Nations Cup, Tampere, Finland

On the 10th & 11th May 2008 Minigolfers Richard Gottfried and Emily Gottfried were members of the Great Britain team that competed in the Minigolf European Nations Cup in Tampere, Finland.

The Great Britain Minigolf teams finished the tournament in 12th & 13th places. In the individual rankings Richard finished in 51st place and Emily in 53rd.

The Great Britain team also received Competitors medals at the tournament.

Full details, results and statistics from the Nations Cup 2008 can be found here.






Photos from Nations Cup 2008.

3rd place finish in the MIT!

At the Midland Invitational Tournament in April Richard Gottfried achieved his best finish to date by taking third place.

In doing so he also earned a place in the Midlands A Team for the upcoming BMGA Club Championships in Stratford Upon Avon in June.

Close to the hole...

...or not!

14 tries and the Funsports 7 ball takes the victory.

Squires Gate

There is an area of Blackpool named in my honour.

Alpine Obstacle

A very Ace-able hole!

Bugsey's Shooting Shack in Blackpool

In a twist on the Old Zeke theme Blackpool has a 1920s Mob Shooting Range!

Alpine Open - Hole in One

Blackpool Pleasure Beach Crazy Adventure

The Blackpool Gazette wrote a story about the Pleasure Beach Open on 15th April and it can be found here:

http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Blackpool-Pleasure-Beach-crazy-adventure.3980533.jp

There is also a video taking a look at the crazy golf at Blackpool's Pleasure Beach course and I am interviewed in it.

Two top ten finishes and a new BMGA Course Record in Blackpool Tournament

On Monday 14th April Luton Minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried travelled to Blackpool, Lancashire to compete in the inaugural Pleasure Beach Open.

In a field of 15 players, including six Great Britain Internationals, the current World Crazy Golf Champion and the BMGA British Master, Richard and Emily finished in joint 6th place. Both were tied on 98 strokes after three rounds of play on the brand new 12-hole Adventure Golf course.

In addition to her top ten finish Emily became the Pleasure Beach Women’s Champion and also managed to set the Official BMGA Record for the course, with a magnificent score of 27 strokes, achieved on her third round of play.

Emily said “I was very pleased to take part in the first tournament at the new Pleasure Beach Adventure Golf course, and both shocked and happy to set the first BMGA course record there. I had a fantastic round and I really enjoyed playing the course, which is extremely tricky in places. The Pleasure Beach is a fantastic venue and all the staff and local players were really friendly. I am looking forward to playing in Blackpool again in the near future.”

The Pleasure Beach Open was won by the reigning World Crazy Golf Champion Chris Harding who scored 28-28-29 for a total of 85, second was BMGA British Master John Moore who scored 30-28-28 for a total of 86.

Scores for Richard and Emily Gottfried:
Richard’s Score – 35-29-34 – 98
Emily’s Score – 33-38-27 – 98

Richard will next be competing in the Midland Invitational Tournament in Stratford-upon-Avon at the end of the month; both Emily and Richard will then head to Finland to compete in the European Nations Cup, followed by a return to domestic competition in Mid-May where they will team up in the BMGA British Doubles Tournament in Warwick.

Ends

Old Zeke Kicked the Bucket

You can't beat a go on Zeke's Shooting Shack when at the seaside!

Found on Southend Beach

A boatwreck!

Arnold Palmer in Southend...

...25 years and counting

Very wet weather = No Practice

Top Tip - Don't walk right next to the seafront on a day of high winds and driving rain!

BMGA British Masters 2008

BMGA British Masters Minigolf Tournament Report

On Saturday 29th March Luton Minigolfer Richard Gottfried travelled to Southend-on-Sea to compete against 29 of Great Britain ’s best Minigolfers in the first Minigolf ‘Major’ of the 2008 British Minigolf Association Season - the BMGA British Masters Tournament. Played over 36-holes at the tough Inca and Aztec themed Adventure Golf Course at Adventure Island the winner, with a score of 74, was Newcastle ’s John Moore.

Richard finished the tournament in 22nd place, only 14 shots off the winner and five shots away from a place in the top ten, after four 9-hole rounds scoring 22 – 22 – 24 – 20 for a total of 88 and an average of 2.44 shots per hole. Tournament winner John Moore averaged 2.05 shots per hole.

