Tuesday, February 19, 2019

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.


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.

At Dino Falls Adventure Golf last April
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.

Dino Falls Adventure Golf at Trafford Golf Centre

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

Dino Falls Adventure Golf at Trafford Golf Centre

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

Dino Falls Adventure Golf at Trafford Golf Centre

Dino Falls Adventure Golf at Trafford Golf Centre

Dino Falls Adventure Golf at Trafford Golf Centre

Dino Falls Adventure Golf at Trafford Golf Centre

Dino Falls Adventure Golf at Trafford Golf Centre

Dino Falls Adventure Golf at Trafford Golf Centre

Dino Falls Adventure Golf at Trafford Golf Centre

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

Richard Gottfried, Dino Falls Masters Adventure Golf Masters Champion
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

New Adventure Golf course at Cromer Boating Lake

New Adventure Golf course heading to the Boating Lake in Cromer.


A new Adventure Golf course is being built at Cromer Boating Lake

A new 18-hole Adventure Golf course is being built in Cromer, Norfolk and should be open in time for Easter. The new course will replace the old Crazy Golf course that has been at the Boating Lake site for the past 27 years.

We visited Cromer in July 2016 and enjoyed our time at the seaside resort. There are lots of opportunities to play minigolf in the town. As well as the new Adventure Golf course there's a superb Putting course on the cliff top and a Pitch & Putt and Putting Green at The Meadow. There also used to be a Putting course at North Lodge Park, but it wasn't there when we visited.

The old Crazy Golf course at the Boating Lake was the 687th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf at Cromer Boating Lake
The Crazy Golf course at the Boating Lake as it looked in 2016

We're looking forward to a return visit to Cromer to play the new Adventure Golf course and revisit the others.

Related blog posts:
- Cromer
- Norfolk
- Minigolf in Norfolk
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Crazy Golf on Grass in Cromer, Norfolk

Monday, February 18, 2019

Meeting the Dull Men of Great Britain – The Crazy Golfers

Check out the new Lossul feature 'Meeting the Dull Men of Great Britain – The Crazy Golfers'.


Lots of specialist minigolf balls
Lots of specialist minigolf balls - there's a lot more to the game than Clown's Mouths and Windmills

We met travel and adventure writer Elliot Windmill at the Dull Men's Club's Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening held in Preston last May and in July we met again for an afternoon of Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop, Derbyshire.

Elliot Windmill lining up a shot on the Manor Park Crazy Golf course
Elliot lining up a shot on the Manor Park Crazy Golf course

You can read Elliot's article Meeting the Dull Men of Great Britain – The Crazy Golfers on the Lossul website.

Elliot and Richard in Glossop - with another copy of The Miniature Book of Miniature Golf by Mike Vago heading into The Crazy Golf Museum
Elliot presented me with a copy of The Miniature Book of Miniature Golf by Mike Vago. It's now in The Crazy Golf Museum

Links:

Lossul
Meeting The Dull Men of Great Britain – A True Story
Meeting The Dull Men of Great Britain – The Event (Part One)
Meeting The Dull Men of Great Britain – The Event (Part Two)
Meeting the Dull Men of Great Britain – The Crazy Golfers

Related blog posts:
- Lossul
Dull Men's Club

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour newsletter

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Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Ufford Park Hotel in Melton, near Woodbridge, Suffolk
Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Ufford Park Hotel - one of the 859 courses we've visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006

Our latest Crazy World of Minigolf Tour newsletter has just been sent out. If you aren't already on the subscriber's list you can sign-up online.

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Great Orme Family Golf in Llandudno

A visit to the Great Orme Family Golf Pitch & Putt course in Llandudno.


The Great Orme Family Golf Pitch & Putt course in Llandudno
Great Orme Family Golf course has some superb views

In August last year we swung by the Great Orme Family Golf Pitch & Putt course in Llandudno, Wales.

The Great Orme Family Golf Pitch & Putt course in Llandudno
The entrance to the Great Orme Family Golf course is found on a residential street

The Great Orme Family Golf Pitch & Putt course was the 834th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Great Orme Family Golf Pitch & Putt course in Llandudno
There are a number of names for the game in Welsh

Visit the Great Orme Family Golf website for more information, opening times and prices.

The Great Orme Family Golf Pitch & Putt course in Llandudno
The entrance to the course

The Great Orme Family Golf Pitch & Putt course in Llandudno
A seagull on a green

There are three minigolf courses on the Great Orme in Llandudno. In August we revisited the Alpine Adventure Golf course at the Ski Centre halfway up and the Rocky Pines Adventure Golf course at the summit.

