Bracknell Crazy Golf - Jocks Lane Park - Minigolf Course Played #254

The second minigolf course of the day played on Friday 15th July 2011 was at Bracknell's Jocks Lane Park.

There is an 18-hole Crazy Golf course there, which actually consists of two 9-hole courses. The front-nine holes are Swedish Felt B-Run type Miniature Golf, while the back-nine holes are a farm-themed Crazy Golf course.

In our Irregular Mini Golf Tour Match-up...I defeated Emily.

The park is also home to a Miniature Railway, organised by the Bracknell Railway Society.

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Go for 'broke' at Ladbrokes in Stevenage Old Town - Missing Letters Sign

This is probably the best sign 'fail' that I've spotted to date. It's brilliant.

Maidenhead Adventure Golf - Minigolf Course Played #253

On Friday 15th July 2011 we visited the brand new Adventure Golf course in Maidenhead.

The course was the 253rd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and is located at the Maidenhead Golf Centre.

The course is a 9-hole set-up featuring bunkers and water hazards and is very good fun.

In our Irregular Mini Golf Tour Match-up...Emily defeated me 26-28.

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Cwmbran Table Tennis Classic 2011

The traditional curtain-raiser ahead of the Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament) is a side-tournament in A.N. Other Sport or Game. Last year we played a Darts tournament, and in 2009 we played Boules.

However, this year the side-event took place after the main-event at the 2011 Cwmbran Table Tennis Classic.

In the final match Seve Kukielka defeated (destroyed) me, 21-3 in a not close at all Final. In doing so Seve became a two-time Side-Tournament Champion, having won the 2009 Boules Tournament in Swansea (Abertawe), where he also beat me in the final.

Jas beat Cindy in the third/fourth place play-off match.

The tournament saw each of the six players drawn into two groups, with each player playing each other once, with the winner from Group A taking on Group B's runner-up and vice versa.

The group matches were played to 11 points, with the semi-finals and final played to 21.

In Group A:
Richard lost to Cindy 11-8
Cindy beat Emily 11-6
Emily lost to Richard 11-5

Group A Winner - Cindy
Group A Runner-up - Richard

In Group B:
Seve lost to Jas 11-4
Jas beat Leo 13-11
Leo lost to Seve 11-6

Group B Winner - Jas
Group B Runner-up - Seve

Semi-Finals
Cindy lost to Seve 21-14
Jas lost to Richard 21-18

3rd/4th Play-Off
Jas beat Cindy 11-6

Final
Seve beat Richard 21-3

Photo: A shell-shocked Richard attempts to score a point against the merciless Seve

Photo: Seve receives the Cwmbran Table Tennis Classic Tournament Trophy from Emily

The 2012 Side-Tournament Sport or Game is undecided, suggestions welcome?

Cwmbran Darts Classic 2010

Boules Invitational Tournament 2009

A BIG Minigolf Roadtrip: Stonehenge Minigolf in Larkhill (& Hemsby). Plus visits to Maidenhead, Bracknell & Andover

Heading across to Wales to compete in the 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament), Emily and I were planning on visiting and playing the Minigolf course at the Stonehenge Golf Centre in Larkhill, Wiltshire on Friday 15th July 2011.

Last week I had noticed that a Ham & Egger Files Blog Post about the Stonehenge BIG Mini Golf in Hemsby, Norfolk, had been linked to in a Blog Post on the Clonehenge Blog - which is "A blog about Stonehenge Replicas". The Clonehenge Blog is also on the lookout for more photos of 'Stonehenge' Golf courses, so if you do see one let them know. One of the other links on the Clonehenge Blog was to a previous Blog Post of theirs about the Stonehenge Golf Centre - a course I was previously unaware of!

Me at the Stonehenge BIG Mini Golf in Hemsby in June 2010

Interestingly the course at the Stonehenge Golf Centre is a Beton-style Miniature Golf course, more commonly found in mainland Europe, so I was intrigued to see what condition the course was in, as they are very good types of course to practice on, as they are very very tough (as we have found when on International Minigolf Duty).

Prior to reaching the Stonehenge Golf Centre in Larkhill I remembered that a new Adventure Golf course had recently opened in Maidenhead at the Maidenhead Golf Centre. So we headed there to have a game. That course became the 253rd course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We then headed back on the road, and our next location of Bracknell, where we had spotted on the MiniatureGolfer.com List of Courses that there was a Crazy Golf course at Jocks Lane Recreation Ground.