Pos Name R1 R2 R3 R4 Total Average
1 MOORE, John 19 19 18 18 74 18.50
2 KELLARD, Keith 19 19 18 20 76 19.00
3 HARDING, Chris* 17 20 21 19 77 19.25
22 GOTTFRIED, Richard 22 22 24 20 88 22.00

*Third/Fourth place decided after play-off.

Richard said “I made my debut in this competition last year and I scored a total of 95 and finished 24th of 28, so I have definitely improved this time around. This year my finishing was better, although I did still trip myself up with a five on the 9th hole and left myself some tricky second shots in places, but learning from mistakes is all part of Minigolf.”

Tournament organiser Ted McIver said of the competition “The BMGA British Masters tournament is now in its ninth year and is one of the key tournaments on the BMGA Tour Calendar. This year the competition was fierce as there were very good scores across the field, with a total of 19 players carding scores in the 80s.”

Saturday also saw the latest two knockout matches in the season-long BMGA British Matchplay Championships being played. In the first match Brighton & Hove Minigolf Club member Kevin Botto beat Ted McIver by one hole, while in the second match British Number 5 Andy Exall, of the Tunbridge Wells Minigolf Club, beat Richard Gottfried 4&3.

Commenting on his victory over Richard, Andy Exall said “It was a good match, unfortunately for Richard I played easily my best Minigolf of the day during the match. He did get a nice Ace on the 10th Hole and I’m going to try his line next year.”

Match Referee Trevor Robertson said “It was a great pleasure to preside over the Exall/Gottfried Matchplay tie. There was quality play all round, and the match was much closer than the final score suggested.”

Richard said “It was a great tournament and a really good Matchplay match. Unfortunately I lost, but I did so against one of the tournament favourites. It's all good practice for me and playing against highly experienced players like Andy Exall can only help me improve in the sport.”

Ends

Tenpin Bowling Summed Up

"To love bowling is to be so supremely secure or so culturally naive as to shrug off the pall of utter unhipness that shadows all who celebrate the skill of throwing a 16-pound orb at a single spot down an oiled patch of wood (or something that looks like it) 60 feet long and 42 inches wide."

Andrew Putz, The Cleveland Scene, August 10, 2000

The Running Man - Classic Quote

"WHITMAN, PRICE, AND HADDAD!!! You remember them! There they are now, BASKING under the Maui sun."

According to Damon Killian, host of "The Running Man," Whitman, Price, and Haddad are "last seasons winners" of the Running Man gameshow. According to the bounty hunter named Fireball, played by ex-NFL running back and Hall of Famer Jim Brown, Whitman, Price, and Haddad are "last season's losers." Regardless, these three contestants are found dead and severely burned by Maria Conchita Alonzo in the musky bosom of the gameshow's playing ground.

What's in a Minigolf Kitbag?

A selection of specialist Minigolf balls and a Funsports Putter!

Snow Day Crazy Golf Course

Car Park Snow Golf

“Disappointing BMGA Tour start for the Gottfrieds.”

The Luton News and Dunstable Gazette newspapers featured a story about our participation in the first event of the 2008 BMGA Tour at the Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Club Open and the tournament results on page 66 of the Sports Section in the Wednesday 19th March Edition.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite coming 25th and 26th respectively, the event was a good training opportunity for the upcoming British Championships that will also be played on the Planet Hastings course - a course that until this weekend, neither of us had played before!

Minigolf Season Opener – Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Club Open Report

On Saturday 15th March Luton Minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried entered the field of 31 competitors in the Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Club Open Championship 2008to play 72-holes, across the four Minigolf courses in Hastings .

The winner was Trevor Exall from Tunbridge Wells who achieved a winning total of 144 strokes, averaging two strokes per hole – a very impressive perfect score of Par overall on the tough Hastings courses.

Emily was impressive in only her second tournament on the BMGA Tour and finished as the 3rd best female player and 26th overall with a score of 182 (2.52 strokes per hole). Emily hit five holes-in-one over the four rounds and won through to a spot-prize play-off against eventual tournament winner Trevor Exall, unfortunately Emily hit a two while Trevor ‘Aced’ the hole to win.

Richard finished his 11th BMGA Tour event in 25th place with a score of 181 (2.51 strokes per hole) and hitting 6 holes-in-one, but also scoring two sevens which put paid to his chances of finishing higher in the tournament.

