Abingdon bun throwing in the news

It was nice to hear that bun throwing was featured in the Abingdon Herald and Oxford Mail this week with a look at the town's bizarre and ancient tradition.

It was fun that a photo of me throwing a bun at the Royal Bun Throwing Championships in 2012 was included in the piece too! You can see the article on the Abingdon Herald and Oxford Mail websites.

Throwing a currant bun at the World Bun Throwing Championships at Abingdon Vale Cricket Club

The last bun throwing held in Abingdon-on-Thames was in November 2018 to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

That bun throwing was the 35th event to take place since 1761.

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The Arnold Palmer Putting course in Skegness, one of ten courses in the seaside resort

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Update to our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour newsletter

Update to subscriptions to our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour enewsletter.

We love keeping you updated with information on our travels on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and since 2016 we've sent out a newsletter.

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Happy April Fools' Day!

Happy April Fools' Day!

Did you get reeled in by our egg-shaped minigolf story or not?

A spoof story about an egg-shaped golf ball on April Fools' Day AND Easter Sunday was impossible to resist

New regulation minigolf ball

We've heard there's going to be a new shape of golf ball allowed in minigolf tournaments - it's oval!

The egg-shaped ball will certainly add to the unpredictable nature of Crazy Golf tournaments.

Who knows who hatched the ingenious plan to inject more fun into the sport of minigolf. Hopefully we'll find out later today

Popular in our antipodes, the balls are used for the game of Golf Cross aka Kiwi Ball and enjoyed a short trial run at Adventure Island Mini Golf in Birmingham back in 2013 thanks to minigolf star Tiger Pragnell. Unfortunately the test event ended prematurely with myself and team-mate Adam Kelly in the lead. I'm looking forward to using the ball again - even though it rendered any course notes irrelevant with it's ludicrous bounce and roll.

There are thousands of different specialist minigolf balls available for use in tournament play, with hundreds more produced each year. I own a fair few - including a special Ball of Fame created to celebrate the second time the Midlands Minigolf Club won the British Club Championships

With the sport gaining momentum down under it's little surprise that the strange new ball is going to be used in competitions more often. The New Zealand Mini Golf Federation recently hosted the second NZ Minigolf Open competition at Lilliputt's T Rex Alley and Safari mini golf on Tamaki Drive in Auckland. The pro event was won by Australia's Allan 'The Putter King' Cox.

I bet my mate, minigolf rival and North West rugby correspondent Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley will be pleased to hear about the move too.

We've played quite a few variants of 'golf' including most kinds of miniature golf, although we're yet to play the Putt Putt brand of the game. Some of the versions include Pitch & Putt, FootGolf, Crazy Golf Pool, FootPool and Pit-Pat.

A new bus shelter in Stockport

My mate and minigolf rival Steve 'Le Velle' Lovell recently tagged me in a Stockport bus stop-related post on the Angry People in Local Newspapers Facebook page and asked if there was "any chance you could do a Ham and Egger piece on this...".

Well, yes. Yes there is.

I recognised the spot where the bus stop shelter should be straight away. It's on Edgeley Road, near St Lesmo Road, and we play pétanque just up the road from it at Alexandra Park in Edgeley.

On a recent drive up the road I noticed that JCDecaux have replaced the shelter.

The new bus shelter on Edgeley Road in Stockport

All's well that ends well.

A while back I noticed a sign on a lamppost that said the area used to have a tram line running through it

Related blog posts:
- Stockport
- Bus
- Steve Lovell

Launch of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter

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We've been blogging about our minigolf travels since 2006 and in that time we've visited over 670 courses.

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Minigolf Report from the Midlands Invitational Tournament in Nottingham

Gottfried third in the Midlands Invitational Tournament in Nottingham

Leagrave minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried competed in the eighth edition of the Midlands Invitational Tournament held on the 18-hole Temple Trail course at The Lost City Adventure Golf centre in Nottingham on Sunday 30th August.

Richard finished in third-place in the Midlands Club Championship after scores of 34, 33 and 34 for a total of 101(-7). Eleven players competed in the event.

Richard and his bronze medal

Emily played in the Guest Invitational event and recorded rounds of 36, 36 and 40 for a total of 112(+4) and fourth place in the five-player event.

Emily playing hole 10 at The Lost City

The Midlands Invitational Tournament was won by Michael Smith with a score of 95, with Chris Smith runner-up on 100.

The Midlands Guest Invitational and overall leaderboard was won by Andy Wilde with a 91, with Steve Lovell in second place on 95 and Edward Pope third on 110.

Richard said “It's always nice to play in a Midlands club event and I'm very pleased to get third-place. It was very close between me and Chris Smith for the silver medal and it's a shame I couldn't put away more aces on the front-9. I'm happy with how I played and to drop just one shot in 54-holes was quite an achievement. Thanks to the MMGC for organising the event and The Lost City for hosting.”

Richard playing hole 5 at The Lost City Adventure Golf

“Having recently watched three quarters-of-an-hour of Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom really helped my play as the course pipes in the theme tune on a loop.” He added while incanting the word “Kalima”.

Emily said “The tournament was fun, although I was disappointed with my performance overall as I didn’t get enough aces, and dropped more shots than I should have done.”

In the overall leaderboard Richard was fifth of sixteen players, with Emily twelfth.

