Showing posts with label World Minigolf Sport Federation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Minigolf Sport Federation. Show all posts

Friday, August 09, 2024

Memories of the 2012 Oslympic Games

Looking back at the 2012 Oswestry Games multi-sport event in Shropshire.


Back in the summer of 2012 we were proud to be a part of the Oswestry Games. The festival of sport in Shropshire saw the sport of minigolf included in a multi-sport games event in the UK for the first time.

The coaches and competitors in the Pro-Am minigolf tournament at Cae Glas Park

The Oswestry Games, or 'Oslympics' as they became known, were a mammoth undertaking for the organisers at the Oswestry Sports Council and it was a real pleasure and honour for Emily and I to organise the minigolf events along with other coaches and players from the national tour.

The Oswestry Games consisted of more than 50 sports and cultural events held over ten-days in July 2012.

Minigolfing at the Oswestry Games
Minigolfing at the Oswestry Games

Things got off to a great start on our first night in the town - not only were we recognised while on our way to the sporting quiz night at the town's cricket club, but we also won the bronze medal in the quiz itself.

The bronze medal winning quizzing minigolfers - Marc, Richard, Emily and Ruth
The bronze medal winning quizzing minigolfers

The Saturday morning of the Games saw us organise coaching sessions for locals youth and adult players on the 18-hole 'Eternit' miniature golf course in Cae Glas Park in the town centre. This was followed by the BMGA Oswestry Games Pro-Am Minigolf Classic team tournament in the afternoon - won by Marc 'The Force' Chapman, Steve Sturdy and Chris Powell.

On the tricky Cae Glas Park miniature golf course
On the tricky Cae Glas Park miniature golf course

Sunday was the closing day of the Games and a large number of clubs, regional organisations and national governing bodies gathered at the Leisure Centre for a jam-packed day of sporting fun, games and competition.

Playing the Putterfingers Crazy Golf course at the Oswestry Games
Playing the Putterfingers Crazy Golf course at the Oswestry Games

With a Putterfingers modular Crazy Golf course we took centre stage and had a large number of the public, athletes and competitors from other events joining us for a round on the 9-hole course.

Oswestry Games medals
We scooped Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the Games - and what very fine medals they are too

We ended our trip to the Oslympics by contesting the BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship - which I won!

The podium for the pro-tournament - Marc Chapman, Richard Gottfried and John Moore
The podium for the pro-tournament - Marc Chapman, me and John Moore

Did you know - Miniature Golf was once played during the actual Olympic Games! While it was not officially part of the Games programme, the participants in the Golf tournament at the 1904 Olympic Games held in St Louis, USA also competed in a Putting Championship on a specially built miniature golf course at the Glen Echo Country Club.

It'd be great to see miniature golf become an Olympic sport one day. And we'd also like to see the Oswestry Games return once more. Perhaps when the UK next hosts the Olympics, minigolf will be an event, and Oswestry will host their Games again.

The future for the sport of miniature golf looks bright, with the international governing body - the World Minigolf Sport Federation - gaining further recognition on the global stage all the time.

Back in 1989 the sport (Bahn Golf) was a demonstration event in the IWGA World Games in Karlsruhe, Germany. The WMF is also hoping to have minigolf included in other multi-sport events in the future.

We're hoping to one day visit the Olimpiapark Munchen too as the venue has an eternit miniature golf course that was set-up in the Athletes Village for the 1972 Olympic Games. That'd be a great course to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Saturday, May 07, 2022

7 days to go until National Miniature Golf Day

There are 7 days to go until National Miniature Golf Day.


There are 7 days to go until National Miniature Golf Day.

Check out this post from the World Minigolf Sport Federation about National Miniature Golf Day 2022.

Friday, July 17, 2020

British Minigolf Association tournaments - 2020

Play is set to resume on the British Minigolf Association tour.


British Minigolf Association

The British Minigolf Association (BMGA) will resume the 2020 season with a double-header weekend of events at Dunton Hills in Essex in August.

The Cambridgeshire & Essex Minigolf Club Open is on Saturday 15th August, with the BMGA British Doubles Championship taking place the following day.

The last minigolf tournament held in the UK before lockdown was the 19th edition of the Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Open held on the 1st March. The season-opening Thanet Open had been held in Margate, Kent on 9th February.

