A flyer for Looney Golf in Bradford

A look at a flyer for Looney Golf in Bradford.

A flyer from Looney Golf in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

A flyer for Looney Golf in Bradford

A flyer for Looney Golf in Bradford

From our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit to Looney Golf earlier this month.

Check out the Looney Golf website for more information.

The best Christmas tree I've seen so far this year

We spotted this marvellous Christmas tree made out of skips as we passed by Cheadle Skip Hire on Friday evening!

A Christmas tree at Cheadle Skip Hire

A flyer for House of Holes Crazy Golf in Derby

We found this leaflet at Hartshead Moor Services!

A flyer for House of Holes Crazy Golf in Derby

It's a course we're yet to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the House of Holes Crazy Golf website for more information.

Today's Golfer magazine - minigolf fun for 2022

Check out the new issue of Today's Golfer magazine, Number 421, February 2022.

Today's Golfer magazine, Number 421, February 2022

Page 47 is especially interesting to read, even if we do say so ourselves.

Gamestation in Norwich

Spotting at old Gamestation shop sign in Norwich.

Gamestation in Norwich, November 2021

I used to buy a lot of retro games at Gamestation but the brand left the high street in 2012.

Gamestation in Norwich

So I was a little surprised to see the shop sign still up at the former Castle Quarter shopping centre location in Norwich last month.

This URL now re-directs to Game.co.uk

Gamestation was founded in 1993 and was purchased by Game in 2007. The remaining stores were rebranded as Game in 2012.

Note the Covid-19 signs on the pillar

Other lost shops

It's interesting to see traces, remnants and signage of lost shop brands on our travels. We've also seen a number of former Blockbuster Video stores, a lot of Toys R Us shops, a handful of Woolworths, a British Home Stores or two, a Kwik Save, some Tandy and RadioShack shops, a few old Grainger Games stores, quite a lot of Debenhams, as well as some former Carphone Warehouse and JJB Sports stores.

Playing Looney Golf in Bradford

Visiting the 981st and 982nd courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Looney Golf in Bradford

We played the two new indoor crazy golf courses at Looney Golf in Bradford on our recent trip to the city.

Looney Golf in Bradford

There are two 8-hole minigolf courses at Looney Golf - the Neon Jungle and the Dump Yard - plus a bonus hole.

Looney Golf in Bradford

We played the Neon Jungle, followed by the Dump Yard. We were the first players of the day and as we were playing a few other groups started their rounds, but there was plenty of space between us.

Looney Golf in Bradford

We were joined in the minigolf match-up by our friend and crazy golf rival Cat Patterson. A rival who has secured wins against us both before, so we knew it was going to get competitive.

Looney Golf in Bradford

In our game on the Neon Jungle Cat did indeed take the win, with a round of 21, including a hole-in-one on hole 2 'Holey Moley'.

Looney Golf in Bradford

I shot a 25 for second place, while Emily hit a 27.

Looney Golf in Bradford

Including our shots on the bonus hole Emily and I tied on 29, with Cat winning with a 25.

Looney Golf in Bradford

Moving on to the Dump Yard layout Emily started strongly with an ace at the first hole.

Looney Golf in Bradford

However, I was able to secure the win by one shot, with a round of 29 to Emily's 30. Cat was five shots back on 35.

Looney Golf in Bradford

The overall result saw me win with a score of 54. Cat was runner-up with 56, with Emily in bronze medal position on 57.

Looney Golf in Bradford

Including the bonus hole score the result saw me score 58, Emily 59 and Cat 60.

Looney Golf in Bradford

You can find Looney Golf on North Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The indoor minigolf venue was created in a former retail unit in the city centre.

Looney Golf in Bradford

Visit the Looney Golf website for more information.

Looney Golf in Bradford

Lost Shops - Grainger Games in Bradford

Spotting an old Grainger Games shop in Bradford.

Grainger Games at the Kirkgate Shopping Centre in Bradford

We saw this empty(ish) Grainger Games shop at the Kirkgate Shopping Centre in Bradford at the weekend.

A sign from the old days

I wonder what the last Pre-Order games were?

Some nice, clear and bright signage

The shelves are bare - but still branded

Note the Covid-19 social distancing signs outside the shop

We've also seen former Grainger Games stores in Stretford, Salford, Hyde and Ashton-Under-Lyne. Interestingly some of them still had a few bits of stock inside!

The company was founded in 1996 and ceased operations on the 28th March 2018.

As a brand with shops in the North of England and Scotland I only became a regular shopper at Grainger Games when I moved to Stockport in 2016. I picked up some nice old games for my SEGA Master System there.

Looney Golf in Bradford

Playing two new courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We're now up to 982 courses visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006!

The latest two crazy golf courses we played were at Looney Golf in Bradford.

Looney Golf in Bradford

You can find Looney Golf on North Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The indoor venue was created in a former retail unit in the city centre.

There are two 8-hole minigolf courses at Looney Golf - the Neon Jungle and the Dump Yard - plus a bonus hole.

Check out the Looney Golf website for more information.

A minigolf scorecard from Glo Golf Peterborough

A look at a minigolf scorecard from Glo Golf Peterborough.