There was indeed a course there, which turned out to be an 18-hole course consisting of 9-holes of Swedish Felt B-Run and a 9-hole Farm-themed Minigolf layout. This was the 254th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

So, with two new course visits under our belts we set off again to visit the Stonehenge Golf Centre.

However, just ten or so minutes away, and with time running out to reach Larkhill before they closed for the day, we took a wrong turn and ended up on the road to Andover!

With no junctions to make a u-turn we decided to head to Andover as, once again, the MiniatureGolfer.com Course List had come up trumps and showed a Crazy Golf course at the Charlton Lakeside Pavilion. Luckily for us it was still there and was open until 8pm! So, we had a game there.

Interestingly, the course's second hole housed a Dolmen - which is what Stonehenge is a collection of!

I remember I had once had a discussion with Anthony Pope, from the excellent Splash Point Mini Golf course in Worthing (course played #181), about Dolmen as he was considering adding one to the course.

I also found an interesting way to Ace the 18th hole on the Andover Crazy Golf course.

With the time past 7pm we were too late to play at the Stonehenge Golf Centre in Larkhill, but still decided to head along to have a look to see if we could snatch a look at the course from beyond the fence.

We couldn't.

But we did spot a Putting course at the centre.

We then headed back on the road to Wales, and decided to drive past the real Stonehenge on the way. The car park was closed so there was nowhere to park up, but Emily did manage to grab the photo below.

I had visited Stonehenge with my family when I was a child, but Emily had never been, so it was a nice bonus to have a quick visit of sorts. We were both amazed at how close the road actually is to it, and unlike its neighbour, Woodhenge, was actually very visible to passing drivers.

As another bonus before we reached Wales, we also got to have a very nice two-course meal at The Barge Inn at Seend Cleeve, Wiltshire, which offers a great Gluten Free Menu for Coeliacs.

Our eight hour journey to Wales turned up some interesting 'finds' and was a nice start to a long weekend of fun in Cwmbran, Newport, Clevedon and Weston-Super-Mare.

Writing this blog post also reminded me of a Minigolf and Stonehenge-related story I had seen before with claims that Stonehenge was ‘part of crazy golf course for race of giant humans’.

Links:
Another closed course – Stonehenge, Hemsby

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

Hemsby Stonehenge BIG mini golf - course revisit - 4th June 2011

Clonehenge Blog

More from the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

A new photo blog that's NOT about Minigolf, by a fellow Minigolfer!

My Minigolf rival and fellow Great Britain Minigolf Team member Marion 'Double Trouble' Homer recently started a new photo blog called The Daily Clicker Project.

As Marion says in the blog's first post, the project "will challenge and develop my photographic skills and hopefully be of interest to others!".

So far the photographic subjects have been pencils, flowers and a pair of trainers!

Marion is a keen photographer and has been snapping away at Minigolf events for a number of years.

Please do check out The Daily Clicker Project.

Minigolf Report – Richard Gottfried wins the 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)

18th July 2011
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Report – Richard Gottfried wins the 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)

Luton Minigolfer Richard Gottfried won the third-annual Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament) on Saturday 16th July.

The eight-player invitational tournament was held over five nine-hole rounds at three courses in Newport, Wales. Richard won the competition with a total of 114.

At the 9-hole Tredegar Park Minigolf course Richard scored rounds of 24, 20 and a course record of 18, to head to the Celtic Manor Adventure Golf courses trailing Cwmbran’s Seve Kukielka by three shots. At Celtic Manor’s Celtic Challenge course Richard hit a round of 21 to set another course record and followed this up with a 31 on the Kingdom of Legends course to finish four-shots clear of Seve Kukielka.

Seve Kukielka was runner-up for the second year running with a score of 118, with 2009 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg champion Jas Kukielka picking up the bronze medal with a score of 121.

Emily Gottfried was also in action at the event and finished in fourth-place with a score of 131, ten shots off third-placed Jas Kukielka.

Richard said “I am very pleased to have won such a great title against some great opponents. The Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg is one of my favourite events of the year and the format of playing a mix of such different Minigolf courses in the competition makes it very interesting. Hard luck to Seve though, who played incredible well in the morning’s three rounds at Tredegar Park. I’m looking forward defending the title in what will be another highly competitive tournament next year.”

