Dinosaur Mini Golf at Emery Gate Shopping Centre in Chippenham

There's a pop-up Dinosaur Mini Golf at Emery Gate Shopping Centre in Chippenham, Wiltshire on the 18th and 25th April.

Emery Gate Shopping Centre in Chippenham will have an indoor mini golf course set-up on Saturday 18th and Saturday 25th April.

Find out more on the Emery Gate Shopping Centre website.

Lost minigolf courses - The Golfing Hole Adventure Golf course in Swindon, Wiltshire

A look back at The Golfing Hole indoor adventure golf course in Swindon, Wiltshire.

At The Golfing Hole indoor Adventure Golf course in Swindon

We visited Swindon, Wiltshire in January 2015 to play our first miniature golf course of the New Year. The location was The Golfing Hole Indoor Adventure Golf course at the Spectrum on Mead Way.

Emily playing hole 2 - a big ramp that led to a spiral

The course was the 589th visited and 355th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006. In 2014 we visited 46 courses and played 28 of them.

Putting into a machine

During our match we played through each of the obstacles, rather than taking the easier line and putting around the lumps and bumps of the greens. Some of the holes in the pipes were easier to get the ball into than others, with a few of them causing a lot of frustration. The result of our contest was a draw, with a score of 54 each.

Emily putts into one of the factory's machines. This one was really tough

Putting from the back of the green

There was a BIG minigolf loop-di-loop on one of the holes

   

My favourite hole at The Golfing Hole. Though quite what a green 'grass' minigolf layout with sandy bunkers was doing inside a 'factory' I don't know. Very crazy golf! 

Emily putts out after playing through a cabin/site office in The Golfing Hole factory

Hole 13 led into the blacklight area, while the tee-off point for hole 14 was inside

This hole was really difficult as the gap at the top of the ramp wasn't much bigger than the golf ball

Playing out the UV hole

Emily tees-off inside the blacklight room

And putts out in the light of the factory

Related blog posts:

• Swindon
• Wiltshire
• Adventure Golf
• Lost course

Mini-Golf at Trowbridge Town Park in Trowbridge, Wiltshire

There are plans to refurbish the old mini-golf course at Trowbridge Town Park in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

The current course looks to be an Eternit-style of miniature golf, with several additional obstacles on it.

It'll be interesting to see what the new course will look like.

New Adventure Golf course at Longleat Center Parcs

Center Parcs Longleat Forest will be home to a new Adventure Golf course.

The holiday centre has an existing Adventure Golf course that will be removed, with a new course layout being created in the park.

Visit the Center Parcs Longleat Forest website for more information.

Emily and I haven't been to a Center Parcs before, however my brother Christopher and his family have holidayed at Center Parcs Elveden Forest in Norfolk and played the outdoor Treasure Island Adventure Golf course there on their branch of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Toys R Us inside WH Smith in Salisbury

There's a Toys R Us at WH Smith in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

Toys R Us at WH Smith in Salisbury

Emily spotted this new Toys R Us store at WH Smith in Salisbury on a recent trip to the city.

Toys R Us inside WH Smith in Salisbury

It was a nice to see these framed pictures showing the evolution of the brand's mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe over the years inside the shop.

While the last of the original Toys R Us stores in the UK closed on the 24th April 2018 the brand returned to the UK in 2022 with an online presence, and further expanded in 2023 with the opening of nine concessions inside WH Smith.

There are currently 76 Toys R Us concessions in WH Smith shops (up from 39 in September this year), with more planned to open. Visit the Toys R Us website for more information.

Working at Toys R Us

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

Toys R Us concessions in the USA

Emily saw a Toys R Us at a Macy's department store in Fort Worth, Texas and a sign for one at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on a trip to the USA earlier this year.

