Dragon's Quest Mini Golf at Fontygary Leisure Park in Wales

A look at the Dragon's Quest Mini Golf course at Fontygary Leisure Park in Rhoose, Barry, Wales.

I played the 18-hole Dragon's Quest Mini Golf course at Fontygary Leisure Park in Rhoose, Barry, Wales a year ago.

The course at Fontygary Leisure Park was the 887th visited and 517th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Check out the Fontygary Leisure Park website for more information.

Check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions.

A look back at a Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening in Preston

A look back at the Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening in Preston, May 2018.

Back in May 2018 I was invited to be a speaker at the Dull Men's Club's 'Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening' at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in Preston.

The Dull Men's Club is where dull men — and women who appreciate dull men — share experiences of enjoying everyday, mundane things, far from glitz and glam — "Celebrating the Ordinary".

The keynote speaker at the event was Dr Sandi Mann, aka ‘Dr Boredom’, author of The Science of Boredom: The Upside of Downtime, who spoke to the attendees about the benefits of boredom and her research on the Thirty Habits of Boring People.

My speech at the summit centred on the world of miniature golf.

Talking crazy golf at the Dull Men's Club Summit in 2018

Some highlights of my presentation covered my travels on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and how I, along with Emily, had - up to that point - visited 815 miniature golf courses since 2006.

Some of the intricacies of the sport were also discussed, with the show & tell element on minigolf balls being a particular highlight.

Check out the latest posts and interviews from the Dull Men's Club.

In November last year we had an enjoyable evening of mild excitement at the Dull Men's Club Anorak of the Year Award event in Manchester.

Related blog posts:
- Dull Men's Club
- A Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening in Preston
- A dull evening in Manchester

Links:
- Dull Men's Club website 
- Dull Men's Club blog "We’ve been trendsetters all along? Our way of life is now the ‘new normal’?"

Putt18 Home Putting Challenge 4 Nations Cup practice round

Practice for the Putt18 Home Putting Challenge 4 Nations Cup international event.

Here's a practice round on the Putt18 Golf Putting Mat Game ahead of the Putt18 4 Nations Cup tournament.

The Putt18 Home Putting Challenge 4 Nations Cup international competition tees-off at 8pm (UK time) on Saturday 16th May and will see us face-off against teams from Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

Richard tees-off at 8pm.

Emily tees-off at 8.30pm.

Many thanks to the team at Putt18 for sending us the game mat and selecting us to play in the event.

Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf in Barry Island, Wales

A look at the Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course in Barry Island, Wales.

I replayed the Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course in Barry Island, Wales a year ago.

The course was the 121st visited when we played it in August 2009.

I love visiting the seaside resort as my family had many happy holidays in Barry Island back in the 1980's and 1990's.

Barry Island was still recognisable from my time there 30 years ago, even though the holiday camp has been knocked down to make way for housing and a public car park.

Check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions.

International Coeliac Day

Today is International Coeliac Day.

Other important dates for your gluten free diary:

• May is Celiac Awareness Month.
• In the UK Coeliac Awareness Week 2020 (aka Gluten Free Community Week) runs from the 11th to the 17th May.
• International Coeliac Day is on Saturday 16th May.
• National Celiac Disease Awareness Day is on the 13th September this year.
• The week before Christmas is Gluten Free Baking Week.

About Coeliac Disease

Coeliac Disease (Celiac in the US and Canada) is a lifelong autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to gluten and the only treatment is to adhere to a strict lifelong gluten free diet.

In the UK it's estimated that 1 in 100 people have the condition.

Putt18 Golf Putting Mat Game

A look at the Putt18 Golf Putting Mat Game.

Our Putt18 indoor putting game set has just arrived after a long journey from down under!

The Putt18 Golf Putting Mat Game will be replacing our normal rug!

It's a good fit for our living room

A Putt18 Golf Putting Mat Game ball

The Rules

A branded Putt18 pencil

Official Putt18 scorecards

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Emily and I will be representing the UK when we compete in the Putt18 Home Putting Challenge 4 Nations Cup international event tomorrow, Saturday 16th May.

The competition tees-off at 8pm (UK time) and will see us face-off against teams from Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

The event will be streamed live via Facebook.

Many thanks to the team at Putt18 for sending us the game mat and selecting us to play in the event.

Visit the Putt18 website for more information.

Check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions

Adventure Golf at The Leys Recreation Ground in Witney, Oxfordshire

A look at the Adventure Golf course at The Leys Recreation Ground in Witney, Oxfordshire.

We visited the layout in May last year.

It was the 869th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Putt18 4 Nations Cup international tournament

Information about the Putt18 Home Putting Challenge 4 Nations Cup international event.

We will be competing in the Putt18 Home Putting Challenge 4 Nations Cup international event this Saturday.

