Results - Midlands Mini Miniatures Invitational Minigolf Tournament

Prior to the main-event BMGA Scottish Open in Aberdeen that took place at Pirate Island Adventure Golf, Codonas Aberdeen Beach last Sunday, seven members of the Midlands Minigolf Club (MMGC) competed in a one-round shootout competition called the 'Midlands Mini Miniatures Invitational' on Saturday 15th May 2010.


Photo - 'Squire' Richard Gottfried receives his Mini Miniatures prizes from competition organiser Jas Kukielka.

Minigolf Reports – Codonas Classic & BMGA Scottish Open

19th May 2010
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Reports – Codonas Classic & BMGA Scottish Open

Luton Minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried were in action over the weekend as they competed in events at the 18-hole Pirate Island Adventure Golf Course at Codonas Amusement Park in Aberdeen.

Codonas Classic Doubles Competition

The first of the weekend’s British Minigolf Association competitions was the Codonas Classic, played on Saturday 15th May.

The format saw teams of two selected via a random draw. Richard was one of the seeded players and was drawn with British number 47 Leo Kukielka from Cwmbran, Wales. Each pair played one round of the 18-hole course with both players’ scores counting towards the team total in the nine team field. Richard scored a 33(-3), with Leo hitting a 37(+1) for a total of 70(-2) which earned them second place, behind Oxford’s Michael Smith and Brechin’s Freddie Blackburn-Shaw who scored a total of 66(-6).


BMGA Scottish Open

The inaugural BMGA Scottish Open tournament was held on Sunday 16th May, with both Richard and Emily competing in the 29-player field.

The four-round competition was won by Birmingham’s Chris Harding with a score of 125(-19). Richard had a 72-hole total of 138(-6) which included scores of 38(+2), 33(-3), 35(-1) and 32(-4). Emily scored rounds of 41(+5), 35(-1), 40(+4) and 39(+3) for a total of 155(+11).




Richard said “It was a great tournament weekend and the course and venue in Aberdeen was excellent. I’m really pleased with performances and thought me and Leo did really well as a team to earn second place in the Codonas Classic. The Scottish Open was my 50th BMGA Tour competition since my debut in 2007, and although I didn’t win it, the ranking points from my 8th place finish have pushed me into the top-ten of the BMGA Order of Merit for the first time. Reaching the top ten is another minigolf career objective of mine achieved.”

In the BMGA Order of Merit Rankings Richard has moved up three places to a career best Order of Merit Ranking of 10th of 80 ranked players, with 2,206 points. Emily has moved up two places and is also now at a career best ranking at 29th, with 816 points.

In the BMGA Season Only Rankings Richard has moved up three places to be ranked 8th of 83 players, with 2,350 points, having played in four of the five qualifying ranking tournaments so far this season. Emily has entered the Season Only Rankings at number 50, with 365 points from the Scottish Open, as it was her first singles ranking event of the year.

Ends

220 Minigolf Course Visits to date on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Since the 30th September 2006 we have made visits to 220 Minigolf, Crazy Golf, Adventure Golf, and Putting courses on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

170 of these courses have been playable, but 50 have, for one reason or another, been un-playable!

You can check out the updated list of courses visited and played, with links and reviews on many of them, at the blog post: Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Courses Visited List with Links

No Mini Golf at Dunstable's Party in the Park!?

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour took us to Dunstable yesterday as the town was hosting a 'Party in the Park' and there was the promise of a 'Mini Golf Range' to play!

However, when we arrived there wasn't a course of any kind, and despite the advertising no one there knew anything about it!?



Whether it was going to be a Minigolf/Crazy Golf course type of 'Mini Golf Range', or a BIG Golf Driving Range type of set-up is unknown.

Aside from the lack of Minigolf to play, the event did have a lot of other activities, and I got to meet a Star Wars Stormtrooper!

Minigolf and Crazy Golf at Luton's Wardown Park

Active Luton ran a free event at Wardown Park yesterday as part of their Take 3 for Life healthy living campaign.

As part of it the Minigolf (Grass Putting) was free of charge to play.




In our Challenge Match I beat Emily, 28 shots to 31 over 9-holes.