Details of BMGA minigolf tournaments in the UK can be found on the British Minigolf Association website.

The UK's next competition in 2020

The first mid-pandemic socially distanced minigolf tournament in the UK is taking place on Sunday 26th July. Organised by the Welsh Minigolf Club the 2020 Dragon Classic will be held on the Dragon's Quest Mini Golf course at Fontygary Leisure Park in Rhoose, Barry.

Competitions around the world this year

In April the World Minigolf Sport Federation made the decision to cancel all 2020 international (world and continental) tournaments.

During the coronavirus pandemic a number of minigolf events and competitions have been held in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the USA, Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey and Poland.

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Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Minigolf to feature in the CSIT World Sports Games 2019

Speed minigolf to feature in the CSIT World Sports Games 2019 in Tortosa, Spain.


A new version of minigolf will feature in the CSIT World Sports Games 2019 in Tortosa, Spain this July.


The CSIT World Sports Games are organised by the International Workers & Amateurs in Sports Confederation, and are recognised by the International Olympic Committee.


The WMF International Minigolf Speed Championships 2019 will take place over three competition days, with medals awarded each day in six age categories in three different speed disciplines on a version of a miniaturegolf (eternit) course.

Richard Gottfried in action at the Nations Cup in Tampere, Finland
In action on an Eternit Miniature Golf course at the Nations Cup in Tampere, Finland

The event will be played with one official championship ball to keep the conditions equal for everybody. The draft course layout can be viewed on the WMF website. The 12 hole course has been developed with a miniaturegolf (eternit) style, but the lanes will be slightly smaller than normal to allow easier hole-in-ones reflective of the fast-paced nature of the event.

You can find out more about the WMF International Minigolf Speed Championships 2019 and the event format on the World Minigolf Sport Federation website.

The CSIT World Sports Games is an international event with thousands of participants that takes place every two years in a different city. It is based on the idea of the International Workers’ Olympiad of the 1920s/30s and celebrated in an environment of tolerance, respect and sustainability.

One of the main aims of CSIT is the idea of Sport for All and the organising of Games for amateurs & workers, competitive & non-competitive, for young & old, men & women from all over the world.

The CSIT World Sports Games 2019 will feature 19 CSIT Championships including events in Athletics, Football, Judo, Tennis, Table-Tennis, Para-Sport, Petanque, Wrestling and more.

In addition to these events there will be 15 CSIT Partner Championships including Cheerleading, Powerlifting, American Football, the intriguing Fireball(!) and more.

As well as Minigolf the CSIT World Sports Games will also feature Pitch & Putt and Golf tournaments.

The CSIT and the WMF are both members of GAISF, the Global Association of International Sports Federations.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation is the umbrella organisation of 63 Minigolf sports associations worldwide with continental associations in Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. There are more than 38,000 competitive minigolf players registered with the WMF via the 63 member nations, with 900-plus clubs between them. Over 1,000 courses are approved for official competitions and over 1,500 minigolf tournaments are held each year.

Emily and I have competed in a number of international WMF events, including the Nations Cup in Finland and Sweden and the World Adventure Golf Masters in England.

Emily holds the British women's record score on the miniaturegolf (eternit) format of the game after scoring a round of 24 (-12) on an 18-hole course at the 2011 WMF Nations Cup in Sweden.

Emily Gottfried playing hole 1 on her way to a British women's record round at the WMF Nations Cup 2011 in Stockholm, Sweden
Emily playing hole 1 on her way to a British women's record round on the Eternit format of the sport at the WMF Nations Cup 2011 in Stockholm, Sweden

We were both in the sport's international rankings from 2008 to 2016 following our debut for the Great Britain team at the 2008 Nations Cup championships in Tampere, Finland.

Links:
- CSIT World Sports Games 2019
- World Minigolf Sport Federation
- International Workers & Amateurs in Sports Confederation
- Global Association of International Sports Federations

Related blog posts:
- WMF
- Spain
Eternit
- World Minigolf Sport Federation

Monday, November 21, 2016

WMF World Minigolf Rankings update

The World Minigolf Sport Federation has updated the World Rankings and Emily and I are ranked in the General Class (Adult) lists for elite tournament players.