The Midlands Minigolf Club are the reigning and two-time BMGA British Club Champions. For more information visit the club’s Facebook page.

The Lost City Adventure Golf is home to two 18-hole courses – The Temple Trail and Sacred Skull Pass.

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on ITV News

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour has hit the headlines with ITV's regional news programmes!

Emily and I had a great time filming the feature with reporter Lauren Hall last week. We played the 9-hole Mini Golf course at Tea Green Golf in Wandon End, Luton and were interviewed about our travels and the crazy challenge. Check out the video on the ITV Meridian News website at "Crazy golf fan is playing every course in Britain."

There's a new obstacle on hole 6 at the Tea Green Mini Golf course

Since the feature was filmed we've reached #669 courses visited.

Links:
- Crazy golf fan is playing every course in Britain on ITV Meridian News
- Tea Green Golf

Related Blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Mini Golf at Tea Green Golf at Wandon End, Luton
- Tea Green

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

BMGA British Minigolf Championships 2015

Minigolf report from the BMGA British Championships in Hastings

On the 16th and 17th May Leagrave minigolfer Richard Gottfried competed in the BMGA British Minigolf Championships on the 18-hole Pirate Adventure Golf course on Hastings seafront.

Richard finished in tied 15th place in the 34-player field having scored rounds of 34, 30, 32, 31, 36, 32, 33, 33 and 33 for a total of 294(-30). In the General Class contest Richard finished in 8th place of 15 players.

Richard said “I’m pleased to have scored par or better in each of the nine-rounds and I made a lot of holes-in-one which was nice.”

Minigolfer Richard Gottfried playing hole 12 of the Pirate Golf course in Hastings

The BMGA British Championships was won by Oxford's Michael Smith with a score of 253(-71).

In Friday’s Midlands Minigolf Club Doubles contest Richard and team-mate Ruth Burke were runners-up to John Moore and Brenda Smith, with the pair scoring a combined 66 to finish one-shot behind the winners.

For the second year in a row Richard was the winner of the British Championship Hole-in-One Challenge shootout.

Later this season Richard and Emily Gottfried will be competing in the Splash Point Open in Worthing and the World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings.

Minigolf Report from The Lost City Adventure Golf in Nottingham

5th October 2014
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Report from Nottingham

Luton Minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried competed in the BMGA English Open minigolf tournament at The Lost City Adventure Golf course in Nottingham on Sunday 5th October.

The English Open was played over three-rounds on the 18-hole Temple Trail Adventure Golf course and Emily and Richard tied on a score of 101(-7), alongside Nottingham’s Jam Trubridge. A total of 27-players competed in the event.

Emily scored rounds of 35, 32 and 34 and finished in 9th place with a round difference of three.

Emily Gottfried on the Temple Trail course at The Lost City Adventure Golf course in Nottingham

Richard scored rounds of 30, 34 and 37 and was classified in 11th place with a round difference of seven shots.

Richard Gottfried playing at The Lost City Adventure Golf course in Nottingham

Emily said “The Temple Trail was a great course to play, with some easy and some challenging holes. My round of 32 was a particular highlight. I really enjoyed playing in the English Open and was pleased to finish 9th overall.”

Richard said “I was happy with my opening round of 30, but disappointed with my third-round as I was chasing a podium finish. Great play by Emily again though. I’m now really looking forward to the World Crazy Golf Championships.”

Sean Homer won the BMGA English Open with a 54-hole score of 86(-22).

Emily’s good form continued following her win in the 2014 Holiday on the Buses Crazy Golf Pro Tournament in Prestatyn, North Wales last weekend. Playing in a six-player contest Emily won with a round of 35(-1) to lift the trophy on the 18-hole Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course at the town’s Central Beach.

Emily Gottfried - Holiday on the Buses Crazy Golf Pro Champion 2014

Ends

Minigolf Report from Hastings

22nd September 2014
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Report from Hastings

Luton Minigolfer Richard Gottfried competed in three Minigolf competitions on the 18-hole Pirate Golf course at the Hastings Adventure Golf Complex from the 19th to the 21st of September.

Richard Gottfried putting at hole 11 in the BMGA British Open in Hastings

In the BMGA Players Championship Richard finished in tied 14th place alongside Derek Bentall in the 22-player field having scored a round of 33(-3).

In the two-day BMGA British Open tournament Richard was 23rd in a 50-strong field that included players from Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Kosovo and the Czech Republic.

Richard scored rounds of 33, 34, 31, 27, 38, 32, 30 and 36 for a total of 261(-27).

Richard Gottfried playing hole 12 at Pirate Golf in Hastings

In the eight-round BMGA British Open Team Championship the Midlands Minigolf Club’s 1st team of Michael Smith, Chris Harding, Chris Smith and Richard were runners-up to the Kent Minigolf Club’s 1st team. The event saw eleven club and national teams competing. The Germany 1 team were third in the event.

The BMGA British Open Team Championship runners-up - Midlands MGC 1 from l-r Chris Smith, Michael Smith, Richard Gottfried, Chris Harding

Richard said “I’m really glad that the Midlands 1 team finished on the podium and won the silver medal defeating some very strong teams. It’s a shame I had two relatively bad rounds over the two days of the British Open, but my round of 27 was my all-time personal best score on a UK Minigolf course which is great.”

Michael Smith of Oxford won the BMGA British Open and BMGA Players Championship.

Ends