Wardown Park is also home to a 9-hole Crazy Golf course that was host to many Irregular Mini Golf Tour Matches in 2007 and 2008.

Read a review of the Wardown Park Crazy Golf course I made on the 12th May 2007 at MiniatureGolfer.com.

Tea Green Golf Fun Day - Minigolf Lessons

Last Monday I was invited to run some Minigolf Lessons at the Tea Green Golf Club Fun Day at Wandon End, near Luton.

Despite the less than sunny weather, there was a good turnout at the Fun Day. In addition to the Minigolf lessons visitors also had the chance to play a round of BIG Golf, have a free lesson with the Club's PGA Pro, practice their Putting, try their luck on the Driving Range with a 17th Hole at Sawgrass Challenge and a lot more.

At the event I gave one-to-one sessions with players looking to try out the sport of Minigolf. I ran through the basic rules, and fundamentals such as grip, stance, swing and shot types.

Photos:
Showing a player the right way to play a tee-shot on Hole-1.

Practicing Hole-2.

Showing fellow Lutonian Simon Hall a shot on Hole-5.

Practicing the dog-leg 6th Hole.

Lester, the Club Manager also lined up a number of his BIG Golf Club members for challenge matches against me – happily I won them all.

My fellow Midlands Minigolf Club (MMGC) Members Paul and Owen Johnson also came down to the event to lend their support and also have some challenge matches.

If you're in, or near, Luton make sure you check out Tea Green Golf Club for a warm welcome, good food and drink, and of course Minigolf (and BIG Golf)!

Previous Blog Post about the event:
http://hamandeggerfiles.blogspot.com/2010/05/minigolf-lessons-at-tea-green-golf-fun.html

Minigolf News Story in the Luton News - "Gottfrieds take on the Midland Open and BMGA British Doubles Championships"

The Luton News reported on me and Emily's successful weekend of BMGA Tour results in Stratford-upon-Avon with the news story "Gottfrieds take on the Midland Open and BMGA British Doubles Championships".

Minigolf Lessons at Tea Green Golf 'Fun Day' in Luton

This Bank Holiday Monday I will be running Minigolf Lessons at the Tea Green Golf 'Fun Day' at Wandon End near Luton.

Tea Green Golf will also be running a minigolf competition (among other activities) at the course as part of the 'Fun Day'.

Video of a practice round of minigolf at Tea Green's 9-hole course on the 1st May 2010.



In January 2010 the Luton News/Lutontoday.co.uk filmed me playing at Tea Green for the video "Your guide to crazy golf".

Details of the Tea Green Golf Driving Range/Chipping and Putting Green/Sand Bunker/Mini Golf.

Richard Gottfried - Minigolf Player Profile.

We first played the course ten months ago today - when it became the 111th course to be played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Minigolf & Putting Green Practice at Tea Green Golf today

I played 11 rounds of minigolf at Tea Green Golf in Luton today, and in a challenge match against Tea Green's Manager Lester Coles I hit a new 18-hole round course record of 30(-6) too!

I also played four rounds on the Putting Green, which today consisted of six-holes. My best score was an 11(-1).

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Visit No. 113 - Putting Green at Tea Green.

Minigolf Reports – Midland Open & BMGA British Doubles Championships

25th April 2010
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Reports – Midland Open & BMGA British Doubles Championships

Luton Minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried were in action over the weekend as they competed in events at Stratford-upon-Avon’s 18-hole Minigolf Course at the town’s Recreation Ground.

Midland Open

First up was the Midland Open competition on Saturday 24th April, with Richard finishing 4th overall in the 37 strong field.

The three-round competition was won by Birmingham’s Chris Harding with a score of 94(-14). Richard had a 54-hole total of 101(-7) which included scores of 33(-3), 34(-2) and 34(-2). Richard’s score of 101 was two shots off third place, taken by Ted McIver from Hastings. Canterbury’s Marc Chapman was runner-up with 95(-13).


Richard also won the Aces Champion prize for most holes-in-one over the Midland Open tournament, scoring 13 over 54-holes.


BMGA British Doubles Championships

The 2010 BMGA British Doubles Championships were held on Sunday 25th April, with both Richard and Emily competing.