The Great Orme Family Golf Pitch & Putt course in Llandudno
When we first visited the Great Orme in 2009 we didn't realise the Great Orme Family Golf Pitch & Putt course was there as we didn't descend the mountain on the town side

Related blog posts:
- Llandudno
- Pitch & Putt
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Minigolf courses on the Great Orme mountain in Llandudno

Link:
- Great Orme Family Golf

Friday, February 15, 2019

Caddies Crazy Golf in Southend-on-Sea

A look at Caddies Crazy Golf in Southend-on-Sea.


Some of my cousins recently played at Caddies Crazy Golf in Southend-on-Sea and my cousin Claire sent me some snaps of the course.

Caddies Crazy Golf course in Southend-on-Sea. Photo by Claire Bailey, February 2019

Caddies Crazy Golf is home to two 9-hole indoor minigolf courses with a retro 70's theme. As well as the Crazy Golf Caddies also has a bar and restaurant.

Caddies Crazy Golf course in Southend-on-Sea. Photo by Claire Bailey, February 2019

Caddies Crazy Golf course opened in Southend-on-Sea shortly after our last visit to the town. We're looking forward to checking it out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - we've played the other minigolf courses in Southend a LOT over the years.

Check out the Caddies Crazy Golf course websiteFacebook and Twitter for more information.

Related blog posts:
Southend
Southend-on-Sea
Indoor Minigolf
Minigolf in Essex
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
Caddies Crazy Golf

Butlin's Postcards - minigolf and monorails

A look at some superb old Butlin's postcards.


I love the British seaside with all its quirks, eccentricity and traditional entertainment. I grew up on holidays at Butlin's holiday camps in Minehead, Bognor Regis and Ayr - and spent many summers in the 80's and 90's at the Barry Island Holiday Camp which used to be a Butlin's camp.



I've got brilliant memories of the monorail, funfair, laser tag and arcades there. It's little wonder that even now I'm such a big fan of the British seaside, monorails, crazy golf and video-games.

Riding the monorail at Butlin's Somerwest World in Minehead
My brother Christopher was recently looking through some old family photos and spotted this snap of us riding the monorail at Butlin's Minehead back in the early 90's

It's probably in no small part because of our childhood stays at holiday camps - and all the fun they had to offer - that Emily and I have spent the last thirteen years travelling around the UK on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We also visited Butlin's Minehead (formerly Somerwest World) on one of our first holidays together in 2004.

Butlin's Holidays postcard from Somerwest World Minehead. Postally unused
Butlin's Holidays postcard from Somerwest World Minehead. Postally unused. Undated

Over the years we've built up a great collection of miniature golf postcards, and we always keep an eye out for Butlin's cards. They're such colourful and fun cards, and seeing the monorail at Minehead brings back many happy memories.

Butlin's Minehead postcard M13. The Monorail. Postally unused
Butlin's Minehead postcard M13. The Monorail. Postally unused. Undated

Butlin's Minehead postcard M15. Monorail over a Main Avenue. Postally unused. Undated
Butlin's Minehead postcard M15. Monorail over a Main Avenue. Postally unused. Undated

Butlin's Minehead - Monorail over Outdoor Swimming Pool by John Hinde Studios. Postally unused. Undated
Butlin's Minehead - Monorail over Outdoor Swimming Pool by John Hinde Studios. Postally unused. Undated

A Typical Butlin Monorail. Postcard S25
A Typical Butlin Monorail. Postcard S25. I also have a variation of this postcard with the caption 'BUTLIN'S SKEGNESS Monorail'. That card was posted on 27 July 1971

It's brilliant collecting old postcards of minigolf courses, monorails and holiday camps as they are superb pieces of social history.

Butlin's Minehead postcard M 28. The Chair Lift. Postally unused. Undated
Butlin's Minehead postcard M 28. The Chair Lift. Postally unused. Undated

Back in the 1970's the minigolf courses at Butlin's holiday camps featured some very big golf balls and tees and make for a striking image.

Butlinland Skegness - Putting Green and Monorail by John Hinde Studios. Sent on 4 Aug 1980
Butlinland Skegness - Putting Green and Monorail by John Hinde Studios. Sent on 4 Aug 1980

Butlin's Bognor Regis postcard B39. Putting Green. Postally used 29 Sep 1975
Butlin's Bognor Regis postcard B39. Putting Green. Postally used 29 Sep 1975

Butlin's Bognor Regis postcard by Golden Shield. Postally used 2 Sep 1985
Butlin's Bognor Regis postcard by Golden Shield. Postally used on 2 Sep 1985

Butlin's Holiday Worlds - Southcoast World. Printed by E.T.W. Dennis & Sons Ltd. Posted. Date unknown
Butlin's Holiday Worlds - Southcoast World (Bognor Regis). Printed by E.T.W. Dennis & Sons Ltd. Posted. Date unknown

Visit the John Hinde Collection postcard website for more information on Butlin's postcards and their history and follow them on Twitter to see lots more examples of their brilliant postcards.