The table below shows a breakdown and comparison of the scores over the four courses of the top three players and Richard & Emily Gottfried.
Pos Player Adv Cra Min PH Total Aces 7's
1 Trevor Exall 35 39 37 33 144 10 0
2 Chris Harding 39 33 36 39 147 9 0
3 Tim Davies 41 35 38 36 150 10 0
25 Richard Gottfried 48 35 47 51 181 6 2
26 Emily Gottfried 48 42 44 48 182 5 0

The table below shows a breakdown and comparison of the scores over the four courses of the top six female players.
Pos Player Adv Cra Min PH Total Aces 7's
1 Jo Williamson 44 40 37 44 165 6 0
2 Sue Forrest 43 41 46 44 174 4 0
3 Emily Gottfried 48 42 44 48 182 5 0
4 Cindy Kukielka 45 40 47 58 190 5 1
5 Marion Homer 46 40 49 65 200 2 2
6 Janette Robertson 51 42 52 56 201 3 1



During the tournament the course record at the Seafront Crazy Golf course, which was previously held by Richard Gottfried was broken by Brad Shepherd of the London Minigolf Club who scored a 28, breaking the previous record of 32 and scoring eight holes-in-one in the process.

The next tournament on the BMGA Tour sees Richard travel to Southend-on-Sea to play for the BMGA British Masters title and compete in the BMGA British Matchplay Championships against British Number 5 Andy Exall.

3rd Place Finish for Ham & Eggers Bowling Team

The Ham & Eggers Tenpin Bowling Team achieved a measure of success yesterday evening by striking a third place finish in the Macmillan Cancer Support Annual Bowling Challenge held at Namco Station Luton.

New champions were also crowned with the Flecney Four out-bowling defending, and two-time, champions Plumbs DIY.

In the 2007 Macmillan Cancer Support Annual Bowling Challenge the Ham & Eggers finished in 6th place of nine teams with a team score of 814, so the 2008 result in reaching the podium is a big improvement.

The scores within the Ham & Eggers Team were as follows:
Richard Gottfried - 109 & 111 = 220
Emily Gottfried - 111 & 119 = 230
Mike Wright - 96 & 126 = 222
Mystery Player - 88 & 75 = 163
Team Total - 404 & 431 = 835
Team MVP - Emily Gottfried (2 years running)

Ham & Eggers - New 'Star' Signings

The Ham & Eggers All-Star Tenpin Bowling Team have signed two new players to their squad in an effort to wrestle the MacMillan Shield from the hands of two-time champs Plumbs DIY.

In the line-up for the upcoming MacMillan/Namco Annual Bowling Challenge are Richard Gottfried (Captain), Emily Gottfried (EBA Star), Mike 'Five-Star' Wright and new-signing the Mystery Player.

Already signed up for a place in the squad for the 2009 tournament is Oxana Nikandrova.

Tenpin Bowling - Macmillan Shield

The countdown is on to the Macmillan Cancer Support Annual Bowling Challenge!

15 top teams, including the Ham & Eggers, will be heading into two rounds of Tenpin Bowling action at Namco Luton to compete for the prestigious 'Macmillan Shield'.

World Crazy Golf Championships Video

Another video about the 2007 Virgin Money World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings.

Scooby Doo Crazy Golf Course

Beware playing at the old 'haunted' Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course in Southend on Sea!

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in Essex

WHAT

3rd February 2008 - Richard Gottfried wins the Irregular Mini Golf Tour West Hertfordshire Amateur Tournament at the TopGolf Watford Game Centre.

Finishing a clear 10 shots ahead of his nearest rival, Richard also lifted the Irregular Mini Golf Tour Wenlock Cup as 'Aces' Champion.

Extra Curricular - Visit the seaside this weekend for some crazy golf

Richard Gottfried was featured in a piece about his Crazy Golf career in the 4th February 2008 edition of The Guardian (Office Hours, Page 3).

The link to the 'Visit the seaside this weekend for some crazy golf' story is here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/feb/04/7

Groundhog Day 2008

Phil Says Six More Weeks of Winter!
Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/08 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Here Ye!

On Gobbler's Knob on this fabulous Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2008 Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators, Rose to the call of President Bill Cooper and greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths.

After casting a weather eye toward thousands of his faithful followers, Phil consulted with President Cooper and directed him to the appropriate scroll, which proclaimed:

"As I look around me, a bright sky I see, and a shadow beside me. Six more weeks of winter it will be!"

