Great Yarmouth's Crazy Golf Courses, by day and by night...

...and closed both times! Probably because we were too late and too early to play!

While staying in Great Yarmouth following the Lost World Classic Minigolf Doubles Competition, and before the BMGA British Championships, we had a wander around and snapped a couple of the courses we have played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour before.

The Arnold Palmer Putting Courses - 9 & 18-holes (originally course played #22 and #23).





By day.




Video of the Arnold Palmer Putting Course at Great Yarmouth.


The Pirates Cove Adventure Golf Course.


While walking past the amusement arcades on Saturday night we did however spot a 'Putt! Championship' arcade minigolf game in the Silver Slipper!




We also noticed that the 'Grazy Golf' (sic) poster on Hollywood Indoor Adventure Golf at the Windmill Theatre that we spotted in May 2009 has been rectified!

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - course re-visit and played course #174 - Hemsby's Stonehenge BIG Minigolf

While in Hemsby on Friday 4th June we made a visit to the 15-hole Stonehenge BIG Minigolf course for a round. Back in May 2009 we visited the Stonehenge BIG Minigolf course (back when it was only 12-holes) but it was closed for the evening.

The course has some very interesting obstacles, including the swinging poles on the first hole! I ended with a three on the hole, but Emily hit a hole-in-one with a beam-assist!











More from the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - course re-visit and played course #173 - Gorleston-on-Sea

On Friday 4th June we re-visited Gorleston-on-Sea in Norfolk to play the 9-hole Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course at Pops Meadow Putting Green.

We originally visited Pops Meadow on the 10th May 2009, but on that occasion the course was closed. At that point the overall visit was number 100 on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

The course costs £1 for a round and is quite crazy to play as the course is felt-less so the ball's bounce and roll is very unpredictable!

Emily picked up the win with a score of 24(+6), to my dismal 34(+16)!








Related blog post:
- List of courses visited and played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Gottfried's Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - 100 Minigolf Courses visited to date!

Old Zeke's Shooting Shack at Wroxham Barns

During a break in play at the BMGA British Minigolf Championships at Wroxham Barns in Norfolk, me, Steve Gow and Brad Shepherd decided to compete in an Old Zeke's Shooting Shack Shoot-out!





I picked up the win, with a score of 180!

Link to other posts about Shooting Shacks played on our many journey's to seasides and amusements around the UK.

Minigolf Reports – Lost World Classic & BMGA British Championships

7th June 2010
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Reports – Lost World Classic & BMGA British Championships

Luton Minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried were in action in Norfolk over the weekend as they competed in two events in Hemsby and at Wroxham Barns, Hoveton.

Lost World Classic Doubles Competition

First up was the Lost World Classic hosted by the Lost World Adventure Golf course in Hemsby on Friday 4th June.

The competition format saw teams of two selected via a random draw. In the 12-team field Emily and her partner, London’s Brad Shepherd, finished in third place. The pair had tied with eventual runners-up Nicky Chitty and Marion Homer, after both teams finished with 18-hole totals of 97(+25). However, in the sudden-death play-off it was Marion who won it for her team at the fifth extra hole. Richard and his partner, Birmingham’s Owen Johnson, finished in tied 8th place with a score of 104(+32).


Emily said “The tournament was great fun, and it was a good experience to play with Brad. He was an excellent playing partner and although we lost the play-off, we were both really happy with our third place finish.”

BMGA British Championships

The 13th Annual BMGA British Championships took place at the 18-hole Adventure Golf course at Wroxham Barns on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June.

The first minigolf ‘major’ of the season was won by Tim Davies from Hastings with a score of 231(-21). Richard had a seven-round, 126-hole total of 253(+1) which included scores of 37(+1), 39(+3), 35(-1), 36(par), 36(par), 34(-2) and 36(par), and earned him tied 11th place, alongside London’s Chris Jones, in the 26-player field.

This 11th place is Richard’s best finish in the BMGA British Championships to date. His previous results in this competition since his debut in 2007 have been 19th, 18th and 25th.


Richard said “Although I didn’t hit my objective of achieving the win, or a top ten finish, looking at my previous results in the British Championships I’m pleased to have done better than other years. I’m also happy to have got a tournament average around the 36-mark on the Wroxham Barns course having previously hit rounds in the high 30s and low 40s.”

Ends

Minigolf at the Seaside - My entry to Visit England's 'Enjoy Every Minute’ video competition

Video - Minigolf at the Seaside - Playing the first hole at the Adventure Golf course on Felixstowe Seafront on a lovely Spring afternoon.

I filmed this video clip to enter the Visit England ‘Enjoy Every Minute’ video competition to win a 10,000 minute holiday.

Here I am enjoying my minute by playing the Minigolf course in Felixstowe, Suffolk. There’s nothing better than a round or two of Crazy Golf at the English seaside, especially when the weather is nice!

Please vote for my ‘favourite minute in England’ video here.

Many thanks,

Richard

Gottfried brothers win the SB Classic Minigolf Doubles Trophy at Tea Green

On Wednesday 6th June Richard & Christopher Gottfried were challenged to a minigolf doubles match by Tea Green Golf's Manager Lester Coles. His partner for the match...Emily Gottfried!!!