Ends

Minigolf Report from the 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)

Minigolf Report
2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)

Luton’s Richard Gottfried wins the 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg in Newport

The 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament) was played out over five rounds and 45-holes, on three minigolf courses, on Saturday 16th July 2011.

Luton’s Richard Gottfried won the title in the eight player field with a total score of 114(+24), four shots clear of 2010 Runner-up Cwmbran’s Seve Kukielka on 118(+28) and seven clear of bronze medallist, the 2009 Champion, Europe’s Jas Kukielka on 121(+31).

The Top Three, from l-r Seve Kukielka, Richard Gottfried, Jas Kukielka

The defending champion, Leo Kukielka was unable to retain the title and finished in a disappointing tied sixth place with 2010 British Women’s Number One Cindy Kukielka, with Leo and the perennial Welsh Ladies Number One both scoring 135(+45).

On the morning of the tournament a draw was held to decide the groups and order of play for the first round, with the groups reorganised based on scores after each round. With heavy rain forecast, and delivered, the tournament teed-off at a revised time of 11.30am

With North Wales’ finest, Peter Jones unable to commit to the invitation to play, and fellow invitees Paul and Owen Johnson competing in a Crazy Golf Tournament in the Midlands, eight players would contest the third edition of the Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg.

Rounds one to three were played at the 9-hole Crazy Golf course at Tredegar Park in Newport, Wales, with rounds four and five played at the two new Celtic Manor Adventure Golf courses.

At the 9-hole Tredegar Park Minigolf course Seve held the lead for rounds one to three, scoring consistently low scores of 20, 20 and 19. Jas Kukielka and Richard Gottfried were both scrapping for second place, with Seve taking a three-shot lead into the final two rounds.

Competitive Minigolf newcomers Maria and Chris Thomas made their debuts at the 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg, with the Welsh duo putting in some good rounds on a difficult Tredegar Park course, with Chris setting the clubhouse course record at 19(+1), prior to Richard scoring an 18(par). After Maria’s first round of 40, she settled into the action and carded two rounds of 28(+10), with both players continuing to put in competitive scores at the Celtic Manor courses.

At Celtic Manor’s 9-hole Celtic Challenge course Richard hit a round of 21, to Seve’s 29, to set a course record, and followed this up with a 31 on the 9-hole Kingdom of Legends course to finish four-shots clear of Seve.

Round by Round scores from the Tournament

New Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg champion Richard Gottfried said “I am very pleased to have won such a great title against some great opponents. The Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg is one of my favourite events of the year and the format of playing a mix of such different Minigolf courses in the competition makes it very interesting. Hard luck to Seve though, who played incredible well in the morning’s three rounds at Tredegar Park. I’m looking forward defending the title in what will be another highly competitive tournament next year.”

Final Tournament Rankings

The Aces Champions for 2011 were Seve Kukielka and Jas Kukielka who tied on four Holes-in-One apiece.

The cumulative scores for the Welsh & English players as 'Teams' saw England beat Wales 2, with Wales 1 in third place.

Photos from the 2011 Event

The 2011 Field. From l-r Emily Gottfried, Leo Kukielka, Cindy Kukielka, Seve Kukielka, Jas Kukielka, Chris Thomas, Maria Thomas, Richard Gottfried

 Emily Gottfried plays the first-hole at Tredegar Park

Chris Thomas plays the first-hole at Tredegar Park

Chris shows off the broken Putter after playing the first-hole at Tredegar Park

Richard Gottfried plays hole 6 at Tredegar Park

Chris playing hole seven at Tredegar Park

Maria Thomas plays hole 8 at Tredegar Park

Jas Kukielka plays hole 9 at Tredegar Park

Seve Kukielka plays hole 9 at Tredegar Park

Cindy Kukielka plays out of a bunker at Celtic Manor

Seve Kukielka plays over a water hazard at Celtic Manor

Jas Kukielka plays over another water hazard at Celtic Manor

The 2011 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg Champion - Richard Gottfried

Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg Roll of Honour
2011 - Richard Gottfried (ENG)
2010 - Leo Kukielka (WAL)
2009 - Jas Kukielka (EUR)

Previous Results and Reports:
2010 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)

2009 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)