International minigolfers Emily and Richard Gottfried
International minigolfers

Emily is ranked 102nd in the Women's ranking list, while I am 408th in the Men's list.

Emily Gottfried playing hole 1 on her way to a British Women's Record Round of 24(-12) on the Eternit format of Miniature Golf at the WMF Nations Cup 2011 in Stockholm, Sweden
Emily playing hole 1 on her way to a British Women's Record Round of 24(-12) on the Eternit format of Miniature Golf at the WMF Nations Cup 2011 in Stockholm, Sweden

In the Women's World Ranking List Emily is the sole British female representative listed and is in tied 102nd place (109 players total) alongside Erika Benka (HUN), Anja Derks (NED), Asta Korpi (FIN), Ana Lopes (POR), Tänia Monteiro (POR), Amara Silva (POR) and Nathamon Tayutivuthikul (THA).

Richard Gottfried in action at the Minigolf Nations Cup 2008 in Tampere, Finland
Richard in action at the Nations Cup in Tampere, Finland

In the Men's World Ranking List I am in tied 408th place (424 players total) alongside Mislav Bjazic (CRO), Joao Caravana (POR), Miguel Angel Hernandez (ESP), J. Hinojosa De Torres-Peralta (ESP), Erik Hjalmarsson (SWE), Arton Krasniqi (KOS), Pawel Larus (POL), Hugo Madera (ESP), Sabri Maloku (KOS), Santiago Paramo (ESP), Jawaharlal Purohit (IND), Jose Maria Rivera Cadierno (ESP), Juan Pablo Ruano De Fruto (ESP), Petri Saukko (FIN), Craig Small (GBR) and Lavdim Zylfiu (KOS).

Great Britain is ranked 13th of 30 countries in the Nations rankings. Fourteen GB players (13 men and one woman) contributed to the ranking.

For the full international ranking lists for General Class, Juniors and Seniors please visit the WMF website.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation is the umbrella organisation of 62 Minigolf sports associations worldwide with continental associations in Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. There are more than 38,000 competitive minigolf players registered with the WMF via the 62 member nations, with 900-plus clubs between them. Over 1,000 courses are approved for official competitions and over 1,500 minigolf tournaments are held each year.

The WMF is gaining further recognition on the global stage all the time. As a member of SportAccord and an organisation called AIMS (the Alliance of Independent Members of SportAccord) the WMF's next goal is to achieve International Olympic Committee recognition.

Apart from the March 2011 list Emily and I have been in the sport's international rankings since November 2008 following our debut for the Great Britain team at that year's Nations Cup championships in Tampere, Finland.

The 2008 Great Britain team - Jouni Valkjarvi (coach), John 'Big Top Ted' McIver, Marion 'Mation' Homer, Sean 'Freebird' Homer, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies, Steve 'F1' Gow, Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried, Andy 'Sarge' Booth, 'Squire' Richard Gottfried

The Great Britain Minigolf Sport Team is sponsored by UrbanCrazy, suppliers of permanent and portable mini and crazy golf courses.

Links:
- World Minigolf Sport Federation
- Minigolfnews

Related blog posts:
- Richard Gottfried player profile
- Emily Gottfried player profile
World Minigolf rankings update (December 2015)

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Sunday, August 07, 2016

Memories of the 2012 Oslympic Games

Looking back at the 2012 Oswestry Games multi-sport event in Shropshire.


Back in the summer of 2012 we were proud to be a part of the Oswestry Games. The festival of sport in Shropshire saw the sport of minigolf included in a multi-sport games event in the UK for the first time.

The Oswestry Games, or 'Oslympics' as they became known, were a mammoth undertaking for the organisers at the Oswestry Sports Council and it was a real pleasure and honour for Emily and I to organise the minigolf events along with other coaches and players from the national tour.

The coaches and competitors in the Pro-Am minigolf tournament at Cae Glas Park

The Oswestry Games consisted of more than 50 sports and cultural events held over ten-days in July 2012.

Minigolfing at the Oswestry Games

Things got off to a great start on our first night in the town - not only were we recognised while on our way to the sporting quiz night at the town's cricket club, but we also won the bronze medal in the quiz itself.

