Saturday, August 05, 2023

Minigolf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

A look at the miniature golf courses at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside, Cumbria.


Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside
Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

We had a nice long weekend in the Lake District in June where we revisited some courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf and Pitch N Putt at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside
Crazy Golf and Pitch N Putt at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside is home to a Crazy Golf course and a Pitch N Putt layout.

Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside
Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside
Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside


Croquet at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside
Croquet at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

The Pitch N Putt looks like a nice tricky layout and the views and location are very pleasant indeed.

Pitch N Putt at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside
Pitch N Putt at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

From the archives: The Swingers Club Mini Golf in Las Vegas

A look back at The Swingers Club Mini Golf in Las Vegas.


A look back at The Swingers Club Mini Golf in Las Vegas


The course was the 268th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Swingers Crazy Golf in Las Vegas

A new Swingers Crazy Golf venue is opening in Las Vegas, USA in 2024.


A new Swingers Crazy Golf venue is opening in Las Vegas, USA in 2024

The new Swingers Crazy Golf location will be at MGM's Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Swingers Crazy Golf Las Vegas will be home to five Crazy Golf course spread across three floors.

Visit the Swingers Crazy Golf website for more information.

Swingers Crazy Golf began as a pop-up in London, England back in 2014 where it now has two permanent locations. You can also find Swingers Crazy Golf courses in New York City and Washington DC.

Swingers Crazy Golf in London on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit in 2019
Swingers Crazy Golf in London on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit in 2019

Mini-Golf at Legoland Windsor

A new Mini-Golf course is opening at Legoland Windsor.


A new Mini-Golf course is opening at Legoland Windsor

The 9-hole indoor Mini-Golf course will be the world's first to use Lego theming.

The attraction at Legoland is due to open in October.

Visit the Legoland Windsor website for more information about Legoland Adventure Golf.

Legoland Windsor was previously home to an outdoor crazy golf course - called 'Mole-in-One Mini Golf' - but that layout closed in 2013.

New Crazy Golf course in Towyn

A new Crazy Golf course is opening in Towyn, North Wales.


A new Crazy Golf course is opening in Towyn

The 12-hole Crazy Golf course is located at the Old School House on Towyn Road.

The outdoor Crazy Golf course will have a castle-theme to it.

Visit the Crazy Golf Towyn Facebook Page for more information.


It'll be nice to swing by Towyn again on our next visit to the North Wales coast.

Mini-Golf plans for Hillsborough Park in Sheffield

There are plans to create a Mini-Golf course at Hillsborough Park, Sheffield.


There are plans to create a Mini-Golf course at Hillsborough Park, Sheffield

It'll be another new location to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour if it's created.

Golf It! at Hogganfield Park in Glasgow

The new Golf It! centre in Glasgow opens today (Saturday 5th August).


The new Golf It! centre in Glasgow opened on Saturday 5th August 2023

The venue has been created to appeal to golfers and non-golfers alike and features three Adventure Golf courses, a variety of Pitch & Putt, putting greens, and a large driving range.

Golf It! has been created by the R&A.

Visit the Golf It! website for more information.

Friday, August 04, 2023

A Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford

Finding a Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford.


A Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford
A Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford (May 2023)

While having a wander around Stafford earlier this year my eyes were drawn to this ghost sign on the front of a building on Princess Street in the town centre.

A Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford (May 2023)
A Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford (May 2023)

Inside the former Woolworths shop in Stafford (May 2023)
The insides of the former Woolies

A Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford (May 2023)
The old Woolworths shop location had been home to Sports Direct in more recent times

Other former Woolworths shops

It's fun seeing old & lost brands, ghost signs and retail relics. I took a look at the ghost signs on a former Woolworths store on Blackpool promenade in September 2021.

We saw a Woolworths ghost sign in Nuneaton in May 2022 too. That was a nice surprise!

Like the Blackpool store, the Nuneaton shop site had also most recently been a Poundland and a TJ Hughes.


The last Woolworths shop in the UK closed in January 2009. Every so often remnants of the brand become visible again.


We took a look at an old Woolworths store in Brunstane, Edinburgh in August 2011. That was a Big W Woolworths store at The Jewel retail park. It's long gone now.



Thursday, August 03, 2023

Minigolf book - The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing

Check out my minigolf marketing ebook - The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing.