From the Crazy Golf Museum vaults - a minigolf scorecard from our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit to Glo Golf in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire earlier this year.

A minigolf scorecard from Glo Golf Peterborough

A minigolf scorecard from Glo Golf Peterborough

A minigolf scorecard from Glo Golf Peterborough

Check out the Glo Golf Peterborough website for more information.

A scorecard from Paradise Adventure Golf at Täby Centrum in Sweden

Something from the Crazy Golf Museum and Crazy World of Minigolf Tour archives.

We visited Sweden in February 2018 and during our trip we managed to visit nine miniature golf courses in 42 hours. Two of those layouts were at the Paradise Adventure Golf venue at Täby Centrum shopping centre.

Paradise Island Adventure Golf at Täby Centrum

Here's a look at a scorecard from the course.

A scorecard from Paradise Adventure Golf at Täby Centrum in Sweden

A scorecard from Paradise Adventure Golf at Täby Centrum in Sweden

A scorecard from Paradise Adventure Golf at Täby Centrum in Sweden

Check out the Paradise Adventure Golf website for more information.

Only Food & Sauces in Norwich

Spotting another Only Fools... business name.

We saw Only Food & Sauces in Norwich on our trip to the city last month.

Only Food & Sauces in Norwich

It's the latest Only Fools & Horses business name / sign we've seen on our travels.

A scorecard from Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Leeds

One from the Crazy Golf Museum and Crazy World of Minigolf Tour archives.

Here's a scorecard from the now closed Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf location in Leeds.

A scorecard from Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Leeds

We visited the two 18-hole indoor adventure golf courses in June 2018.

Our fellow minigolf adventurer Matt Dodd recently visited Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Putney, London.

There are also Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf courses in London, Bristol, Glasgow and Brighton.

There are plans for a new Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf course to open in Liverpool too.

Visit the Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf website for more information.

From Blockbuster Video to Pizza Hut to Pizza Hot

A Pizza Hot in a former Pizza Hut in a former Blockbuster Video store.

We had a look at the site of the former Blockbuster Video store in Newark-on-Trent on our trip to the town last month. There was no trace of its life as a video store.

It was interesting to note that the shop is now a pizza place called Pizza Hot. Between the time it closed as a Blockbuster and now it had also once been a Pizza Hut!

Pizza Hot in a former Pizza Hut in a former Blockbuster Video in Newark-on-Trent. You can see the Pizza Hut logo in 'ghost sign' form on the hanging sign

We wonder if this Pizza Hot is any relation to the Pizza Hot in Grantham, Lincolnshire?

Blockbuster Video

Luckily we did find a nice trace of the brand at the former Blockbuster Video in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire on the same trip.

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were in the UK.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!

We've now been to 27 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop near to us in Manchester.

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

The Miniature Book of Miniature Golf by Mike Vago

Now in the Crazy Golf Museum - The Miniature Book of Miniature Golf by Mike Vago.

The Miniature Book of Miniature Golf by Mike Vago

Many thanks to my brother Christopher for the gift.

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker Scorecard and a minigolf sign from Littlehampton

A couple of items from the Crazy Golf Museum's collection.

Here's a scorecard from the Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker course Littlehampton, West Sussex.

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker Scorecard from Littlehampton

We played the course in 2014, two years after first visiting it. It was superb fun.

Unfortunately the course at Western Putting on Banjo Road in Littlehampton is long gone, along with the Crazy Golf and Putting layouts that were there too.

Mini Golf and Putting Leaderboard from Littlehampton

Many thanks to Anthony Pope for donating the items to the Crazy Golf Museum.

Blockbuster Video in Wisbech

We found another old Blockbuster Video store on our travels last month.

A QuikDrop Box at the former Blockbuster Video store in Wisbech

Luckily the former Blockbuster Video shop on Norfolk Street in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire still had a visible QuikDrop box in the entrance doorway.

At another former Blockbuster Video store!

A QuikDrop Box at the former Blockbuster Video store in Wisbech

The shop is now Lumira Snack Bar. But between the time of it being a video shop and today it was also The Entertainment Centre. A sign for that business is still on show on the rear of the unit on West Street.

Lumira Snack Bar in Wisbech - a former Blockbuster Video store

Sign for The Entertainment Centre in Wisbech - itself a lost shop and a former Blockbuster Video store

Blockbuster Video

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were in the UK.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!

We've now been to 27 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop near to us in Manchester.

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Lost brands

I've spent a lot of the last two years reminiscing about 'the good old days' before the coronavirus pandemic hit the planet. One of my areas of interest is in old retail brands - I'm a marketer by profession and two of my first jobs in the 1990's and the year 2000 were at Tandy and Toys R Us. It's been fascinating to find remnants of a number of lost, dead and defunct brands on the high street and at retail parks.

You can now buy my new eBook 'Lost Toys R Us Stores'.

A minigolf scorecard from Texas

A look at a minigolf scorecard from Texas.

From the Crazy Golf Museum vaults - a minigolf scorecard from Christopher Gottfried's Crazy World of Minigolf Tour trip to Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas, USA.

A scorecard from Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas, USA

A scorecard from Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas, USA

A scorecard from Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas, USA