Mini Golf at Golf Planet in Santiago, Chile

A look at the Golf Planet Mini Golf course at Open Plaza Kennedy in Santiago, Chile.

Emily visited the Golf Planet Mini Golf course at the Open Plaza Kennedy shopping centre in Santiago, Chile on her recent visit to the South American country.

Circuito de Minigolf is a new name for the game to us

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,064 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

When added to the courses Christopher and his family have visited around the British Isles and Türkiye, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA, the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stands at a combined 1,111 courses visited!

Putting Green at Club de Golf Los Leones in Santiago, Chile

Finding a Putting Green with a view of the Andes.

Emily visited the first of two miniature golf courses in South America on her recent trip to Santiago, Chile.

The first was the Putting Green at Club de Golf Los Leones in Santiago.

Visit the Club de Golf Los Leones website for more information.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,064 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

When added to the courses Christopher and his family have visited around the British Isles and Türkiye, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA, the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stands at a combined 1,111 courses visited!

Putt Club Crazy Golf Farnborough

A new Putt Club Crazy Golf course has opened in Farnborough, Hampshire.

As well as the new Farnborough course you can find Putt Club venues in Hull, Leicester, London Dockland, Edmonton in London, and Southampton.

Check out the Putt Club website for more information.

Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby, Norfolk

A look at the Lost World Adventure Golf course in Hemsby, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Lost World Adventure Golf course in the seaside town of Hemsby, Norfolk is my favourite course. It was one of the first courses we played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the theming there was superb. We've revisited several times over the years and look forward to many more rounds there in the future.

Check out the Lost World Adventure Golf website for more information.

Millport Crazy Golf on the Isle of Cumbrae

A look at the Crazy Golf course in Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae.

A big thanks to our friend and minigolf rival John Moore for sending over this photo of the Crazy Golf course in Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland from his recent trip there.

Millport Crazy Golf course. Photo by John Moore

Earlier this summer another of our friends, Seth Thomas, sent us a snap of the course.

We played the course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour ten years ago while in Scotland for the Commonwealth Games. It's a lovely island to visit and just a short ferry voyage from Largs.

One of the postcards in our collection is this nice Valentine's "Silveresque" style postcard that shows the Crazy Golf course as it looked in the 1960s. It's still recognisable today. The course has had the addition of felt/carpet to the holes since we visited a decade ago. Hopefully we'll return one day.

Crazy Golf, Millport, Isle of Cumbrae. A Valentine's "Silveresque" 3059V Style Postcard, published by Valentine & Sons Ltd. Dundee and London. Postally used at 4.15pm on the 4th June 1964 and mailed from Millport itself

Check out the Millport Crazy Golf Facebook Page for more information.

Two weeks until Miniature Golf Day - Saturday 21st September 2024

Will you be celebrating Miniature Golf Day on Saturday 21st September?

Each year there are two 'Miniature Golf Days' - National Miniature Golf Day is first up on the second Saturday in May, while Miniature Golf Day follows on the 21st September. This year the 21st September falls on a Saturday.

Mulligans Adventure Golf opening in Guildford

A new Mulligans Adventure Golf venue is opening in Guildford, Surrey.

A new Mulligans Adventure Golf course is opening in Guildford, Surrey as the brand's owners - Adventure Leisure Ltd - continue to expand.

You can find Mulligans minigolf courses in Basildon, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cheltenham, Hemel Hempstead, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Norwich, Sidcup, Stevenage, Tonbridge and Worcester.

Mr Mulligan's in Milton Keynes

We've played several Mulligan's courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour over the years. The latest two were in Milton Keynes last October where we enjoyed rounds on the Enchanted Forest and Underwater Kingdom 12-hole indoor courses at the Theatre District venue.

Mr Mulligan's in Worcester

Visit the Mulligans website for more information on the brand's courses.

Crazy Golf in Troon, Scotland

A look at the seafront Crazy Golf course in Troon, Scotland.

My friend and minigolf rival Simon Brown sent over a photo of the hut at the seafront Crazy Golf course in Troon from his recent visit.

You can see photos of the course from January 2023 in this guest blog post from Simon.

The 18-hole Crazy Golf course in Troon was the 573rd miniature golf course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2014.

Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Manchester

A look at the Paradise Island Adventure Golf venue at the Trafford Centre in Manchester.

The 36-hole indoor Adventure Golf venue at the Trafford Centre opened in 2008. It was one of the very first of the new wave of themed indoor adventure golf venues. How time flies!

The Tiki Hut Trail and Temple Ruins Adventure courses were the 85th and 86th courses played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2009.

Following our move north in 2016 Paradise Island Adventure Golf became one of our local places to play and we've returned for fun and tournaments at PIAG Manchester a lot over the years.

I won the Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Championships in 2018 and Emily won the tournament in 2019.