The old Toys R Us

It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited several of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

Former Toys R Us locations we've been to on our travels:

• Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Gateway retail park in Reading
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• St James Retail Park in Northampton
• Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
• The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
• Western Esplanade in Southampton
• Wolverhampton Road in Oldbury
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby

Lost Toys R Us Stores

My book about Lost Toys R Us Stores is available to buy from Amazon.

There were once 105 Toys R Us stores in the UK. The business ceased trading in 2018 and all of those shops closed. It is still possible to find traces of the brand on some retail parks and shopping centres around the UK. The book takes a look at some of those old stores between 2019 and 2021.

Buy Lost Toys R Us Stores on Amazon.

Crazy Putting Challenge at Hamptworth Golf Club

A look back at the Crazy Putting Challenge minigolf course at Hamptworth Golf Club - the 875th course we visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Putting Challenge minigolf course at Hamptworth Golf Club (May 2019)

Our 2019 trip to Southampton saw us visit 18 more courses on our tour, playing eight of them. One of the courses we had a round on was the Crazy Putting Challenge at Hamptworth Golf Club in Wiltshire.

On hole 4

The excellent 9-hole course was the 875th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 511th played.

We really enjoyed our game on the Crazy Putting Challenge at Hamptworth Golf Club. The staff at the club were very welcoming and we could've easily spent a few more hours enjoying the course.

The Rules of the Crazy Putting Challenge course

In our match-up over 18-holes I won with a score of 41 (20 and 21) to Emily's 44 (22 and 22).

Playing hole 4

Emily on hole 1

I played two further rounds to try to shoot a sub-20 score, but hit another 21 and 20. It's the sort of course I could've played over and over again.

Playing hole 5

Check out my blog post with videos of me playing each of the 9-holes.

Teeing-off on hole 8

There was a nice little Putting Green at the Club too and a number of people were enjoying a round on the big golf course. Big being the operative word, as Hamptworth Golf Club is home to a 666 yard par-6 hole!

The Putting Green

Hole 9 was the longest hole on the Crazy Putting Challenge course

Photos of the 9-hole Crazy Putting Challenge course.

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 3

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 6

Hole 6

 

Hole 7

Hole 7

Hole 7

Hole 8

Hole 9

Hole 9

Visit the Hamptworth Golf Club website for more information on the venue.

Mini Golf at Fayre on the Square in Salisbury

There will be a Mini Golf course at the Fayre on the Square in Salisbury, Wiltshire this summer.

Fayre on the Square runs from Saturday 20th July until Sunday 1st September.

Check out the Fayre on the Square website for more information.

Jungle Rocks Adventure Golf at Adventure Point in Swindon

There's a 9-hole Crazy Golf course at Adventure Point in Swindon, Wiltshire.

Jungle Rocks Adventure Golf is indoor course at Adventure Point in Swindon.

Visit the Adventure Point website for more information.

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

Minigolf at Coate Water Park in Swindon

The two miniature golf courses at Coate Water Park in Swindon, Wiltshire will be reopening this summer.

The 18-hole Pitch & Putt layout and 18-hole Crazy Golf course at Coate Water Park in Swindon closed during the coronavirus pandemic and haven't reopened since.

They're now set to open for play again from July.

The Crazy Golf course at Coate Water Park was the 750th course visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in August 2017.

Adventure Golf at Lydiard Park in Swindon

A new Adventure Golf course is planned for Lydiard House in Swindon, Wiltshire.

Lydiard House at Lydiard Park in Swindon could soon be home to an Adventure Golf course.

Lydiard Adventure Golf would be an outdoor course with a wildlife-theme.

It'll be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Trowbridge Park Mini Golf

A look at the Trowbridge Park Mini Golf course.

My friend and minigolf rival (and sometimes team-mate) Seth Thomas recently swung by the Trowbridge Park Mini Golf in Trowbridge, Wiltshire and sent me these snaps.

It looks to be a type of Eternit-style miniature golf layout.

Check out the Trowbridge Park Mini Golf Facebook Page for more information.

It's another new old course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.