Created after years of playing, promoting and consulting the ebook gives players, courses, federations, associations and clubs a guide to the world of marketing.

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing

You can see the reviews, read a sample, and buy The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing from Amazon.

Glory Holes Golf in Derby

There's a Glory Holes Golf venue in Derby.


Our friend and minigolf rival Jam Trubridge sent us this photo of a sign for the - now open - Glory Holes Golf course in Derby earlier this year.

Glory Holes Golf in Derby. Photo by James Trubridge, February 2023
This was a sign at the adult themed crazy golf course while it was under construction in February this year

There are now Glory Holes Golf venues in Nottingham, Derby, Sheffield and Lincoln.

Happy National Watermelon Day

It's National Watermelon Day!


Today is the day for my annual excuse to post this photo of one of my all time favourite niche business shopfronts.

Logman Ltd - a business on Caledonian Road in London that specialises in watermelons
Logman Ltd - a business on Caledonian Road in London that specialises in watermelons

Wednesday, August 02, 2023

Tandy in Stockport

Finding a Tandy ghost sign thanks to The Power of Parker!


A recent post in the excellent Tandy UK (InterTAN Ltd) Facebook Group alerted me to the fact that there's a ghost sign from an old Tandy shop in Stockport. A fellow group member had spotted in the background of a scene in the new BBC comedy The Power of Parker. The show is set in Stockport in November 1990.

A Tandy ghost sign in Stockport
Tandy lives on!

The store used to be at 111 Prince's Street. It's now home to a Betfred.

Betfred in Stockport town centre
The former Tandy shop in Stockport as it is today

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire back in 1996 where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names.


RadioShack Tandy sign at a shop in Whitstable, Kent (September 2012)
A RadioShack Tandy sign at a shop in Whitstable, Kent (September 2012)

It's crazy to think this Tandy signage has been hidden in (relatively) plain sight in my new hometown!

A Tandy ghost sign in Stockport
A Tandy ghost sign in Stockport

Related blog posts:

The old Toys R Us at St James Retail Park in Northampton

A look at the old Toys R Us store at St James Retail Park in Northampton.


Earlier this year we had a short break to visit friends in Northampton and while there had another look at the old Toys R Us shop at St James Retail Park on Towcester Road.

Toys R Us at St James Retail Park in Northampton (April 2023)
Toys R Us at St James Retail Park in Northampton (April 2023)

We've since heard that Home Bargains are soon to move in to the premises.


I worked in the Gipsy Lane Toys R Us store in Luton, Bedfordshire back in the year 2000.

Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018. It's interesting to see that there are still remnants of the original brand on some retail parks in the UK. 

Toys R Us returned to the UK earlier this summer, as the brand can now be found in some branches of WH Smith. We haven't been near to any of the new version stores yet. It'll be interesting to see what they're like.

Crazy Golf in Seahouses, Northumberland

A look at the Crazy Golf course in Seahouses, Northumberland.


Thank you to our friend and minigolf rival Jam Trubridge for these snaps of the Crazy Golf course in Seahouses, Northumberland from his visit last summer.

Crazy Golf in Seahouses, Northumbria. Photo by James Trubridge, August 2022
Crazy Golf in Seahouses, Northumbria

Crazy Golf in Seahouses, Northumbria. Photo by James Trubridge, August 2022
Crazy Golf in Seahouses, Northumbria

Tuesday, August 01, 2023

Minigolf book - Tilting at Windmills: How I Tried to Stop Worrying and Love Sport

We spotted another copy of Tilting at Windmills: How I Tried to Stop Worrying and Love Sport by Andy Miller while in Kendal on our recent trip to the Lake District.


If you haven't read the book it's well worth picking up.

Tilting at Windmills: How I Tried to Stop Worrying and Love Sport
Tilting at Windmills: How I Tried to Stop Worrying and Love Sport

Required reading for every minigolfer!

It was the first book I read about crazy golf and one of the reasons I got into playing competitive minigolf on the UK tournament circuit. I joined the British Minigolf Association back in 2006 and made my debut in the 2007 season.

Check out Andy Miller's website for more information.

Street Golf in Paignton

There's an urban themed mini golf course in Paignton, Devon.