Live draw of the BMGA British Matchplay Championships

Here is the video of the live draw of the BMGA British Matchplay Championships 2008.

http://ustream.tv/channel/british-matchplay-championships-round-1-draw

The confirmed draw for the first round is below:

Steve Gow v Rocky Bullin
Richard Penfound v Trevor Robertson
Ted McIver v Kevin Botto
Tim Davies v Brad Shepherd
Andy Exall v Richard Gottfried
Martin Robertson v Peter Emmerson
Andy Booth v Jas Kukielka
Chris Harding v Jam Trubridge
Den Exall v Marion Homer
Seve Kukielka v Phil Exall
Matthew Harding v Ruth Bullin
Sean Homer v Jane Booth
Keith Kellard v John Moore

Anthony Pope, Bill Bullin and Trevor Exall all get byes and progress straight through to the quarter finals.

All first round matches to be played before the 31st May 2008.

Macmillan Cancer Support 'Annual Bowling Challenge'

For the third year running Macmillan Cancer Support are holding their 'Annual Bowling Challenge' at the Namco Station in Luton and the Ham & Eggers team will be taking part for the second time.

This year the team of four are looking to better their 6th place finish in 2007 by beating the current champions Plumbs DIY and taking the title.

More news on the tournament as we get it!


The Ham & Eggers pose for a team photo at the 2007 tournament.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2008 to Ham & Eggers everywhere!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year...

...to Ham & Eggers everywhere!

Gottfried Wins, Gottfried Wins, Gottfried Wins

(Luton, 21.12.07) In the battle of the UK's Top Finger Jousters Richard Gottfried held onto his one-year undefeated streak by beating his arch-rival Emily Gottfried 6-2 in Point Play Rules.

The match started well for Richard who scored two quick points by hitting both of Emily's legs, followed by a twisting neck shot for a further two. However, Emily fought back and hit a two-pointer with a questionable 'low chest' shot on Richard to bring her back into the game. But a win for Emily was not on the cards and by planting two well placed shots onto Emily's right leg Richard extended his undefeated streak to 48 wins since 21st December 2006.

Commenting on his well-earned victory Richard said "Emily has proven time and again to be a tough opponent and excellent proponent of the art of Finger Jousting, but I'm on a hot streak at the moment and it won't be long until I am crowned as the Undisputed Worlds Finger Jousting Champion."

Richard Gottfried's 'Pro' Finger Jousting Record (31.10.06 - 21.12.07)
Played 85
Won 80
Lost 4
Tied 1
% Won 94.12%


Photo - Hands locked and ready for battle.

Happy Birthday Ham & Egger Files!

Today is the first Birthday of the Ham & Egger Files website!

Over the past year the progress of the UK's top Obscure Sportsmen and Women have been charted on this site, with tales of heroic triumph and mediocrity in sports including Minigolf, Finger Jousting and Ten Pin Bowling.

Here's to the next year of sporting fun!

Finger Jousting - Match of the Year

In a match-up bigger than Ali vs Foreman, Andre vs Hogan, Ace Man vs Big Top or Hatton vs Mayweather, tomorrow (21/12/07) sees Gottfried vs Gottfried in a face-off between the UK's top two Finger Jousters.

Heading into the match Richard Gottfried is on a one-year, 47-bout undefeated streak that began on 21/12/06 when he beat tomorrow's opponent Emily Gottfried. The streak began on the same day he suffered only his 9th loss (4th of his 'Pro' Career), which ironically came at the hands (index finger?) of Emily herself.

Tale of the tape:
vs. Win-Loss Record - Emily 2 & 16, Richard 16 & 2
Richard Gottfried Career Win-Loss Record Stats
Played 98
Won 88
Lost 9
Tied 1
% Won 89.80%

Note:
Tomorrow's Match will be played to official World Finger Jousting Federation (WFJF)
'Point Play Rules' see below.

"In point play, different parts of the body count for different amounts of points. The legs and latent arm count as one point. The chest, back, and neck count as two points. The head counts as three points. Point play matches are played to six for tournaments, but when playing leisurely any number above two is allowed." http://www.fingerjoust.com/

Kalkalash

Homer Simpson: Now what do you have to wash that awful taste out of my mouth?
Vendor at the World Trade Center: Mountain Dew or crab juice.
Homer Simpson: Blecch! Ew! Sheesh! I'll take a crab juice.