The competition tees-off at 8pm (UK time) and will see us face-off against teams from Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

• Representing Australia - Josh Mars and Nathan Lamplough
• Representing New Zealand - Cameron Couper and Matt Ansley
• Representing the USA - Tom Loftus and Pat Sheridan
• Representing the UK - Richard Gottfried and Emily Gottfried

Check out the Putt18 website for more information.

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A post shared by Putt18 (@putt18australia) on Jan 16, 2020 at 11:50pm PST

Last month New Zealand defeated Australia in the Trans-Tasman Cup.

The world record score for a round of Putt18 was recently set by Josh Mars with a round of 10 under par.

Many thanks to the team at Putt18 for sending us the game mat and selecting us to play in the event.

Related blog posts:
- Putt at Home
- Indoor Minigolf
- Richard Gottfried Player Profile
- Emily Gottfried Player Profile

Link:
- Putt18

Strokes Adventure Golf in Margate

A look at the Strokes Adventure Golf course in Margate, Kent.

Strokes Adventure Golf in Margate was the 34th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

It's a fine course indeed. Very tricky in places, but rewarding to play when you score an ace.

Check out the Strokes Adventure Golf website for more information.

Check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions.

Crazy Golf postcards from Ilfracombe

A look at a pair of miniature golf postcards from Ilfracombe.

I bought this pair of crazy golf postcards from Ilfracombe, Devon at the last postcard fair I attended.

Mini Golf Course. Sea Front. Ilfracombe. Taw Valley Wholesale Co. 1977

Crazy Golf at Ilfracombe. Taw Valley Wholesale Co. Photocolour TV/IF312

Both were published by the Taw Valley Wholesale Co, Ilfracombe. Neither are postally used.

We visited the course on our tour of the South West in the summer of 2015. It hasn't changed much at all.

New Forest Adventure Golf at Lymington Golf Centre

A look at the New Forest Adventure Golf course at Lymington Golf Centre.

We played the layout last May.

The 18-hole course at Lymington Golf Centre was the 873rd visited and 510th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf at Lakeside Shopping Village in Doncaster, May 2016

A look back at the pop-up Crazy Golf course at Lakeside Shopping Village in Doncaster in May 2016.

We swung by the Lakeside Shopping Village in Doncaster for a round on their pop up Crazy Golf Adventure course that had been set up for the summer in 2016.

We're looking forward to seeing a return of retailtainment activities when its safe for them to do so in the future.

The 9-hole Lakeside Shopping Village Crazy Golf course was the 397th played and 678th visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006.

Related blog posts:
- Doncaster
- Shopping mall miniature golf

Check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions.

Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course in Aberavon, Wales

The Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course in Aberavon, Port Talbot. May 2019.

The 12-hole Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course became the 885th course visited and 516th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when I was there to play in the 2019 Welsh Minigolf Doubles Championship last May.

 

Check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions.

East Park Mini Golf in Southampton

A look at the East Park Mini Golf course in Southampton.

We played the course last May.

The 18-hole course at East Park was the 881st visited and 513th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Princess Parade Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore

An update on the project to reopen the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore.

Last year the teams at Blackpool Fulfilling Lives and Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels joined forces to refresh and reopen the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore.

The course has now received the green light from Blackpool Council and will be opening once the refurbishment work is complete and it is safe to do so.

The spruced up course in October 2019

The minigolf project is helping people in Blackpool by giving them the chance to work on the Crazy Golf course so it is playable and then staffing it for the season. It's a wonderful plan to give people the opportunity to receive work experience, while also bringing an historic, but disused, minigolf course back to life.

How the course looked before work began

It's a pleasure to be a part of the Princess Parade Crazy Golf project and I've enjoyed meetings and calls with the teams at Blackpool Fulfilling Lives and Blackpool & the Fylde Street Angels, Blackpool Council and the Blackpool Civic Trust.

At the course in May 2019

The different the volunteers have made to the course and the area has been massive. It's going to be brilliant when people are allowed to play the course once again.

The course in May 2019

The course in October 2019

More information on the project can be found on the Blackpool Princess Parade Crazy Golf Facebook Group and via Blackpool Fulfilling Lives and Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels.

A piece of seaside heritage and Blackpool minigolf history

The course has been there since the 1960s and we've quite quite a few old postcards showing the area. It's lovely to see the photos of it in its heyday.

Crazy Golf Course and North Pier, Blackpool postcard. The Photographic Greeting Card Co Ltd. London. Posted to Manchester on the 4th June 1969

The obstacles are pretty much unchanged since then and the work to refurbish the course has seen a number of holes repaired.

A postcard from the Railway Convalescent Home in Herne Bay

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from from the Railway Convalescent Home in Herne Bay, Kent.

