Wardown Adventure Golf in Luton

A look at the new Wardown Adventure Golf course in Luton.

We were back in our old home town of Luton, Bedfordshire on Saturday 19th June and while there swung by the new Adventure Golf course at Wardown Park.

The new Wardown Adventure Golf course opened in the park last month. It's a nice looking layout.

Wardown Park's first miniature golf course opened on the 19th June 1934 - so our visit came 87 years to the day since the first putt was taken in the park!

The 18-hole woodland-themed minigolf course is on an elevated bowling green in the park

Unfortunately we didn't have time for a game on the 18-hole course during our flying visit to the town. However, it was very nice to see the course proving popular with players.

It's nice to see a disused bowling green put to good use

We're looking forward to spending some time having some rounds there on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

Visit the Wardown Adventure Golf website for more information, opening times and prices.

A Covid-19 sign at the entrance to Wardown Park

Miniature Golf at Wardown Park

Wardown Park's latest minigolf course opened in May this year.

The park was previously home to two minigolf courses. One was a crazy golf course, the other was a grass miniature golf course. Both were turned into a 'Mini Golf Meadow' in 2015.

We lived in Luton for 16 years and played the minigolf courses in the park a fair bit during that time. The Crazy Golf course that used to be in Wardown Park was the 18th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour way back on the 5th May 2007. The Grass Putting Miniature Golf layout was the 19th played on the 19th May. Until the meadows were planted minigolf had been played in the park since the 19th June 1934.

Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club's new course is opening next month

The countdown is on to the launch of the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club's new Crazy Golf course in Knowle West.

The Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club is getting ready to tee-off on the brand new community designed miniature golf course at the Filwood Community Centre in Knowle West, Bristol next month.

It was was brilliant meeting up with fellow members of the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club during the first lockdown last year.

We're looking forward to playing the layout on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Check out the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club Facebook Group to find out more.

World Music Day

Today is World Music Day.

We've seen and played some musical-themed courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour over the years.

Musical minigolf

One of my favourites is this Garden Minigolf course in East Finchley, London where you have to putt into a 'musical shed'!

The 503rd course we played on our travels was the indoor Rock N Golf Crazy Golf course at One Adventure in Droylsden, Tameside. The 12-hole layout has a rock music-theme.

The 529th course we played was Puttshack super tech mini golf at White City in London. One of the holes there requires you to play your shot over five drums. Emily aced the tricky shot.

Emily playing a musical hole at Puttshack

My friend and world traveller PJ Goedhals sent me some snaps from his visit to the music-themed minigolf course at O'Learys sports bar in Norrtull, Sweden in 2019.

Hole 5 of the Minigolf course at O'Learys Norrtull in Sweden. Photo by PJ Goedhals

Last summer there was a music and theatre themed pop-up minigolf course at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee. Our friend and minigolf rival 'Hacksaw' Jon Drexler was lucky enough to have a game there.

The green on the Memphis: The Musical hole. Photo by Jon Drexler

The video for the song Windmills by US-band Dracula's Miniskirt features a Crazy Golf windmill.

Our friends at A Couple of Putts in the USA let us know about a minigolf-themed song called Putt Putt Butt Butt by Koo Koo Kanga Roo.

One of the latest minigolf courses to open in the UK is Pop Golf - a pop-music themed indoor crazy golf venue at Boxpark Wembley in London.

Jurassic Mini-Golf heading to Stockeld Park in Yorkshire

Stockeld Park in Wetherby, Yorkshire will be home to a Jurassic Summer event.

Part of the dinosaur fun taking place between July and September will be a Jurassic Mini-Golf course.

Visit the Stockeld Park website for more information.

Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool

Playing the Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore.

I finally got to play the Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore as it reopened last month. We've been to the course a number of times on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour over the years but it had always been closed.

Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels and Blackpool Fulfilling Lives joined forces to refresh and reopen the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore in 2019 and a number of other people and groups have been a part of the project.

The base of the course itself has changed very little since it was first created in the late 1950's and it's wonderful that the area is easily recognisable from old postcards from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

There have still been some noticeable improvements to the course and the whole area it sits in. Most notable are the repairs to the obstacles as well as the addition of professional putting carpet to the holes. It makes the course very nice to play.

Here are videos of me playing the crazy golf course on Blackpool's North Shore at the launch event on Friday 28th May 2021.

The course is now open to play at weekends with plans to increase the opening times in the future. Take a look at the Princess Parade Crazy Golf Facebook Group for more information.

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

We're looking forward to getting back to Blackpool again later this summer and playing a few more rounds on the course.

Junglemania Adventure Golf opening in Farnham this July

A new Adventure Golf course is opening in Farnham, Surrey next month.

A big thanks go to my friend and fellow minigolf fanatic Matt Dodd for letting me know about the new 18-hole Junglemania Adventure Golf course opening in Farnham, Surrey on the 23rd of July.

Visit the Junglemania Adventure Golf website for more information, opening times and prices.

It's another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when we're next down in Surrey. We haven't played a jungle theme for a while.

Swingers Crazy Golf in Washington D.C.