There's an urban themed mini golf course in Paignton, Devon

Many thanks to our friend and minigolf rival Jam Trubridge for letting us know about Street Golf in Paignton. It's an indoor urban themed mini golf course.

Another location for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Pop's Meadow Crazy Golf in Gorleston-on-Sea

A look at the Pop's Meadow Crazy Golf course in Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk.


Pop's Meadow Crazy Golf in Gorleston-on-Sea. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, July 2023

My brother Christopher and his daughter Elena made a Crazy World of Minigolf tour visit to the Crazy Golf course at Pop's Meadow in Gorleston-on-Sea yesterday.

Pop's Meadow Crazy Golf in Gorleston-on-Sea. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, July 2023

Pop's Meadow Crazy Golf in Gorleston-on-Sea. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, July 2023

Pop's Meadow Crazy Golf in Gorleston-on-Sea. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, July 2023

The 18-hole Crazy Golf course is the latest layout to exist at Pop's Meadow. Miniature Golf of one sort or another has been played on the site since the early to mid-1900's.

Pop's Meadow in Gorleston-on-Sea. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, July 2023


We originally visited Pops Meadow on the 10th May 2009, but on that occasion the course was closed. That course visit was the the 100th overall on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

The old Arnold Palmer Putting course at Pop's Meadow in June 2010
The old Arnold Palmer Putting course at Pop's Meadow in June 2010

The combined total of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour now stands at 1,071 courses visited since September 2006.



Pop's Meadow in Gorleston-on-Sea. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, July 2023

BUNKERS! Crazy Golf opening in Romford

A new BUNKERS! Crazy Golf venue is opening in Romford, Essex.


A new BUNKERS! Crazy Golf venue is opening in Romford, Essex

Two 12-hole BUNKERS! Crazy Golf courses are being created at the Brewery in Romford, Essex.

The Romford location will be the second site for the BUNKERS! brand. The first venue opened in Swansea.

BUNKERS! Crazy Golf is from Adventure Leisure Ltd, the team behind Mr Mulligans Adventure Golf.

Visit the BUNKERS! Crazy Golf website for more information.

Sunday, July 23, 2023

Crazy Golf at The Fayre on the Square in Salisbury

There's a pop-up Crazy Golf course at The Fayre on the Square event in Salisbury, Wiltshire this summer.


There's a pop-up Crazy Golf course at The Fayre on the Square event in Salisbury, Wiltshire this summer

The Fayre on the Square opened yesterday (Saturday 22nd July) and runs until Sunday 1st September.

Find out more about the event and 9-hole minigolf layout here.

Foul Play at the Seaview Hotel - a new minigolf book

There's a new murder mystery book out this year, and it features crazy golf in the plot!


Author Glenda Young has a new book out this year. Foul Play at the Seaview Hotel sounds intriguing and we look forward to reading the crazy golf murder mystery.

Foul Play at the Seaview Hotel - a new minigolf book by Glenda Young
Foul Play at the Seaview Hotel - a new minigolf book by Glenda Young

The book will be available in the UK and internationally in both physical and e-versions.

You can find out more here.

Glenda blogs about minigolf at Two Crazy Golfers - with Scarborough a firm favourite location to play the game. It's one of our top tips to have a game too as there are so many courses there and such variety.

Thursday, July 20, 2023

Adventure Golf at Iron Pitt Woods Adventure in Corby

A new Adventure Golf course has opened at Iron Pitt Woods Adventure in Corby, Northamptonshire.


A new Adventure Golf course has opened at Iron Pitt Woods Adventure in Corby, Northamptonshire

The venue is also home to an aerial assault course!

Visit the Iron Pitt Woods Adventure website for more information on the 18-hole woodland-themed layout.

It's another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Mad Hatter's Adventure Golf at Hartford Golf Centre in Northwich

A new Mad Hatter's Adventure Golf course is opening at Hartford Golf Centre in Northwich, Cheshire.


A new Mad Hatter's Adventure Golf course is opening at Hartford Golf Centre in Northwich, Cheshire

The new 18-hole Adventure Golf course opens on Friday 21st July.

Find out more on the Hartford Golf Centre and Mad Hatter's Adventure Golf websites.

Northwich isn't too far from us and so it'll be another new local course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Monday, July 17, 2023

PIAG Open Championship 2023

The Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Championship is returning this month.