One of the nice old minigolf postcards I bought at the last postcard fair I attended was this one by Photochrom Co. Ltd. showing the Railway Convalescent Home in Herne Bay, Kent.

It's postally unused and undated.

The Railway Convalescent Home in Herne Bay was the first of ten homes opened by the railway industry for railwayworkers to recover from sickness and illness.

Adventure Golf at Romsey Rapids Sports Complex in Southampton

A look at the Adventure Golf course at Romsey Rapids Sports Complex in Southampton.

We visited last May.

The course was the 877th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Museum Week 2020

This week is Museum Week.

Running from today to the 17th May, MuseumWeek has returned for a seventh edition.

This year MuseumWeek celebrates togetherness. The theme was adopted earlier this year and with the coronavirus pandemic reaching almost all areas of the world the idea of togetherness has come to take on more meaning in these times of social and physical distancing.

Over the week there are seven different hashtags focusing on a different area, with the overall theme of togetherness.

The hashtags are:
#HeroesMW
#CultureInQuarantineMW
#TogetherMW
#MuseumMomentsMW
#ClimateMW
#TechnologyMW
#DreamsMW
#MuseumWeek

Check out the MuseumWeek website for more information.

The Crazy Golf Museum

The Crazy Golf Museum is celebrating it's tenth year in 2020. The worldwide archive of miniature golf memories, histories and ephemera opened it's online doors to the world on the 15th July 2010.

Visit the Crazy Golf Museum website, Facebook Page & Group, Twitter and Instagram to see more.

Today is Minigolf Monday

Putt at Home.

Coeliac Awareness Week, aka Gluten Free Community Week

This week is UK Coeliac Awareness Week, aka Gluten Free Community Week.

Gluten Free Community Week runs from the 11th to the 17th May.

Other important dates for your gluten free diary:

• May is Celiac Awareness Month.
• International Coeliac Day is on Saturday 16th May.
• National Celiac Disease Awareness Day is on the 13th September this year.
• The week before Christmas is Gluten Free Baking Week.

About Coeliac Disease

Coeliac Disease (Celiac in the US and Canada) is a lifelong autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to gluten and the only treatment is to adhere to a strict lifelong gluten free diet.

In the UK it's estimated that 1 in 100 people have the condition.

My Coeliacversary

I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in June 2008.

Having suffered from a range of symptoms for around ten years I finally received a positive diagnosis of Coeliac Disease following some 'interesting' and in-depth tests and procedures in 2008. It came as a relief to finally have a name for the mysterious cause of my illnesses and ailments, but at the time I was only given a brief summary and told that I'd have to "cut down on bread and beer". It was only later when I met with a Gastroenterologist and a dietitian that I found out that the only treatment for people with Coeliac Disease is a strict, life-long gluten free diet.

While having a life-long condition such as Coeliac Disease can be a pain - and horrible if I 'get glutened' - having the disease has had some positives. I've met great people since my diagnosis and have made some brilliant friends who I've met through Coeliac groups. I've also blogged a lot about living with the condition and the great free from food and drink I've found since 2008.

The Inverted Jenny stamp

Celebrating the Inverted Jenny stamp.

It's been 102 years since the 24 cent US postage stamp, known as the Inverted Jenny, was issued.

The stamp is the most famous error in US stamps and only 100 of the inverted stamps were ever found.

It's my favourite stamp. Probably because it appeared in the 80's classic film Brewster's Millions.

I was lucky to receive two examples of the stamp's re-issue, in $2 form, in some post I received from the USA a few years ago.

The 2008 Minigolf Nations Cup

A look back at the 2008 Nations Cup of Minigolf in Finland.

We made our Great Britain team debuts at the 2008 Nations Cup of Minigolf in Tampere, Finland twelve years ago today!

The GB team playing the Beton Concrete Minigolf course in Tampere, Finland

In international action on the Eternit Miniature Golf course

Our Great Britain Minigolf team, sponsored by UrbanCrazy, finished the tournament in 13th place. In the individual rankings I finished in 51st place and Emily was 53rd.

The 2008 Great Britain squad - Jouni Valkjarvi (coach), John 'Big Top Ted' McIver, Marion 'Mation' Homer, Sean 'Freebird' Homer, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies, Steve 'F1' Gow, Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried, Andy 'Sarge' Booth, 'Squire' Richard Gottfried

We've also played for the national team in tournaments in Stockholm, Sweden and Hastings, England.

Receiving some tips on the Middle Hill Eternit Miniature Golf hole from Crazy Golf legend Tim 'Ace Man' Davies

The Beton Concrete Mini Golf course at the Manse RG Club in Tampere was the 50th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. The Eternit Miniature Golf course was the 51st and the Swedish Felt Minigolf course was the 52nd played.