In the tournament Richard teamed with Bath’s Kevin Moseley, while Emily teamed with Welsh Ladies number one, Cindy Kukielka from Cwmbran.


Photo: From l-r Kevin, Richard, Emily and Cindy

Richard’s team achieved third place overall, a significant improvement on their 9th place finish last year. Emily’s team were also in the mix at the top of the leaderboard, and eventually finished in 4th place, following a play-off defeat to Richard’s team.

Each of the competing 16 teams played in a qualifying group stage, before moving on to a knockout stage to determine the final rankings. Both Richard and Emily’s pairs qualified for the play-offs for positions 1-8. Emily’s team did so by way of a Sudden-Death Play-Off victory over the team of Margate’s Scott Lancley and London’s Nick Chitty, after both pairs were tied on points in their group.



Photos: Emily and Cindy play-out hole 3 in their sudden-death play-off

The Gottfried/Moseley team had a win/loss record of four wins, one draw and one loss. The loss came in the semi-final clash against eventual champions Chris Harding and Marc Chapman.


Photo: The team of Squire Trelawney

The Gottfried/Kukielka duo had a win/loss record of two wins, one draw and three losses. They missed out on a place in the final following a semi-final loss to the Hastings team of Tim Davies and Ted McIver.


Photo: Emily and Cindy (aka 'The Scorpions') receive their prize money from Stratford-upon-Avon course owner Martin Dexter.

Richard said “Heading into the weekend I was aiming for top-ten finishes and was confident as I’ve had some good results in Stratford in the past. So to get a fourth place in the Midland Open and then follow it up with a podium finish in the British Doubles Championships is brilliant. I’m also really pleased for Emily and her partner Cindy as they battled through and achieved a great finish too.”

Emily said “I really enjoyed the tournament, and the doubles matchplay format is great fun. Cindy I won the most important matches and our sudden-death play-off with strong teamwork and we enjoyed every minute! This is the highest ever finish for a female pair in the competition, so we’re really pleased with what we achieved.”

Ends

Minigolf report from the St George's Day Classic 2010

Minigolf report from the inaugural St George’s Day Classic in Stratford-upon-Avon

The first ever St George’s Day Classic minigolf competition took place on the 23rd April 2010 to celebrate England's Patron Saint and England's National Day, at the Recreation Ground Minigolf Course in Stratford-upon-Avon.

17 minigolfers took part in the event, with an individual St George’s Day Classic title up for grabs, along with a team prize.


In the St George’s Day Classic players competition it was London’s Gareth Holmes that picked up the win with an excellent round of 30(-6). Luton’s Richard Gottfried was runner-up with 33(-3). In tied third-place were Nick Chitty and Welsh guest player Tim ‘Ace Man’ Davies.

Photo: St George's Day Classic Champion Gareth Holmes receives his prizes from Emily Gottfried

Photo: Gareth Holmes holds aloft the St George's Day Classic Trophy (donated by the majority of the Welsh Team!?)

In the St George’s Day Classic team competition England ‘A’ won with a cumulative team score of 170(-10). Wales were second with 187(+7). Scotland were third with 192.5(+12.5) and England ‘B’ were fourth with 205(+25).

Photo: The St George's Day Classic Team Champions - England 'A'


Tournament Formats
Individual Competition
• One 18-hole round played by all players
• Lowest score by an English Player wins the St George's Day Classic Title
• Other 'Home International Players' are 'Guests'

Team Competition
• England Team line-ups drawn blind by random 'balls in a hat system'
• All team's total scores are the combined player's scores from the individual round
• Lowest cumulative team score wins the St George's Day Classic Team Title

Teams

England 'A'Photo: From l-r Chris Jones, Gareth Holmes, Alan Norman, Richard Gottfried, Nick Chitty

Wales
Photo: From l-r Jas Kukielka, Seve Kukielka, Leo Kukielka, Cindy Kukielka, Tim Davies

England 'B'
Photo: From l-r Sean Homer, Oliver Florence, Brad Shepherd, Paul Johnson, Owen Johnson

ScotlandPhoto: From l-r Ted McIver, Guy Martin

Photo: The England Players hold the England Flag Aloft

Ends

Midlands Minigolf Club members Gottfried & Moseley Team up again for BMGA British Doubles Championships

'Squire' Richard Gottfried will once again team up with fellow Midlands Minigolf Club (MMGC) member Kevin Moseley at the BMGA British Doubles Championships. This year the tournament is being held at the excellent 18-hole minigolf course in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The pair first combined forces on the 17th May 2009 (defeating the duo of Jam Trubridge and Peter Jones 4&2 in their debut as a team in a friendly match at Stratford-upon-Avon) and teamed up for competitive action at last season's BMGA British Doubles Championships, finishing in 9th place of 17 teams and winning the second division of play-offs.