The bronze medal winning quizzing minigolfers

The Saturday morning of the Games saw us organise coaching sessions for locals youth and adult players on the 18-hole 'Eternit' miniature golf course in Cae Glas Park in the town centre. This was followed by the BMGA Oswestry Games Pro-Am Minigolf Classic team tournament in the afternoon - won by Marc 'The Force' Chapman, Steve Sturdy and Chris Powell.

On the tricky Cae Glas Park miniature golf course

Sunday was the closing day of the Games and a large number of clubs, regional organisations and national governing bodies gathered at the Leisure Centre for a jam-packed day of sporting fun, games and competition.

Playing the Putterfingers Crazy Golf course at the Oswestry Games

With a Putterfingers modular Crazy Golf course we took centre stage and had a large number of the public, athletes and competitors from other events joining us for a round on the 9-hole course.

We scooped Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the Games - and what very fine medals they are too

We ended our trip to the Oslympics by contesting the BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship - which I won!

The podium for the pro-tournament - Marc Chapman, me and John Moore

Did you know - Miniature Golf was once played during the actual Olympic Games! While it was not officially part of the Games programme, the participants in the Golf tournament at the 1904 Olympic Games held in St Louis, USA also competed in a Putting Championship on a specially built miniature golf course at the Glen Echo Country Club.

It'd be great to see miniature golf become an Olympic sport one day. And we'd also like to see the Oswestry Games return once more. Perhaps when the UK next hosts the Olympics, minigolf will be an event, and Oswestry will host their Games again.

The future for the sport of miniature golf looks bright, with the international governing body - the World Minigolf Sport Federation - gaining further recognition on the global stage all the time. The WMF is a member of SportAccord and an organisation called AIMS (the Alliance of Independent Members of SportAccord) - who's goal it is to achieve International Olympic Committee recognition for its members.

Back in 1989 the sport (Bahn Golf) was a demonstration event in the IWGA World Games in Karlsruhe, Germany. The WMF is also hoping to have minigolf included in other multi-sport events in the future.

As the umbrella organisation of minigolf sports association's worldwide and continental associations in Asia, Europe and America the WMF has 55 members. The sport is played on an organised level in Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Chinese Taipai, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Kenya, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, USA and Vietnam.

There are more than 38,000 competitive minigolf players registered with the WMF via the 55 member nations, with 900-plus clubs between them. Over 1,000 courses are approved for official competitions and around 1,500 minigolf tournaments are held each year.

Aside from the March 2011 list Emily and I have been in the sport's international rankings since November 2008 following our debut for the Great Britain team at that year's Nations Cup championships in Tampere, Finland.


We're hoping to one day visit the Olimpiapark Munchen too as the venue has an eternit miniature golf course that was set-up in the Athletes Village for the 1972 Olympic Games. That'd be a great course to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Related blog posts:
- The Oswestry Games
- Miniature Golf and the Olympic Games

Links:
- Oswestry Sports Forum
- The Oswestry Games 2012
- World Minigolf Sport Federation
- Minigolf Report from the 2012 Oswestry Games Multi-Sport Event

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

World Minigolf rankings update

Latest minigolf rankings from the World Minigolf Sport Federation.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation, the international governing body for miniature golf, has published the latest edition of the General Class Rankings for the year ending 31st December 2015.

The Great Britain 3 Team of John Moore, Emily Gottfried, Richard Gottfried and Craig Patterson at the 2013 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters in Hastings. The team finished in 5th place
The GB 3 team of John Moore, Emily Gottfried, Richard Gottfried and Craig Patterson at the 2013 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters. The team finished in 5th place

In the Nations Rankings Great Britain is ranked 13th of 30 countries, up from 16th place. Fourteen GB players (13 men and 1 woman) have contributed to the nations ranking between 2013 and 2015. Germany, Sweden and the Czech Republic lead the rankings.

Once again Emily and I are both in the General Class Rankings.

Emily and Richard Gottfried on international minigolf duty
On international duty

In the Women's World Ranking List Emily is the sole British female player and is in tied 98th place (105 players) alongside Erika Benka (HUN), Anja Derks (NED), Asta Korpi (FIN), Ana Lopes (POR), Tänia Monteiro (POR), Amara Silva (POR) and Nathamon Tayutivuthikul (THA).