The PIAG Open tees-off this week, with Paradise Island Adventure Golf courses around the UK offering players the chance to enter the event when they play a round at the course.

The Tiki Hut Trail course at Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre in Manchester
The Tiki Hut Trail course at Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre in Manchester

The PIAG Open Championship is taking place across Paradise Island Adventure Golf courses between the 20th and 23rd July.

Paradise Island Adventure Golf have eight venues in England and Scotland.

Find out more on the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website.



Emily Gottfried - PIAG Open Champion in 2019
PIAG Open Champion in 2019

Richard Gottfried - PIAG Open Champion in 2018
PIAG Open Champion in 2018

Visit the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website for more information on the PIAG courses in Glasgow, Livingston, Cheshire Oaks, Manchester, Sheffield, Derby, Rushden Lakes and Plymouth.

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Happy 13th birthday to the Crazy Golf Museum

The Crazy Golf Museum is 13 years old today.


The Crazy Golf Museum

Many happy returns to the Crazy Golf Museum as it marks it's 13th birthday today.

I set-up the museum with Crazy Golf legend Tim 'Ace Man' Davies back on the 15th July 2010.

Since then we've continued to fill the virtual museum to make it a treasure trove and archive for all things related to minigolf.

It's certainly been a very interesting 13 years!

A massive thank you to everyone who has shared their minigolfing memories, crazy golf items and adventure golf updates over the years. We're looking forward to continuing our promotion of the game for many more years to come.

Visit the Crazy Golf Museum's website, like the Page and join the Group on Facebook, check it out on Twitter, and see Instagram for information, photos, items, ephemera, stories, videos, postcards, games and more...


If you'd like to contribute any items, merchandise, course history, current developments or guest blog posts please do get in touch.

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

A look at the Eaton Park Crazy Golf course in Norwich.


My brother and founder member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour sent over these snaps of the Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich, Norfolk.

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich
Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich
Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Christopher was visiting the park with his daughter Elena for a train ride on the miniature railway there.


Visit the Eaton Park Crazy Golf course website for more information.

Crazy Golf in Time Square, Warrington

Time Square in Warrington will be home to a Crazy Golf course on Wednesday 26th July.


Time Square in Warrington will be home to a Crazy Golf course on Wednesday 26th July

The pop-up Crazy Golf course will be open from from 12pm to 9pm.

Visit the Warrington Council website for more information.

Jurassic Golf at Cheshire Oaks

New pop-up mini golf course at Cheshire Oaks in Ellesmere Port.


A new Jurassic Golf mini golf course is opening at Cheshire Oaks in Ellesmere Port as part of the designer outlet centre's Great Summer Social event

A new Jurassic Golf mini golf course is opening at Cheshire Oaks in Ellesmere Port as part of the designer outlet centre's Great Summer Social event.

Visit the Cheshire Oaks website for more information.

Crazy Golf at Laser Quest Swindon

There's a new Crazy Golf course at Laser Quest Swindon.


There's a new Crazy Golf course at Laser Quest Swindon.

The Laser Quest centre in Swindon, Wiltshire now has an indoor Crazy Golf course.

Visit the Laser Quest Swindon website for more information on the 9-hole Jungle Rocks Adventure Golf Trail course.

Friday, July 07, 2023

Mini Golf at No Name Bar and Games in Colchester

A new entertainment venue in Colchester, Essex is adding a mini golf course.


No Name Bar and Games in Colchester is opening a mini golf course

The new mini golf course will be inside No Name Bar and Games in Colchester.

Visit the No Name Bar and Games website for more information.

Wednesday, July 05, 2023

New Putt Putt Noodle Crazy Golf courses

There are new Putt Putt Noodle minigolf courses opening in several locations in the UK.


Putt Putt Noodle Crazy Golf
Those katakana characters on the left of the logo translate as 'Lucky'

The new Putt Putt Noodle minigolf venues will include:
  • Aberdeen
  • Bedford
  • Basingstoke
  • Bristol
  • Central London
  • London E6
  • Colchester
  • Glasgow
  • Liverpool

There are currently Putt Putt Noodle courses in Norwich, Poole and Telford.

Visit the Putt Putt Noodle website for more information.