A holiday at Barry Island Resort in 1995

A look at the Barry Island Resort 1995 Information & Entertainment Guide.

The Barry Island Resort 1995 Information & Entertainment Guide

As a big fan of the British seaside and traditional holiday entertainment I was pleased to find a Barry Island Resort 1995 Information & Entertainment Guide a while back.

I can't believe it's 30 years old!

Seeing the Barry Island Resort 1995 Information & Entertainment Guide brought back so many happy memories.

My family used to go on holiday to Barry Island in the late 1980's and 1990's and loved it there. The holiday camp was absolutely marvellous, with everything from swimming to crazy golf, to snooker and darts, to the fun fair and more - all free of charge once you had checked in.

My brothers and I would spend hours going from one activity to another and then spend the evening in the arcades playing games such as Paperboy, Street Fighter (the original), Blasteroids, Xybots, Double Dragon, Wardner and more. Halcyon days.

Check out the six-page Barry Island Resort 1995 Information & Entertainment Guide below. As a former holidaymaker at the camp, fan of the British seaside, postcard collector and marketer it makes for interesting reading - especially some of the adverts!

What a cover

There was always so much to do at the Barry Island holiday camp - and that was before heading out of the camp to the rest of the seaside town, fun fair, amusements beach and more

The entertainment continues

Back when you could still advertise cigarettes!

A great bit of marketing and use of a postcard image

I spent many an hour at building 5 - Princes Ballroom - as that's where the Crazy Golf, snooker and one of the arcades was 

Barry Island Resort was originally a Butlin's holiday camp when it opened in 1966. It was re-opened as a Majestic holiday camp in the 1980's. Sadly it closed for good in 1996 and was demolished to make way for housing.

I've returned to Barry Island - in 2009, 2010 and 2019. Apart from the disappearance of the holiday camp there were some new attractions, and the resort was still recognisable from the 1990's.

The 2008 Minigolf Nations Cup in Tampere, Finland

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

We made our Great Britain team debuts at the 2008 Nations Cup of Minigolf in Tampere, Finland 17 years ago this week.

Where has that time gone!

The GB team playing the Beton Concrete Minigolf course in Tampere, Finland during a practice session

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

Since the 2008 Nations Cup we've also played for the GB 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.

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,082 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 (including Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

The Pyramid-like Leonardo Royal Hotel Southampton Grand Harbour

A look at the Leonardo Royal Southampton Grand Harbour Hotel.

We visited Southampton back in May 2021 and spotted this pyramid hotel.

Check out the Leonardo Royal Hotel Southampton Grand Harbour website for more information.

This Saturday is National Miniature Golf Day

Where will you be celebrating National Miniature Golf Day this Saturday?

This year National Miniature Golf Day is on Saturday 10th May. Where will you be playing a round?

Playing the Championship Adventure Golf course in New Brighton, England on National Miniature Golf Day in 2017

Last year I played a round at the excellent Prestatyn Crazy Golf course in North Wales.

We're not yet sure about which course we'll get to on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour this National Miniature Golf Day.

There are two 'miniature golf days' each year.

• National Miniature Golf Day is always on the second Saturday in May. In 2025 that will be Saturday 10th May.
• The other minigolf day, Miniature Golf Day, is always on the 21st September. In 2025 that will fall on a Sunday.

There are so many places to play minigolf now, with new courses opening up all the time. Including public courses, as well as those at pay to enter attractions, holiday parks, hotels and other 'non-standard' locations you can find over 1,300 miniature golf layouts around the UK and British Isles (including Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, and other islands)!

TallyHo Golf minigolf scorecard app

Finding out more about the TallyHo Golf minigolf scorecard app.

We're always looking for new things and innovations in the world of minigolf and recently found out about the TallyHo Golf minigolf app.

We've blogged about the minigolf apps we've found on our minigolf adventures over the years, and we've used some of them to keep scores on our games and record loyalty points.

A TallyHo Golf scorecard

The TallyHo Golf minigolf app is free to download and you can use it straight away as a Guest, or you can create a username for a fuller experience.

The home screen

Speaking with Vito Leone, the man behind the TallyHo Golf minigolf app, he provided us with further information as well as some imagery from the app which you can see throughout this post.

A game card

Vito tells us that the benefits for miniature golf courses include:

• Saving on paper scorecards.
• Custom branding on the app's interactive map page to stand out from the competition.
• Hole-by-hole clickable advertising and detailed stat tracking.
• Eliminating the need to distribute pencils and paper around the course.
• Easily creating and managing minigolf tournaments and leagues.

And for players there is:

• No more dealing with awkward-sized paper scorecards and pencils during games.
• Automatic score calculation so you can just play and enjoy the round.
• Access to course-specific and local deals through sponsorships.
• The ability to save games to revisit memories any time.
• The feature to track lifetime stats and performance.
• Connecting with friends and keep score live across multiple devices.