At the 2009 BMGA British Doubles Championships the pair had the following win/loss record:
Played - 6
Won - 4
Lost - 1
Drew - 1

Player/Team Stats

Richard Gottfried
- Hailing from Luton
- 2009 Blackpool Pleasure Beach Open Champion
- 2009 Manchester Miniature Open Champion
- 2009 Manchester Mini Masters Champion
- 2008 Weymouth Open Champion
- 2008 BMGA British Club Champion (with the Midlands Minigolf Club)
- Currently ranked 19th in the BMGA Order of Merit Rankings
- Currently ranked 17th in the BMGA Season Only Rankings
- Currently ranked 31st in the Castle Golf World Crazy Golf Rankings 2003-09
- 2009 BMGA British Doubles Championship ranking - 9th of 17 teams (as Squire Trelawney, with Kevin Moseley)
- 2008 BMGA British Doubles Championship ranking - 11th of 14 teams (as Team Squire, with Emily Gottfried)

Kevin Moseley
- Hailing from Bath
- 2010 BMGA National Open runner-up
- 2009 Weymouth Open Champion
- 2009 Midlands Invitational Tournament Champion
- 2009 Midlands Open third-place
- Stratford-upon-Avon course record holder since June 2009
- Currently ranked 9th in the BMGA Order of Merit Rankings
- Currently ranked 9th in the BMGA Season Only Rankings
- Currently ranked 13th in the Castle Golf World Crazy Golf Rankings 2003-09
- 2009 BMGA British Doubles Championship ranking - 9th of 17 teams (as Squire Trelawney, with Richard Gottfried)
- 2008 BMGA British Doubles Championship ranking - DNP

Previous Related Blog Posts
New Minigolf Doubles Playing Partner - Announcement of the creation of the Squire Trelawney team

Minigolf Report – BMGA British Doubles Championship 2009 - Details of last year's event

The 2009 Weymouth Open Minigolf Tournament
At the 2009 Weymouth Open the team-mates tied for first place and had to face-off in a sudden-death play-off. Richard was the defending Champion, while Kevin was looking for his second tournament victory of the season.

Videos from the play-off
Play-off Coin Toss – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGvb2JfZ8hs
Play-off Hole 1 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJG5opQHXv8
Play-off Hole 2 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRMHhhq6Q3U
Play-off Hole 3 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo5SrN5i08g
Play-off Hole 4 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GA8xJSXzlc

Richard Gottfried's Doubles Minigolf Record:

Win/Loss Record (in all events)
Played - 30
Won - 13
Lost - 15
Drawn - 2

Win/Loss Record (in BMGA events)
Played - 13
Won - 7
Lost - 4
Drawn - 2

8 playing partners (current competition team mate is Kevin Moseley)
13 competitive matches
17 friendlies
23 matchplay matches
7 strokeplay format matches

14 rounds of Minigolf played at Tea Green Golf today...

...and I hit a new personal best on the 13th round! A 14(-4).

Gluten Free Fish & Chips in Letchworth Garden City

I had some excellent Gluten Free Fish & Chips today from Cox's Of Letchworth (2 Arena Parade, Letchworth Garden City).

The staff are very knowledgeable and the great thing is, the Gluten Free options are served every day!



Cox's Of Letchworth also do Gluten Free Chicken.

Can't wait for my next visit.

From the Archives - Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Visit #38 Letchworth Garden City - Putting Course

We originally visited and played the Putting Course in Letchworth Garden City on the 29th September 2007.


On a re-visit to the Par 3 Golf Centre in the Garden City today I found the Putting Course has not been continued. A shame as it was a good little course.