Mmmm Crab juice, I mean Mountain Dew.

80p a can overseas import, great stuff!

Sir Cliff Richard...On Crazy Golf!

“The most bizarre tournament of the universe” Sir Cliff Richard commenting on the Virgin Money World Crazy Golf Championship 2007, on The One Show, BBC1, 7th December 2007.

“Richard’s Crazy Ambition” Beds Life

“Richard’s Crazy Ambition” Beds Life, The Newspaper for the University of Bedfordshire, December 2007 Issue.

Back Page Sports story in the Staff and Student Newspaper of my 'Alma mater' about my debut season, including a photo of me Putting on the 16th at Margate.

Virgin Media Crazy Golf Photos and Video

http://www.virginmedia.com/sport/galleries/crazy-golf.php

Transworld Sport Coverage, Channel 4, 10th November 07

Coverage of the Virgin Money World Crazy Golf Championships on Transworld Sport.

The One Show, BBC 1, 7th December 07

Coverage of the battle between the 76th and 77th best Crazy Golfers in the World, Colin Jackson and Phil Tufnell.



The link to The One Show Games is here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/theoneshow/article/2007/10/cj_highlandgames.shtml

The link to the BBC player is here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/theoneshow/ram/071207_golf?size=16x9&bgc=6699CC&nbram=1&bbram=1

European Tour Weekly - Official Link

05 Dec 2007 14:00

'ETW 496 - World Crazy Golf Championships - Feature - We catch up with all the action from the World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings.'

Official Link to the Sky Sports 3 Programme 'European Tour Weekly' feature on the Virgin Money World Crazy Golf Championships.

http://www.europeantour.com/publish.sps?pagegid=%7BD872AA1B-60AB-4F23-95F2-E247C40F85FC%7D&assetid=566093

“Virgin Money World Crazy Golf Coverage” European Tour Weekly, Sky Sports 3

“Virgin Money World Crazy Golf Coverage” from the TV Programme European Tour Weekly, Sky Sports 3 on 5th December 2007.

You can see me and 'The Coach' at the 3min 19sec mark!

'Ace Gottfried gets 12th place finish'

Story on page 69 of the 14th November 2007 editions of the Luton News and Dunstable Gazette regarding my achievements in the BMGA Kent Open and on the 2007 BMGA Tour.

End of BMGA 2007 Tour Minigolf Report

Press Information
For Immediate Release
7th November 2007

End of BMGA 2007 Tour Minigolf Report

Luton Minigolfer Richard Gottfried sunk the final putt of his debut season on the British Minigolf Association 2007 Tour at the BMGA Kent Open last weekend (4th November). Richard finished strongly in the season finale, carding a score of 124 over three rounds, just 12 shots off the tournament winner Sean Homer, and placing 12th of 32 players in a field containing some of the best Minigolfers in Great Britain and the world.

Richard, 27 is now ranked as the 34th best Minigolfer in the BMGA 2007 Order of Merit after gaining 527 Ranking Points since making his first appearance in the BMGA British Masters in April. In total Richard has competed in ten tournaments and played 660 holes of competitive Minigolf on the 2007 Tour, which has seen him travel to courses in Brighton, Margate, Hastings, Southend and Warwick.

Among his best results this season were his 4th place in the BMGA Midlands Invitational Tournament (MIT) and his 5th place finish in the BMGA Players Championship.

Richard said “I feel this has been a great year of competition for me, I have played in some big tournaments against the top players. There have been many great moments for me this season including making the cut for the second day of the BMGA British Open; my 4th and 5th place finishes in the MIT and the BMGA Players Championship, and taking part in the World Crazy Golf Championships. I am looking forward to the start of play on the 2008 Tour and some more top ten finishes.”

Richard added “My next three goals in my Minigolf career are to win a tournament on the BMGA Tour, reach the top 20 of the BMGA British Rankings and to play for the Great Britain Team in a World or European Championship.”

Veterans of the BMGA Tour have also noticed Richard’s talents, with Four-Time World Crazy Golf Champion Tim ‘Ace Man’ Davies calling Richard “The most promising talent to arrive on the British Minigolf scene since me."

Richard’s first tournaments of the 2008 Tour include the Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Club Open, the BMGA Matchplay Knockout Tournament and the BMGA Irish Open in Belfast.