In addition to the electronic scorecard function, the TallyHo Golf app allows users to record and track their scores over time - noting and analysing improvements and progress at courses. Another feature is to share stats and compete with friends (and rivals) who are also using the app.

A game example screen

As our never-ending Crazy World of Minigolf Tour involves a lot of research into locations of courses, another feature of the app was interesting to see, as with the location enabled on your device you can locate courses near to you.

Course locator

As keen competitors it's interesting to see tournaments listed in the app too.

A final score screen

Check out the TallyHo Golf website for more information and links to download the free app for Android and iOS.

The Course Admin Panel

Have you used the TallyHo Golf app in your games of minigolf? Do let us know in the comments.

Lost Minigolf Courses - Moroccan Adventure Golf course at Pleasureland in Southport

A look at the old Moroccan Adventure Golf course at Pleasureland in Southport in 2009.

We visited Southport for the first time back in September 2009. It was the last Friday of the summer season but Pleasureland had closed down so we weren't able to play the Moroccan-themed Adventure Golf layout.

It's one of my favourite lost minigolf courses as it had a theme we hadn't seen before and haven't seen since.

  

Pleasureland Southport has undergone several changes in the years since we visited, and is now known as Adventure Coast Southport.

Adventure Coast Southport is home to a Viking-themed Adventure Golf course.

We haven't been to Southport for a few years, so the Viking Golf at Adventure Coast Southport will be a new one to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Point - a pyramid in Milton Keynes

A look at The Point in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

The Point in February 2022

The Point in Milton Keynes was completed in 1985 and opened as a cinema.

During its life the Milton Keynes pyramid has also been home to a bingo hall, charity shop, record shop, a bar and a pizza restaurant.

The Point in February 2022

The Point currently stands empty and there is an ongoing campaign to save the landmark building.

Check out The Point website for more information.

The Point in October 2023

May the 4th be with you

Today is Star Wars Day!

Luckily I wasn't someone these Stormtrooper's from the UK Garrison were looking for at the Trinity Walk 'Star Walk' event last weekend!

The Oxford Place in Leeds - a 100% gluten free restaurant

This month is Coeliac UK Awareness Month and I highly recommend a visit to The Oxford Place - a 100% gluten free restaurant in Leeds.

My favourite restaurant is The Oxford Place in Leeds. We try to visit as often as possible as it's one of the very few 100% gluten free places, and somewhere I feel safe dining at as I have Coeliac Disease. We last visited in January this year, and I'm looking forward to returning next month.

It's going to be superb returning and seeing what's on the menu.

We've tried so many excellent dishes there over the years. It's such a nice environment where I've been able to relax and try new food and drink.

Check out The Oxford Place's website for more information.

Find out more about Coeliac UK Awareness Month 2025 on the Coeliac UK website.

About Coeliac Disease

Coeliac Disease ('Celiac' in the USA and Canada) 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, and uncomfortable symptoms.

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, lifelong gluten free diet.

Happy Star Wars Day

May the Fourth be with you.

Jabba The Putt at Trailer Trash Jim's Crazy Golf at Level Preston

One week until National Miniature Golf Day

Where will you be celebrating National Miniature Golf Day?

Course we've played on previous 'Miniature Golf Days'

There's just one week until National Miniature Golf Day on Saturday 10th May. Where will you be playing a round?

Playing the Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course in Skegness on National Miniature Golf Day 2015

Last year I played a round at the excellent Prestatyn Crazy Golf course in North Wales. We're not yet sure about which course we'll get to on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour this National Miniature Golf Day.

At Prestatyn Crazy Golf on National Miniature Golf Day 2024

There are two 'miniature golf days' each year.

• National Miniature Golf Day is always on the second Saturday in May. In 2025 that will be Saturday 10th May.
• The other minigolf day, Miniature Golf Day, is always on the 21st September. In 2025 that will fall on a Sunday.

There are so many places to play minigolf now, with new courses opening up all the time. Including public courses, as well as those at pay to enter attractions, holiday parks, hotels and other 'non-standard' locations you can find over 1,300 miniature golf layouts around the UK and British Isles (including Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, and other islands)!

Masterpiece Mini-Golf at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia

The Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia, USA is launching a new interactive and imaginative attraction - Masterpiece Mini-Golf - on Saturday 10th May 2025.

As big fans of minigolf, and curators of the Crazy Golf Museum, it's always interesting seeing minigolf/museum/arts & artists crossovers.

Masterpiece Mini-Golf at the Workhouse Arts Center is part of the Second Saturday event series and blends art history, interactive education, family competition, and creative fun.

The artist designed minigolf course will eventually be a playable 18-hole exhibit, with the first nine holes opening on Saturday 10th May (which is also National Miniature Golf Day), and the second nine holes opening in June.

See the Workhouse Arts Center website and this news item on the Center's website for more information on how you can visit and play the Masterpiece Mini-Golf course exhibit.