In the 9-hole cumulative strokeplay match it was Richard & Christopher who took the win (even with an off putting shout from a fellow player before Richard's second shot on the ninth and final hole).

The final result was 39(+3) for Die fantastische Gottfried Brüder, with The Challengers hitting a total of 41(+5). The win meant the Gottfried brothers won the SB Trophy, kindly presented by Lester.

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Three years and eight months update

To date we have visited a total of 223 Minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf courses on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. 215 of which of been in the UK. Of these we've managed to actually play 172 of them, the others being closed on our visit for a number of reasons (or they were derelict!).

Just under a year ago we made our 100th course visit overall - to the 9-hole Arnold Palmer course at Pops Meadow Putting Green in Gorleston-on-Sea on Sunday 10th May 2009. Unfortunately on our visit to Gorleston-on-Sea the course was closed so could not be the 89th course to be played, and was instead the 12th course visited but not played on the tour.

On Saturday 30th May 2009 we visited Maidenhead and Windsor which accounted for visits to courses that we also managed to play, bringing the tally of those minigolf courses played to 99!

The 100th course actually played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was on our Tyneside Tour in June 2009. The location for the milestone was the 12-hole Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf at South Shields, Tyneside. A video introducing and celebrating the visit can be seen here.

To reach and play the 100th course on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour took us two years, eight months and one week from Saturday 30th September 2006. In the year since the 100th course was played we have managed to play a further 72 courses, to bring the total number of visits to 223 overall.

Luton Herald & Post Minigolf News Story - "Golfers enjoy a mini break"

On page 80 of this week's (27/05/10) Luton Herald & Post newspaper there is a story about our participation in the Codonas Classic and BMGA Scottish Open held at Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Codonas Aberdeen Beach.

You can view the digital edition of the newspaper and the "Golfers enjoy a mini break" story here.

Crazy Golf Course Visit #223 Overall - The Dolphin Pub, Melbourn, Cambs

Last night (25th May) we made a 51-mile round-trip to Melbourn in Cambridgeshire to visit a Crazy Golf course in a Pub Beer Garden. Fellow minigolf course fanatics Owen and Paul Johnson had tipped us off about its whereabouts and as it was fairly close to us, we had to visit.

The course is at the Dolphin Pub in Melbourn and has only 4-holes!?











Video introducing the course visit.


Video walk-around the course.


While we were at the pub, which by the way was nice and friendly and had plenty of other stuff to do (quiz machine, pool table, dart board), I asked at the bar why the course was only 4-holes? The answer was that a previous owner had thought it was a good idea to have a course, and it used to be popular, but had fallen into disuse and was now 'just there'. A shame really as it could be a great spot for a pint, some food and a Putt or two!

The Melbourn area is also home to two other minigolf courses (and a Putting Green), one is at Kingsway Golf Centre, the other at Whaddon Golf Centre.

Previous stops on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour have seen us find a number of other derelict, overgrown and disused courses. Most courses (whether they are open or not) are either made up of 9, 12 or 18 holes, with some centres having 36 holes, and the Arnold Palmer centre in Great Yarmouth has a set-up including an 18-hole course and a 9-hole course. Prior to the 4-hole course in Melbourn the last course under 9-holes we found was at Llanfairfechan in Wales, where there are now only five of the previous 18-holes remaining!?

Other courses under 9-holes have been found at the Swedish Felt B-Run course at Dovercourt, and the Putting area at Trecco Caravan Park in Porthcawl.

Other Pub crazy golf courses we've played include:
#10 West Hagbourne, Oxon (Horse & Harrow Pub) - Crazy Golf & revisit
#11 The Green Man Pub, Stanford, Bedfordshire - Crazy Golf
#110 Tudor Rose Inn, Fordingbridge - Miniature Golf
#168 Sudbury, Suffolk (Maldon Grey Pub) - Crazy Golf
#34(Derelict) Abergwyngregyn, Aber Falls Tavern - Crazy Golf

For the full list and links to other courses visited check out Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

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

Minigolf Courses Played #171 & 172 - Codonas Aberdeen Beach

A visit to Codona's Amusement Park in Aberdeen and the two Adventure Golf courses there.

On Friday 14th May 2010 we played our 171st and 172nd courses on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Both were at Codonas Aberdeen Beach, the host venue of the 2010 BMGA Scottish Minigolf Open tournament.

Course #171 was the 18-hole Pirate Island Adventure Golf course.










Course #172 was the 18-hole Indoor Congo Adventure Golf course.









Link:
- Codona's Amusement Park

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Indoor Minigolf, Crazy Golf and Adventure Golf courses
- Minigolf Reports – Codonas Classic & BMGA Scottish Open

Shooting Shack in Aberdeen - Tin Can Alley

After the Scottish Open minigolf tournament we headed to the rest of the Amusements at Codonas Aberdeen Beach. One of which was the old seaside favourite - a Shooting Shack!

Sadly there wasn't an Old Zeke-style wild-west one, instead it was a 'rat-infested' Tin Can Alley!




Links to other Shooting Shack posts on the Ham & Egger Files.