Upminster (Hall Lane) - Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Visit - Derelict Course

On Sunday 11th July 2010 we headed to Upminster on our way home from Southend on Sea.

We had heard from London Minigolf Club member (and St George's Day Classic Champion) Gareth Holmes that there was a 9-hole Miniature Golf / Crazy Golf course on Hall Lane - he had played there last summer.

However, the course was most definitely closed on our visit (and by the looks of it, and the sign on the gate, it had been for some time).










View other courses visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Link to a blog post about other Mini Golf, Crazy Golf and Adventure Golf courses in and around London.

Brentwood (King George Playing Fields) - Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Visit - Course Unable to be Opened!?

On our way to Southend on Sea on Saturday 10th July 2010 we had a check online to see if Brentwood was home to any minigolf or crazy golf courses, and we were in luck!

At the King George Playing Fields in Brentwood, Essex, there is a fine looking 18-hole Miniature Golf course. However it was not to be the 182nd course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour*, but would be added to the long-line of course visits that end in disappointment as the course was only open between 11am and 3pm.








I'm not too sure when I'll next be in Brentwood between 11am and 3pm. Hopefully I'll get to play the course in the future, as me and Emily were looking forward to a competitive round.

* The eventual 182nd course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the 18-hole Novelty Golf course at Billericay's Lake Meadows Park.

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

Non-courses on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour (plus one 'not sure') - Hornchurch, Romford and Havering

While touring the UK on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour we get to visit some great towns, cities and villages; meet some great people; and best of all play lots of Minigolf in all it's many guises.

However, on our travels we have often found that courses that should (or did once) exist are no longer there (or have very little trace of their remains). In the cases of the three courses we attempted to seek out below we found that they no longer exist:

- Hornchurch (Harrow Lodge Park) - Minigolf/Miniature Golf - Did not exist!?


- Hornchurch (Haynes Park) - Minigolf/Miniature Golf - Did not exist!?



- Romford (Harold Wood Park) - Mini Golf - Did not exist!?
So, if you are venturing out to any of the locations in the hope of a round of Miniature Golf, it's probably best not to!

If however you're reading this and have any information on the history of the courses above do let me know?

There was also another Miniature Golf course in Havering, at Central Park, however our time touring Essex on the 10th and 11th July 2010 was fading fast and we had to give up the search.


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

Wickford Memorial Park, Wickford, Essex - Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Visit - Derelict Course

Following our visit to the Novelty Golf course in Billericay's Lake Meadows Park in Essex on Saturday 10th July 2010, we headed to Wickford Memorial Park, Wickford, Essex to seek out another 'Novelty Golf' course.



Unfortunately this course was an 18-hole derelict.

















Speaking to some locals at the park, we found out that the 18-hole course had been abandoned some time ago, and it is no longer used. A real shame, as it was easily accessible and the park was a fair size too.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Minigolf and Crazy Golf in Essex

Novelty Golf in Billericay (Lake Meadows Park) - Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Visit #182

The 182nd course that we managed to visit and play on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the 18-hole 'Novelty Golf' course at Billericay's Lake Meadows Park in Essex on Saturday 10th July 2010.


The price to play the course was only 75p per round (with a refundable £1 deposit for equipment per player). That's just 4p per hole!

The course was not in the greatest of conditions, but was actually surprisingly still fun to play! Concrete (and felt-less) courses with wear and tear are always difficult to play, but I did still manage five holes-in-one and a total score of 39(+3). Emily managed a 49(+13).
The 4th/5th holes were very interesting as they were a cross-over hole. With the bridge on the 5th containing a hole down to the pipe on the 4th if you were unlucky enough to drop down!







Hole 10 was certainly 'novel' too, as it contained two holes on the 'green' itself!?










The Novelty Golf course in Lake Meadows Park was almost exactly the same as the (unfortunately) derelict Novelty Golf course in Wickford Memorial Park that we visited later the same day. Speaking to some locals in Wickford, the 18-hole course had been abandoned some time ago, and it is no longer used. A real shame, as it was easily accessible and the park was a fair size too.

Lake Meadows park also had a large Pitch & Putt course that was called 'Miniature Golf'. Unfortunately we didn't have time to play it.



Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Minigolf and Crazy Golf in Essex

Filey - Ocean Drive Crazy Golf - Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Played #56 (from the Archives)

On the same Northern Roadtrip that saw us play at the 9-hole Minigolf course in Coalville, Leicestershire, and the 9-hole Adventure Golf course in Scarborough, we also played the 9-hole Ocean Drive Crazy Golf course in Filey, North Yorkshire.


The visit on the 15th June 2008 was the 56th course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

In our match-up me and Daniel Marsh both scored 22(+4), with Emily on 27(+9). This forced a play-off, which was played on hole three. I scored a two, while Daniel scored a three, meaning I took the victory.





It was a good course, with some interesting bounce/rebound from the rope border. A great Lobster obstacle was a real focal point of the course!

Scarborough - Adventure Golf - Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Played #55 (from the Archives)

Back in June 2008 we visited Scarborough, North Yorkshire, while on a roadtrip to Northallerton.

On the seafront there is a 9-hole Adventure Golf course, which was the location for our competitive round of minigolf, and the 55th course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Emily scored a 29(+11) to take the win, I scored a 34(+16) for the runner-up spot, and third was our friend Daniel Marsh on 38(+20).






On the same Roadtrip we also played the 9-hole Minigolf course in Coalville, Leicestershire, and the 9-hole Crazy Golf course in Filey, North Yorkshire.

Duck Curry Supper - A Minigolf Recipe for Disaster or Success?

BMGA Tour Rookie (and Minigolf Blogger) Oliver 'The Machine' Florence has been talking about his pre-tournament diet and restaurant visiting regimen since his BMGA Tour Debut back at the BMGA National Open in January 2010.

Eager to improve, Ollie has been asking for hints and tips on both his game, and his diet, ahead of tournaments, and is partial to a Mild Curry before a big competition!

Back in April Florence asked his blog-readers to vote on a suitable pre-match meal, the results of which pointed to having a 'Chicken curry supper' ahead of the BMGA Scottish Open in May (where The Machine finished 20th).

While in Worthing for the BMGA British Matchplay Championships Ollie was unable to join us for a Curry at Le Spice (which offers Gluten Free options!) instead heading off to a Stag Do in Brighton (that wasn't reached due to 'unforeseen circumstances'!?).

I opted for an unusual approach and plumped for a Duck Curry - rather than Ham & Eggs, or a juicy rib-eye steak (my usual pre-competition choices) - which may, or may not, have played a part in my runner-up spot in the BMGA British Matchplay Championships itself!

As somewhat of an expert on the dining habits of the minigolfer I am quoted as saying in Ollie's blog post about his change of diet "Florence ponders diet change to break tournament duck" "...I don’t think there’s much rhyme or reason behind pre-match food routines though. Ollie should stick with his pre-match curries and keep on practising and he’ll get there. It’s about how you play on the course on the day that counts, not what you’ve filled up with on the night before."

Gottfried's Minigolf Report in the Luton News - BMGA British Matchplay Championships 2010

My latest minigolf tournament report, from the BMGA British Matchplay Championships in Worthing, is in this week's Luton News and Dunstable Gazette newspapers.

You can also read the story on the LutonToday.co.uk website - "Gottfried beaten in BMGA British Matchplay Championships final."