The new Swingers Crazy Golf venue opens in Washington D.C. this week.

The first Swingers Crazy Golf location in the USA is opening at Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. tomorrow (Friday 18th June).

There are already plans for a second Swingers Crazy Golf in the US with courses being built at the new Virgin Hotel on Broadway in the Flatiron District of New York City.

Check out the Swingers Crazy Golf website for more information.

We played the first Swingers Crazy Golf pop-up course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in Shoreditch back in September 2014. The brand has grown since then, with Swingers in The City opening next to the Gherkin in 2016 and Swingers West End following in 2018.

Emily about to score a hole in one on hole 4 of the Swingers Crazy Golf course in London's West End

Plans for a new mini-golf course in Fife

There are plans for a new mini-golf course to open as part of a high street entertainment venue in Fife, Scotland.

As well as the indoor mini-golf course the location would be home to an escape room, shop and cafe.

The unit on Leven High Street was formerly a WHSmith.

The plans have been put forward by Brag Enterprises.

The indoor miniature golf layout will be designed with a local landmark theme.

The plans are the latest to tap into the retailtainment trend bringing entertainment and leisure to high streets, shopping centres and retail parks.

Emily is a big fan of escape rooms too and we haven't been to Scotland together since the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It'll be nice to have a holiday up there again in the future and swing by the new venue on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton

There's a Crazy Golf course at Buxton's Pavilion Gardens.

You can now play Crazy Golf at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton on weekends.

Visit the Pavilion Gardens website for more information.

We visited nearby Buxton a couple of years ago. We had a look for the old minigolf course there, but couldn't find any trace of it. The park is also home to a miniature railway so that was a nice thing to find on our trip.

Covid-19 signage at Puttstars Mini Golf in Rochdale

I've been blogging about minigolf during the time of coronavirus and posting examples of Covid-19 and social distancing signage that I've seen or had shared with me during the pandemic.

During the pandemic we've played four minigolf courses, two of which were indoors. Last August we played our first game following lockdown at Gator Adventure Golf in Chorley. In September we played at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry. Last month we played at the newly refurbished Princess Parade Crazy Golf in Blackpool and earlier this month we played two of the three indoor courses at Puttstars in Rochdale.

A social distancing sign at the entrance to Rochdale Riverside

We didn't take the lift

The approach to Puttstars

A welcome sign

Hole one of the Slingshot course

A sign at the end of the round

Away from minigolf I've been documenting all of the Covid-19 signs I've seen on my Instagram account.

Swingers Crazy Golf at Cocktails in the City

Play the Swingers Crazy Golf 'Battle Green' at London's Cocktails in the City.

Cocktails in the City is taking place at Bedford Square Gardens in London on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th June. Swingers Crazy Golf will be in attendance with their Battle Green pop-up crazy golf game.

We've played at Swingers on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, but haven't played the Battle Green game yet. It looks fun. I'm sure we'd be VERY competitive playing against each other on it.

Find out more on the Cocktails in the City website.

Visit the Swingers Crazy Golf website for details of their two London courses and new US venue opening in Washington D.C.

New Mini Golf at Parc Bryn Bach in Tredegar, Wales

A new Mini Golf course has opened at Parc Bryn Bach in Tredegar, Wales.

Many thanks to my friend, minigolf rival and fellow crazy golf enthusiast Martyn Williams of the Welsh Minigolf Club for letting me know about a brand new Mini Golf course that recently opened at Parc Bryn Bach in Tredegar.

It looks like an ace layout and Martyn tells me it plays very nicely indeed.

It's another course for us to visit when our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour returns to Wales.

Check out the Parc Bryn Bach website for more information.

Martyn also sent me this snap of a brilliant social distancing sign he spotted while visiting the park.

Thirteen years gluten free

Today marks my thirteen year Coeliac Anniversary - my Coeliacversary.

I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease thirteen years ago today. And so began my journey into the gluten free world.

What is Coeliac Disease?

Coeliac Disease is a lifelong autoimmune condition, where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. In Coeliac Disease the immune system mistakes substances found inside gluten as a threat to the body and attacks them. This can trigger a number of painful, horrible, stressful and uncomfortable symptoms.

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

Living a gluten free life

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.

My life as a Coeliac in LEGO form

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.

Thank you to everyone for their support, tips, help and recommendations over the years. It's been very much appreciated.

For more information on Coeliac Disease visit the NHS Choices and Coeliac UK websites.

Corn on the Club Crazy Golf at York Maze

There's a crazy golf course at York Maze.

I've found out that there's a crazy golf course at York Maze.

I've also discovered that York Maze is Europe's biggest maze!

We've played minigolf in York on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour before and look forward to doing so again. Corn on the Club Crazy Golf sounds like brilliant fun.

Checking out the course on the York Maze website the layout looks to be of the Swedish Felt variety (and is the perfect colour for a corn-themed course). There are some fun looking corn characters on it too.

Each year York Maze creates a different maze layout. This year's theme is to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Mr Men and Little Miss characters.

Visit the York Maze website for more information.