Check out the Butlin's website for more information on the holiday camps.

Links:
- John Hinde postcards
- Butlin's

Related blog posts:
- Butlin's
- Postcards
Happy Birthday Butlin's!
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Monorails and Minigolf at Butlin's Minehead
- Butlin's postcards in November's Picture Postcard Monthly magazine

Rocky Pines Adventure Golf in Llandudno

A revisit to the Rocky Pines Adventure Golf course on the Great Orme in Llandudno.


Rocky Pines Adventure Golf on the Great Orme in Llandudno
What a view! The course is on the right

Last August we revisited the Rocky Pines Adventure Golf course at the summit of the Great Orme in Llandudno, Wales. We'd originally visited and played the course during our road-trip around the Welsh coast in 2009.

Rocky Pines Adventure Golf on the Great Orme in Llandudno

Rocky Pines Adventure Golf on the Great Orme in Llandudno

Rocky Pines Adventure Golf on the Great Orme in Llandudno

Unfortunately it was a little late in the day so the course was closed. It was still really nice to visit the Great Orme and take in the wonderful views from it.

Rocky Pines Adventure Golf on the Great Orme in Llandudno

Rocky Pines Adventure Golf on the Great Orme in Llandudno

Rocky Pines Adventure Golf on the Great Orme in Llandudno

Rocky Pines Adventure Golf on the Great Orme in Llandudno

Visit the Rocky Pines Adventure Golf course website for more information, opening times and prices.

Rocky Pines Adventure Golf on the Great Orme in Llandudno

Rocky Pines Adventure Golf on the Great Orme in Llandudno

Related blog posts:
Llandudno
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Minigolf courses on the Great Orme mountain in Llandudno

Link:
Rocky Pines Adventure Golf website

Thursday, February 14, 2019

New Putt in the Park minigolf course opening at Castle Park in Colchester

A new Putt in the Park minigolf course is opening at Castle Park in Colchester this summer.


The Putt in the Park course at Battersea Park in London
The Putt in the Park course at Battersea Park in London

A new 15-hole Putt in the Park minigolf course will be opening at Castle Park in Colchester, Essex this summer.

The old Eternit Miniature Golf course at Castle Park in Colchester
The old Eternit Miniature Golf course at Castle Park

The park used to be home to a couple of different minigolf courses that we've visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The old miniature golf course at Castle Park in Colchester
The old miniature golf course at Castle Park

The new minigolf course in Colchester is being built by the team at Putt in the Park. We've played their courses in Wandsworth and Battersea in London on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. They also have a course in Acton.

Putt in the Park at Wandsworth Park in London
Putt in the Park at Wandsworth Park in London was the 650th course we visited in the UK

Related blog posts:
- Colchester
- Putt in the Park
- Minigolf in Colchester (2009)
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
- Putt in the Park

New Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf course opening in Glasgow

A new Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf course is opening in Glasgow.


The team at Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf are opening a new indoor Adventure Golf course in Glasgow, Scotland.


Many thanks to our friend and minigolf rival John Moore for letting us know about it after he spotted this sign on a recent trip to the city.

Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf will soon be open in Glasgow. Photo by John Moore
Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf will soon be open in Glasgow

We've visited the Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf courses in Bristol and Leeds, plus the former venue in Liverpool. We've yet to play the Jungle Rumble outdoor course on the site of what was the old Peter Pan Minigolf course in Brighton.

The Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf courses in Leeds were the 822nd and 823rd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
The Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf courses in Leeds were the 822nd and 823rd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour 

Visit the Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf website for more information.

Related blog posts:
- Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf
- Indoor Adventure Golf
Glasgow

New Crazy Golf course at Markeaton Park in Derby

Work is underway on a new Crazy Golf course in Derby's Markeaton Park.


Crazy Golf course at Markeaton Park in Derby
The old Crazy Golf course as it looked in 2014

The old course has been removed and it's hoped that the new minigolf course will be open this Easter
.

Crazy Golf course at Markeaton Park in Derby

The old Crazy Golf course at Markeaton Park was the 550th miniature golf course visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in March 2014.

Crazy Golf course at Markeaton Park in Derby

Unfortunately the 17-hole Crazy Golf course at the park's Mundy Play Centre wasn't open as it was an 'out of season' Thursday. 
Crazy Golf course at Markeaton Park in Derby

Crazy Golf course at Markeaton Park in Derby


Check out the Derby Parks Facebook Page for more information on the new Crazy Golf course.

Related blog posts:
- Derby
- Markeaton Park
- Crazy Golf at Mundy Play Centre in Markeaton Park, Derby