Below is a photo of Richard putting on the 16th hole 'Shark's Teeth’ at Margate.

Die Bart (not from The Simpsons)!?!

Can you guess the haulage company?



Clue: It's not Christian Salveson or Norbert Dentressangle.

Driving the DLR!

Isn't the Docklands Light Railway great!?

Scorecards Galore

A wide array of Scorecards from the 37 Minigolf courses played this year!

'Crazy for Loving You?'

In the November issue of Luton & Dunstable At Large Magazine there is a feature on Crazy Golf and top Luton Crazy Golfers Richard and Emily Gottfried.

Check it out here:
http://www.luton-at-large.co.uk/

World Crazy Golf Championship 2007 Photos

A selection of photos from the Virgin Money World Crazy Golf Championship 2007.

Luton Crazy Golfers take on the World

Press Information
For Immediate Release
30th October 2007

Luton Crazy Golfers take on the World

On Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th October Luton Crazy Golfers Richard Gottfried and Emily Gottfried competed in the Virgin Money World Crazy Golf Championship 2007 at the Seafront Adventure Golf Complex in Hastings

Unfortunately neither Richard nor Emily was able to become the World Crazy Golf Champion; however a new Champion was crowned, with Birmingham’s Chris Harding taking the title from Four-Time Champ Tim ‘Ace Man’ Davies. Chris won with a seven round (126-hole) total of 248 (an average of 1.96 shots per hole).

Richard ended the tournament ranked as the 39th best Crazy Golfer in the World with a six round (108-hole) total of 255 (2.36 shots per hole). He also managed to get the joint lowest score of the weekend – a 32 – scoring five holes-in-one in the round on the Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf Course. Over the whole tournament only four other players managed to score a 32 and they finished in 1st, 3rd, 6th and 15th.

Richard said of his score “This was a great achievement for me as it was my best score ever on any Crazy Golf course in my Minigolf career, it was a great feeling to score five Aces in a round.”

Emily finished as the 6th best female player, but 54th in the overall competition with a score of 265 (2.45 shots per hole). In the first four rounds Emily was drawn to play against then Champion Tim ‘Ace Man’ Davies and in the third round both he and Emily carded scores of 43.

Emily said “The competition was great fun, but tough. Playing against ‘Ace Man’ for four rounds was exciting, and it was really satisfying to match his score on one of the rounds. I was really pleased with my performance and 54th place finish for my first tournament. Richard fully deserved has 39th place finish, but I will beat him next year!”

Commenting on the tournament and his opponents Richard said “Chris Harding is a very deserving new World Champion; he led the tournament from the very first round and played an excellent game despite the wet and windy conditions on the second day. Emily was also a very tough opponent and she was only ten shots off my final score, so the final round was very tense to see which of us would come out on top.”

The final tournament on the BMGA 2007 Tour will see Richard play in the BMGA Kent Open in Margate.

Mini Golf Courses Played 06-07

Between 30th September 2006 and 30th September 2007 members of the Irregular Mini Golf Tour have played at the following 37 Mini Golf courses:

Course/Location & Type
Abingdon (Abbey Meadow) - Crazy Golf
Abingdon (Abbey Meadow) - Pitch & Putt
Brighton (East of Palace Pier) - Crazy Golf
Brighton (Peter Pan's) - Adventure Golf
Broadstairs (Lillyputt Minigolf) - Lillyputt Minigolf (Arnold Palmer)
Felixstowe (Fantasia) - Adventure Golf
Felixstowe (Mannings) - Golf FX
Felixstowe (Sea Front) - Crazy Golf
Great Yarmouth (Arnold Palmer) - Minigolf 9 Hole
Great Yarmouth (Arnold Palmer) - Minigolf 18 Hole
Great Yarmouth (Hollywood Adventure Golf, Windmill Theatre) - Indoor Adventure Golf
Great Yarmouth (Jungle Golf at the Gardens) - Crazy Golf
Great Yarmouth (Pirates Cove) - Adventure Golf
Great Yarmouth (Pleasure Beach) - Adventure Golf
Letchworth Garden City - Par 3 Mini Golf/Pitch & Putt
Letchworth Garden City - Putting Course on Grass
Lowestoft, Suffolk - Adventure Golf
Luton (Stockwood Park) - Mini Golf/Pitch & Putt
Luton (Wardown Park) - Crazy Golf
Luton (Wardown Park) - Mini Golf/Pitch & Putt
Luton (Woodside Animal Farm) - Adventure Golf
Margate (Little Oasis Crazy Golf) Cliftonville - Minigolf (Arnold Palmer)
Margate (Palm Bay Café) Cliftonville - Crazy Golf on Grass
Margate (Strokes) - Adventure Golf
Milton Keynes (Willen Lake) - Adventure Golf
Portsmouth/Southsea (Treasure Island) - Adventure Golf (Victory & Warrior Trails)
Shefford, Bedfordshire (The Green Man Pub) - Crazy Golf
Southend-on-Sea (Adventure Island) - Adventure Golf (Aztec & Inca courses)
Southend-on-Sea (Arnold Palmer Minigolf) - Minigolf
Southsea (Golf Links) - 9 Hole Par 3/Pitch & Putt
St Albans, Hertfordshire (Verulamium Park) - Crazy Golf
Stonham, Suffolk (Stonham Barns) - Crazy Golf
Warwick (St Nicholas Park) - Adventure Golf
Warwick (St Nicholas Park) - Derelict Crazy Golf
Watford (Top Golf) - Adventure Golf
Watford (Top Golf) - 9 Hole Putting Green
West Hagbourne, Oxon (Horse & Harrow Pub) - Crazy Golf