Emily on her way to a British Women's Record Round of 24(-12) on the Eternit format of Miniature Golf at the WMF Nations Cup in 2011

In the Men's World Ranking List I am in tied 387th place (404 players) together with Mislav Bjazic (CRO), Miguel Angel Hernandez (ESP), J. Hinojosa De Torres-Peralta (ESP), Erik Hjalmarsson (SWE), Marcel Korinek (SVK), Arton Krasniqi (KOS), Pawel Larus (POL), Hugo Madera (ESP), Sabri Maloku (KOS), Santiago Paramo (ESP), Jawaharlal Purohit (IND), Jose Maria Rivera Cadierno (ESP), Juan Pablo Ruano De Fruto (ESP), Petri Saukko (FIN), Craig Small (GBR), Georgij Srebren (CRO) and Lavdim Zylfiu (KOS).

Richard Gottfried plays Hole 17 on Concrete (Beton) at the Tantogårdens Minigolf Club in Stockholm
Playing hole 17 on Concrete (Beton) at the Tantogårdens Minigolf Club in Stockholm

Aside from the March 2011 list Emily and I have been in the sport's international rankings since November 2008 following our debut for the Great Britain team at that year's Nations Cup championships in Tampere, Finland.

The 2008 Great Britain team - Jouni Valkjarvi (coach), John 'Big Top Ted' McIver, Marion 'Mation' Homer, Sean 'Freebird' Homer, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies, Steve 'F1' Gow, Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried, Andy 'Sarge' Booth, 'Squire' Richard Gottfried
The 2008 GB team in Finland

It's nice to be listed alongside my friend Lavdim Zylfiu. He's a great ambassador of the sport and his country of Kosovo. I had the pleasure of competing against him in his international debut at the 2011 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters in Hastings. This year Lavdim is helping to organise the 2016 edition of the tournament on his home course in Prishtina.

At the 2011 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters in Hastings with Lavdim (right), Alan 'Stormin' Norman and Arben Alija (left). Alan and I took on Kosovo's first ever international minigolfers in a doubles match on the Pirate Golf course

Check out the WMF website where you can find out more about the sport, as well as the Junior and Senior Rankings - both lists feature GB players.

The Great Britain Minigolf Sport Team is sponsored by UrbanCrazy, suppliers of permanent and portable mini and crazy golf courses.

Great Britain 2 (from l-r Björn Dinau, Tony Kelly, Richard Gottfried, Emily Gottfried, Scott Lancley, Eirik Seljelid)
The 2011 GB 2 team and coaching staff in Stockholm

The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the umbrella organisation of Minigolf sports association's worldwide and continental associations in Asia, Europe and America.

The WMF has 55 member nations, with the sport played in Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Chinese Taipai, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Kenya, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, USA and Vietnam.

There are more than 38,000 competitive minigolf players registered with the WMF via the 55 member nations, with 900-plus clubs between them. Over 1,000 courses are approved for official competitions and around 1,500 minigolf tournaments held each year.

The WMF is a member of SportAccord - the union for both Olympic and non-Olympic international sports federations, and organisers of international sporting events. The WMF is also a member of AIMS, the Alliance of Independent Members of SportAccord.

Links:
World Minigolf Sport Federation
European Minigolf Sport Federation
British Minigolf Association
UrbanCrazy
SportAccord
Alliance of Independent Members of SportAccord (AIMS)

Related blog posts:
Updated WMF World Minigolf Rankings (March 2015)
World Minigolf Sport Rankings
- Minigolf Diary - 5 Days on International Minigolf Duty - WMF Nations Cup 2011 - Stockholm, Sweden

Player profiles
Miniature Golf Player Profile for Richard Gottfried
Miniature Golf Player Profile for Emily Gottfried

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Minigolf Sport Club Sanremo in Arma, Italy

Photos of the minigolf course in Arma, Italy.

Our friends Karl and Sophia Moles were recently on holiday in Arma, Italy and sent through some snaps of the minigolf course they found there.