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

Winning the 2009 Pleasure Beach Open minigolf tournament in Blackpool

A look back at a big minigolf win.

On this day in 2009 we were in Blackpool to play in the second Blackpool Pleasure Beach Open minigolf tournament that was held as part of the Illuminations celebrations.

We had a cracking time in the seaside resort and to top things off I won!

Toys R Us inside WH Smith at the Trafford Centre

Toys R Us has opened at the Trafford Centre in Manchester.

The new Toys R Us concession is now open inside WH Smith at the Trafford Centre.

I spotted signs for the new Toys R Us opening inside the WH Smith at the Trafford Centre in Manchester on a trip to the shopping centre in June this year. 

While the last of the original Toys R Us stores in the UK closed on the 24th April 2018 the brand returned to the UK in 2022 with an online presence, and further expanded in 2023 with the opening of nine concessions inside WH Smith.

There are currently 39 Toys R Us concessions in WH Smith shops, with more planned to open through 2024. Visit the Toys R Us website for more information.

Working at Toys R Us

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

Toys R Us concessions in the USA

Emily saw a Toys R Us at a Macy's department store in Fort Worth, Texas and a sign for one at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on a trip to the USA earlier this year.

The old Toys R Us

It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited several of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

Former Toys R Us locations we've been to on our travels:

• Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Gateway retail park in Reading
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• St James Retail Park in Northampton
• Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
• The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
• Trafford Centre in Manchester
• Western Esplanade in Southampton
• Wolverhampton Road in Oldbury
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby

Lost Toys R Us Stores

My book about Lost Toys R Us Stores is available to buy from Amazon.

There were once 105 Toys R Us stores in the UK. The business ceased trading in 2018 and all of those shops closed. It is still possible to find traces of the brand on some retail parks and shopping centres around the UK. The book takes a look at some of those old stores between 2019 and 2021.

Buy Lost Toys R Us Stores on Amazon.

Mini Golf at War Memorial Park in Coventry

A look at the Golden Putter Mini Golf course at War Memorial Park in Coventry.

Many thanks to our friend, fellow crazy golf adventurer and minigolf rival Matt Dodd for sending over some photos of the Golden Putter Mini Golf course at War Memorial Park in Coventry.

The Golden Putter Mini Golf course at War Memorial Park is a temporary pop-up seasonal course. The portable layout is a 36-hole course.

Check out the Golden Putter Mini Golf website for more information.

We've played and visited several Golden Putter Mini Golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf at the Dog and Duck pub in Walthamstow

There's a Crazy Golf course at the Dog and Duck pub in Walthamstow E17.

The Dog and Duck pub in Walthamstow, London has a minigolf course in its beer garden.

Visit the Dog and Duck website and social media for more information.

It's another course for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. It's fun seeing pubs adding minigolf in their beer gardens and we've played a few on a travels over the years.

Adventure Golf at The Railway Inn in Westerfield, near Ipswich (August 2024)

A look at the Adventure Golf course at The Railway Inn in Westerfield, near Ipswich, Suffolk.

We played the 9-hole outdoor Adventure Golf course in the pub beer garden of The Railway Inn in Westerfield, near Ipswich, Suffolk on a visit to the town to see family.

The Adventure Golf course at The Railway was the 1,064th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, the 1,007th we've been to in the British Isles, and the 575th course we've played on our travels since 2006.

CenterCup - an Arnold Palmer-themed golf and dining concept

A new Arnold Palmer-themed golf and dining concept is launching in the USA.

CenterCup will feature a 27-hole mini-golf course at the venue in the Butler Shopping Center District of Gainesville, Florida, USA.

The CenterCup concept is a new partnership between 23 Restaurant Services and Arnold Palmer Enterprises.

Check out the CenterCup website for more information.

Hopefully we'll get to visit CenterCup on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

Arnold Palmer Putting Courses

Arnold Palmer Putting Courses are a design classic and include all the elements that make a Crazy Golf course great – the Windmill, the Waterwheel, an Obelisk, ledges, bunkers, traps, flat loops, hills and plateaus – everything laid out to make a course interesting, testing and most of all fun!

They're my favourite type of minigolf course and I've visited most of those that still remain in the UK.

The Arnold Palmer branded miniature golf courses were part of the Arnold Palmer Enterprises empire set-up in 1961 that saw the legendary golfer's name licensed and franchised to a wide-range of activities and products including Dry Cleaning centres and an Arnold Palmer brand foot detergent.

A sign at the Arnold Palmer Putting Course in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, UK

By 1966 there were 130 Arnold Palmer Putting Courses in the USA, with ten in Japan and some in South Africa.

The first Arnold Palmer Putting Course in the UK opened in Coventry in 1965 and was part of an Arnold Palmer Driving Range. A course was also located at a Driving Range in Sheffield.

Take a look at my blog post about Arnold Palmer Putting Courses in the UK for further information.