Nutters with Putters - Promo Video

Promo Video of the forthcoming DVD release from Top Crazy Golfers Tim 'Ace Man' Davies and 'Big Top' Ted McIver.



Warning: There is some swearing at the end!

Luton Minigolfer continues to improve

Press Information
For Immediate Release
8th October 2007

Luton Minigolfer continues to improve

On Saturday 6th October Luton Minigolfer Richard Gottfried competed in two British Minigolf Association (BMGA) tournaments at the 18-Hole Adventure Golf Course in St Nicholas Park, Warwick.

First up was the BMGA Midlands Invitational Tournament where 26 year-old Richard placed 4th of 9 players, finishing with a score over two rounds of 83, carding scores of 42 and 41. In this tournament he finished just below British Number 3 John Moore and above British Number 2 Chris Harding.

Next was the BMGA Midlands Open tournament, which was played over three rounds. Here Richard finished with a score of 125 (42-41-42) which placed him 15th of 22 players, 16 shots off the winner James Trubridge who won with a score of 109.

Overall Richard scored 5 Holes-in-One in the BMGA Midlands Open.

Richard said “I think my scoring was consistent throughout the competitions, I’m yet to make a sub-40 score on this course but I did get a personal best score of 41. When I last played here in the BMGA English Open I finished 23rd of 26 competitors, so to finish with a 4th and 15th place is a great achievement for me.”

Richard’s recent performances on the BMGA Tour have seen him rise up the rankings since making his April debut to his current position of 33rd in Great Britain.

The next stops on the BMGA 2007 tour will see Richard competing in the World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings and competing in Margate in November in the season closing BMGA Kent Open.

Attached is a photo of Richard lining up a shot on the 16th hole at the Warwick course.

IMG Tour - End of Season Results & Rankings

Following a year of play in the Irregular Mini Golf Tour 06-07 Season here are the final Ranking Positions:

1 Richard Gottfried 3870
2 Emily Gottfried 2815
3 Christopher Gottfried 675
4 The Mystery Player 290
5 Yazmin Harper 175
6 Dave Ronchetti 150
7 Helena Sundarajoo 120
8 Annette Harper 110
9 Jo Tubby 100
9 Robert Harper 100
9 Paul Harvey 100
12 Jon Gottfried 75
13 Russell Fenner 50
14 Bethany Harper 35
15 Zoe Bates 25
15 David Bartlett 25
17 Kallum Harper 20
18 Kate Tubby 10
18 Les Tubby 10
18 Luke Tubby 10

A total of 38 tournaments were played (plus 36 individual stages of the Irregular Mini Golf Tour Luton Cup), with a total of 1,798 holes being played in the period 30/09/2006 - 30/09/2007.

Crazy Golf Windmills of Thanet

The seaside resorts on the Thanet coastline have a fine selection of Crazy Golf courses, three of which are home to that classic obstacle - the Windmill.

The Lillyputt Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course in Broadstairs

A Windmill on the Cliftonville Grass Putting Minigolf course

The Little Oasis Crazy Golf course in the Cliftonville area of Margate

The Cliftonville Grass Putting Miniature Golf course at the Palm Bay Café in Margate

Leading the British Open

For a 'cup of coffee' I led the field of 46 players in the BMGA British Open.