Minigolf course in Arma, Italy by Karl and Sophia Moles August 2015
Sophia and Karl Moles at the course


Minigolf course in Arma, Italy by Karl and Sophia Moles August 2015
Action on the Arma minigolf course


Karl told me "I came joint first with 61. There was one hole that was dead straight down the fairway and the green was a circle about three metres in diameter, depending on where your ball stopped there was a code round the outside with instructions on a sign which you had to decode which then gave you the direction to hit the ball to get it in the hole. For example when you worked it out it would say 3cm to the left of the hole! It was in Italian which made it even harder!"

The Moles family are big minigolf fans and always give a course a play if they see one. We've also had some matches against Karl while daytripping in Felixstowe.

The course is a Concrete (Beton) variety of minigolf. We've played a few Beton minigolf courses on our travels. Most notably in Finland and Sweden while playing for the Great Britain team in Nations Cup international tournaments.

You can find out more about the different types of minigolf in the World Minigolf Sport Federation's Starting Out In Minigolf guide.

Minigolf course in Arma, Italy by Karl and Sophia Moles August 2015
The minigolf course is approved by the World Minigolf Sport Federation


Check out the Minigolf Sport Club Sanremo Facebook page for more information.

Minigolf course in Arma, Italy by Karl and Sophia Moles August 2015
The trophies won by Minigolf Sport Club Sanremo!

Links:
- Minigolf Sport Club Sanremo Facebook
- World Minigolf Sport Federation website
- Federazione Italiana Golf su Pista / Italian Minigolf Federation website

Related blog posts:
- Italy
- Karl Moles
- Sophia Moles

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter. You can also sign-up to receive our newsletter.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

WMF World Minigolf Championships 2015

The World Championships of Minigolf are taking place in Lahti, Finland.

This week sees the WMF World Minigolf Championships taking place in Lahti, Finland with 127 players from 19 countries and four continents lining up to compete.

The Great Britain men's team, sponsored by UrbanCrazy, will be in action and they face nine other teams in the four-day competition. You can follow all the results live online - the tournament tees-off from the 19th August 2015.

The 2015 WMF World Minigolf Championships are being held on the Feltgolf and Miniaturegolf courses at the Lahti Minigolf Centre. Good luck to all of the participants, especially those making their debut appearances on the world stage.

Emily and I made our debuts for the GB team at the 2008 EMF Nations Cup in Tampere, Finland and had a great time.

The 2008 Great Britain team - Jouni Valkjarvi (coach), John 'Big Top Ted' McIver, Marion 'Mation' Homer, Sean 'Freebird' Homer, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies, Steve 'F1' Gow, Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried, Andy 'Sarge' Booth, 'Squire' Richard Gottfried
The 2008 Great Britain team - Jouni Valkjarvi (coach), John 'Big Top Ted' McIver, Marion 'Mation' Homer, Sean 'Freebird' Homer, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies, Steve 'F1' Gow, Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried, Andy 'Sarge' Booth, 'Squire' Richard Gottfried

We've also played for the national team in tournaments in Stockholm, Sweden and Hastings, England and we're both ranked in the WMF's international General Class ranking lists.

The GB team playing the Beton Concrete Minigolf course in Tampere, Finland
The GB team playing the Beton Concrete Minigolf course in Tampere, Finland

Emily Gottfried's Minigolf Player 'Card' from the 2008 Minigolf Nations Cup

Emily playing the Swedish Felt minigolf course at the Manse Ratagolf Club in Tampere, Finland
Emily playing the Swedish Felt minigolf course at the Manse Ratagolf Club in Tampere, Finland

Richard Gottfried's Minigolf Player 'Card' from the 2008 Minigolf Nations Cup

Receiving some tips on the Middle Hill Eternit Miniaturegolf hole from Crazy Golf legend Tim 'Ace Man' Davies
Receiving some tips on the Middle Hill Eternit Miniaturegolf hole from Crazy Golf legend Tim 'Ace Man' Davies

In international minigolf action in Tampere, Finland
In international minigolf action

Playing an incredibly long Feltgolf hole in Finland as Steve 'F1' Gow looks on
Playing an incredibly long Feltgolf hole in Finland as Steve 'F1' Gow looks on

The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the umbrella organisation of Minigolf sports association's worldwide and continental associations in Asia, Europe and America.

