniature Golf Day 2017.

You can find the course on Rhos Promenade

We began a holiday in North Wales at Colwyn Bay and Rhos on Sea on Miniature Golf Day in 2017. To celebrate the occasion we teed-off on the Crazy Golf course at the Rhos Fynach pub and restaurant in Rhos on Sea.

Holing out on The Pirates Skull hole

The sign has a nice map of the course

Nice to see a windmill on the course

The Crazy Golf at the Rhos Fynach in Rhos on Sea became the 462nd course played and 781st visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The green of the windmill hole has a plateau on it too

In our match-up on the 9-hole course I won with a score of 31 to Emily's 34.

Playing out the windmill hole

Hole 3 - The Squid - is one of two holes on the course that has a choice of cups to aim for. A 'Kids' and an 'Adults' version - both were pretty tough!

The pirate ship on the 6th hole

 

Always nice to see some Crazy Golf advertising

The course has an excellent scorecard with a nice map of the layout.

The course map is a neat touch

The results of our round

Check out the Rhos Fynach website.

"Rules is Rules"

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

A replay of the Prestatyn Crazy Golf course.

I played the excellent Prestatyn Crazy Golf in Prestatyn, North Wales on 'National Miniature Golf Day' back in May.

I managed to capture this shot of the superb course and its classic crazy golf colours during a gap in players on the course during a busy and very warm summer afternoon

The course was originally the 147th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2009.

At Prestatyn Crazy Golf

As one of our local seaside towns we used to head to Prestatyn a few times a year. We went there in December 2021 during the pandemic and before that the last visit was in June 2019.

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

The Prestatyn Crazy Golf course is one of our favourite locations and is an excellent Arnold Palmer Putting Course.

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

I very much enjoyed my two rounds on the 18-hole layout and scored a 40 (+4) on each round. Not too bad considering how rusty my putting is!

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

It's a course that is well worth a visit and I'm very much looking forward to another game there in the future.

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

Prestatyn Crazy Golf

Miniature Golf Days

Each year there are two 'minigolf days', the second of which is Miniature Golf Day. It is always on the 21st September.

The other is National Miniature Golf Day, marked on the second Saturday in May. Planning ahead to next year that will be Saturday 10th May 2025.

Glow in the Park, Mini Golf after Dark! at Tredegar Park Mini Golf in Newport

The Tredegar Park Mini Golf course in Newport, Wales will once again be hosting Glow in the Park, Mini Golf after Dark! events this Halloween.

You can play a round of glow-in-the-dark outdoor crazy golf at the 9-hole venue on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th October, and Friday 1st, Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd November.

Check out the Tredegar Park Mini Golf Facebook Page and the course's event ticket site for more information.

It's always nice to see different minigolf events taking place, and glow-in-the-dark outdoor minigolf for Halloween sounds and looks superb.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK?

There are lots of new minigolf courses being built, in development or planned to open in the UK.

Minigolf is an incredibly popular activity for all ages and there are new courses opening up all the time in a wide-range of outdoor and indoor locations.

Whereas the game in the UK has traditionally been a seaside pastime, over the last decade it has grown to be a game enjoyed by people in more and more towns and cities - with many catering to a late night audience.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK?

As at September 2024 there are approximately 1,350 minigolf courses around the UK and British Isles (including Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and other islands). This includes public courses, as well as those at pay to enter attractions, holiday parks, hotels and other 'non-standard' locations.

Developments over the last two decades

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the British Isles. Only two of those original courses were indoor venues. Now the indoor game is booming and you can find minigolf courses indoors at shopping centres, retail parks, and in town and city centres around the country.

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've now been to a total of 1,064 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, with 1,007 of them in the UK. Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book to see a lot more minigolf records too!

Of the original list of 600 we've still got to visit 39 of the public courses. In addition there are a further 150 courses at pay to enter attractions, hotels and holiday parks that we've not yet been to.

On top of these 189 courses from the original list there are hundreds more courses that have opened over the last 18 years! We tracked 320 courses that opened between May 2020 and July 2023. And between August 2023 and September 2024 a further 150 courses have opened, or are in development.

More new courses to come

There are around 100 new courses being created each year - some are on old sites/locations, some are completely new venues, others are short-term 'pop-ups', while others are in planning/development, or under construction.

A few things to note

Please note that minigolf in the UK is not an exact science and courses are opening, in planning/development, and being 'lost' quite often. Others are being refurbished, and some are completely renovated to the point where they could be considered entirely new courses.

Find new courses

For information about new minigolf, crazy golf, and adventure golf courses opening in the UK take a look at the posts with the New course tag here on the Ham & Egger Files minigolf blog where I regularly update about new places to play the game.

Let's talk minigolf

If you know of a new course opening in the UK please do get in touch and let us know.

A scorecard from Prestatyn Crazy Golf

A look at a scorecard from Prestatyn Crazy Golf.

Photos of the Prestatyn Crazy Golf course

I revisited and replayed the excellent Prestatyn Crazy Golf in Prestatyn, North Wales on National Miniature Golf Day in May this year.

I managed to capture this shot of the superb course and its classic crazy golf colours during a gap in players on the course during a busy and very warm summer afternoon

The course was originally the 147th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2009.

At Prestatyn Crazy Golf

The Prestatyn Crazy Golf course is one of our favourite locations and is an excellent Arnold Palmer Putting Course.

I very much enjoyed my two rounds on the 18-hole layout and scored a 40 (+4) on each round.

It's a course that is well worth a visit and I'm very much looking forward to another game there in the future.

Scorecard from Welsh Dragon Adventure Golf in Rhyl

A look at a scorecard from the Welsh Dragon Adventure Golf course in Rhyl.

The rules of the course

The scorecard had been discarded next to the course - but has been saved and will be entered into the Crazy Golf Museum for posterity

The course was the 146th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2009.