Post-British Open Ham & Egg platter

After a gruelling four days on the Adventure Golf course at Strokes in Margate I was able to relax and enjoy a well deserved and affordable plate of Ham, Eggs and Chips.

Luton Local Impresses in Minigolf British Open

Press Information
For Immediate Release
20th September 2007

Luton Local Impresses in Minigolf British Open

This past weekend Richard Gottfried from Luton played in the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) Players Championship and British Open tournaments at Strokes Adventure Golf Course in Margate, Kent.

Playing in his fourth and fifth tournaments of the 2007 BMGA Tour, 26 year-old Richard placed 5th out of 27 British competitors in the BMGA Players Championship on Friday 14th September. At the end of the first round of ‘Stroke play’ Richard was lying in 4th place with a personal best score on the course of 38, one stroke behind British Champion and British Number 1 Chris Harding and just 6 strokes off the British course record. Making the ‘cut’ to the second round of ‘Match play’ he lost by one-hole to eventual Players Championship winner Steve Gow.

On Saturday 15th September Richard began play in the 10th Annual BMGA British Open and scored a total of 178 after the first four rounds, which saw him finish the day in 35th position and therefore reaching the final the following day.

In the final two rounds before the ‘Super Play-off Final’ Richard scored a 42 followed by an equal personal best score of 38. Scoring 4 holes-in-one (Aces) these scores moved him up to a final position of 29th in a field of 46 top British and International miniature golfers. His achievements on the course over the weekend also meant that he finished 19th of 36 in the BMGA British Championships. The overall winner of the 2007 BMGA British Open was Jouni Valkjarvi from Finland who scored a total of 244 over 7 rounds.

Richard said “I am extremely pleased with my performance in both the Players Championship and the British Open. I was also really happy that I made the cut to reach the second day of the British Open. That was my main goal heading into the tournament. Getting two sub 40 scores in a major contest like the British Open is a great confidence boost and I am looking forward to the next competitions on the tour.”

2007 British Champion and current British Number 1 Chris Harding commented “It's always difficult to attract new players to the Minigolf tour. When you do come across somebody as enthusiastic as Richard, who wants to learn and improve quickly, then it's a real joy. His performance in Margate, on a really difficult course, was full of promise. Qualifying for the final eight in the Players Championship and making the cut in the British Open was a great achievement so early in Richard's career.”

Commenting on Richard’s performance over the weekend Four-Time World Crazy Golf Champion and British Number 2 Tim ‘Ace Man’ Davies, who played against Richard in the first four rounds of the competition, said “Richard played some great rounds in the British Open and is probably the most promising talent to arrive on the British Minigolf scene since me."

The next stops on the BMGA 2007 tour will see Richard competing in the BMGA Midlands Open in Warwick, the World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings and competing back in Margate in November in the season closing BMGA Kent Open.

Notes for Editors:
Richard Gottfried made his BMGA debut at the BMGA British Masters tournament in Southend-on-Sea on 24th April 2007 where he finished 24th of 28 players, and second in the ‘Novice’ category. He has since competed in the BMGA English Open in Warwick and the BMGA Brighton Open.

More information on the British Minigolf Association can be found at www.minigolf.org.uk

Full results and a report on the tournaments can be found at the website of the Kent Minigolf Club: http://www.kentminigolfclub.co.uk/British%20Open%202007.htm


Photo: Richard Gottfried lining up a shot on the 11-hole 'Heartbreak Ridge'
Photo Courtesy of Sean Homer

Worst Mini/Crazy Golf Holes in the UK

Some examples of terrible and tough holes I have encountered on my travels:

A 'pub course' in Oxfordshire!


One of the holes on the Crazy Golf at Felixstowe.


Hole 8 of a derelict Crazy Golf course in Warwick.


And one where I scored an eight!?!


And one that is always a pain.

BMGA Brighton Open

In my third Mini Golf tournament I finished 18th in the BMGA Brighton Open played on 21.07.07. In placing 18th I defeated the current 'number 3' and 'number 9' of Great British Mini Golf.

My scores were as follows:
Rd 1 - 33
Rd 2 - 28
Rd 3 - 32
Rd 4 - 30
Total - 123 (-45)