Following the recent WMF Delegates Conference eight new national minigolf federations were accepted into memebership, with Belarus, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Togo, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam joining the existing 47 members. And this year New Zealand and Kenya are appearing in an international tournament for the first time.

The WMF is a member of SportAccord - the union for both Olympic and non-Olympic international sports federations, and organisers of international sporting events. The WMF is also a member of AIMS, the Alliance of Independent Members of SportAccord.



Check out the links below for more on the 2015 WMF World Minigolf Championships.

Links:
- WMF World Minigolf Championships website
- WMF World Minigolf Championships on Facebook
- World Minigolf Sport Federation website
- World Minigolf Sport Federation on Facebook
- British Minigolf Association website
- Great Britain Minigolf Sport Team on Facebook
- Lahti Minigolf Centre website

Related blog posts:
- Course Played #50 Tampere, Finland - Beton
- Course Played #51 Tampere, Finland - Eternit
- Course Played #52 Tampere, Finland - Swedish Felt (including the 'Story of the Rotten Shark'!)

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Updated WMF World Minigolf Rankings

Latest World Minigolf Sport Rankings Published.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation has released the latest editions of the World Minigolf Ranking Lists.

Emily and I are both ranked in the General Class lists (dated 1st March 2015).

The Great Britain 3 Team of John Moore, Emily Gottfried, Richard Gottfried and Craig Patterson at the 2013 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters in Hastings
The Great Britain 3 Team of John Moore, Emily Gottfried, Richard Gottfried and Craig Patterson at the 2013 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters in Hastings. The team finished in 5th place

In the Women's World Ranking List Emily is in tied 110th place (116 players) together with Erika Benke (HUN), Ana Lopes (POR), Tänia Monteiro (POR), Phuthita Puhsombatsak (THA), Kinga Szekretar (HUN) and Erika Takashima (JPN).

Minigolfer Emily Gottfried in Stockholm, Sweden
Emily on her way to a British Women's Record Round of 24(-12) on the Eternit format of Miniature Golf at the WMF Nations Cup in 2011

In the Men's World Ranking List I am in tied 409th place (420 players) alongside Takaya Asao (JPN), Mislav Bjazic (CRO), Jose Ferreira (POR), Hiroyuki Honda (JPN), Arton Krasniqi (KOS) Pawel Larus (POL), Tiger (Alex) Pragnell (GBR), Jawaharlal Purohit (IND), Craig Small (GBR) and Georgij Srebren (CRO).

Richard Gottfried playing the Beton Minigolf course in Stockholm, Sweden at the WMF Nations Cup in 2011
Playing the Beton Minigolf course in Stockholm, Sweden at the WMF Nations Cup in 2011

In the General Class Nation Rankings Great Britain is 16th of 29 countries. Germany, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic make up the top five.

The Great Britain Minigolf Sport Team is sponsored by UrbanCrazy, suppliers of permanent and portable mini and crazy golf courses.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the umbrella organisation of Minigolf sports association's worldwide and continental associations in Asia, Europe and America.

There are more than 38,000 competitive minigolf players registered with the WMF via the 47 member nations, with 900-plus clubs between them. Over 1,000 courses are approved for official competitions and around 1,500 minigolf tournaments held each year.

The WMF is a member of SportAccord - the union for both Olympic and non-Olympic international sports federations, and organisers of international sporting events. The WMF is also a member of AIMS, the Alliance of Independent Members of SportAccord.

The WMF has members in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Chinese Taipai, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and the USA.

There are further registrar members whose affiliations are in progress in Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Togo, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

Visit the WMF websiteFacebook page and Twitter for more info.

Check out my blog post about UK Mini Golf Competitions in 2015 and the WMF website for details of international competitions.

Links:
World Minigolf Sport Federation
European Minigolf Sport Federation
British Minigolf Association
UrbanCrazy
SportAccord
- Alliance of Independent Members of SportAccord (AIMS)

WMF Ranking Lists:
General Class
Youth
Senior

Related blog posts:
- World Minigolf Sport Rankings
UK Mini Golf Competitions in 2015

Player profiles
Miniature Golf Player Profile for Richard Gottfried
Miniature Golf Player Profile for Emily Gottfried

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.