Crazy Golf at Woodlands Park in Gravesend, Kent

A revisit to the Mini Golf course in Gravesend's Woodlands Park.

Back in February 2009 we visited Gravesend and had a play of the abandoned Crazy Golf course in Woodlands Park. Six years on and I was in town again and had to have a look at the course.

Nothing much had changed.

The course on 28 February 2009

As the course looked on Valentines Day 2015

The course is still in an abandoned, derelict state, but surprisingly the felt and frame of the 18-hole layout still looks to be in a pretty decent condition.

At another unplayable course on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Interestingly when you look beyond the existing holes you can see the foundations of the course that was originally there. It looks like the course used to be similar to some of the Beton and Eternit courses more often found in continental Europe.

My guide for the day was Brad 'The Fist' Shepherd who had a walk round the course and reminisced about some of the holes-in-one he scored on the miniature golf course when he was a lad.

Local lad Brad showed me around the Crazy Golf course

  

 

The Woodlands Park Crazy Golf course was the 79th played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Related blog posts:
- Minigolf Course Visit No. 79 - Woodlands Park, Gravesend
- Hole...in...one
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Dunton Hills Invitational Minigolf Tournament

Richard Gottfried wins the Dunton Hills Invitational minigolf tournament

Leagrave minigolfer Richard Gottfried got his 2015 minigolf season underway with victory in the Dunton Hills Invitational tournament played at the Dunton Hills Family Golf Centre in West Horndon, Essex on Sunday 15 February.

Luton Minigolfer Richard Gottfried in action at the Dunton Hills Invitational competition in West Horndon, Essex

Organised by the Cambridgeshire & Essex Mini Golf Club, the Dunton Hills Invitational saw seven British Minigolf Association Tour Pro players compete over three rounds on the 18-hole miniature golf course.

Richard recorded a 54-hole score of 140 with rounds of 48, 45 and 47. Mark Wood of the CEMGC was runner-up with a score of 143, with Andy Wilde of the Sussex Wasps Mini Golf Club in third place.

Richard said “It’s marvellous to win the Dunton Hills Invitational tournament. The course is incredibly tricky and the competition was tough. It was a real battle for the title with Mark and it went all the way to the wire. Thanks to the CEMGC for organising the event, it was good fun and a great way to start the season.”

Full results of the Dunton Hills Invitational Minigolf Tournament:
1. Richard Gottfried (48-45-47) = 140
2. Mark Wood (46-44-53) = 143
3. Andy Wilde (50-49-46) = 145
4. Chris Wood (50-51-49) = 150
4. Brian Smith (48-54-48) = 150
6. Steve Lovell (46-51-55) = 152
7. Martin Greenhead (56-53-44) = 153

Next up for Richard and Emily is a trip to Hastings for the BMGA British Club Championships in March. Richard will be playing for the Midlands Minigolf Club, the 2008 national champions, while Emily will be competing as part of the Cambridgeshire & Essex Mini Golf Club.

Links:
- Dunton Hills Family Golf Centre website
- Cambridgeshire & Essex Mini Golf Club on Facebook
- CMGC website

Related blog posts:
- CEMGC Invitational Minigolf Tournament 2014
- Minigolf at Dunton Hills Golf Course in Essex
- Playing the Dunton Hills Miniature Golf Course in West Horndon, Essex
- Minigolf and Crazy Golf in Essex
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date

Indoor Mini Golf in Leeds

New 9-hole indoor minigolf course to open in Leeds.

The Roxy Ball Room in Leeds has announced the opening of a brand new indoor miniature golf course at their venue.

The 9-hole layout will be the latest addition to the bar and pizza place's leisure activities that also include beer pong, pool, ping pong, billiards and tenpin bowling. It sounds like my kind of place!

The new indoor crazy golf will be opening in a few months time.

You can find the Roxy Ball Room on the 1st Floor Trinity Square, Boar Lane, Leeds, LS1 6HW. Check out the links below for more information on the venue.

Emily and I are looking forward to visiting and playing the course as part of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We've enjoyed playing a number of Indoor Mini, Crazy and Adventure Golf courses over the years and the new set-up sounds like it'll be in a good spot.

While in serious competition alcohol and minigolf sport do not mix, in the fun side of the game they are a great combination.

Links:
- Roxy Ball Room website
- Roxy Ball Room on Twitter
- Roxy Ball Room on Facebook
- Roxy Lanes website

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Indoor Mini, Crazy and Adventure Golf courses
- Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in Pub Beer Gardens

Isabel's Gluten Free Dough Balls Mix

Cooking up some cheese dough balls with a free from mix from Isabel's.

On a recent shopping trip to Asda we spotted a product in the Free From section that we hadn't seen before - the Gluten Free Dough Balls Mix.

The 250g box makes approximately 24 dough balls and Emily made exactly two dozen delicious 'pão de queijo' snacks from the mix.

The pão de queijo' made from the Isabel's gluten free dough balls mix

They were really nice when eaten warm and with plenty leftover we've found them to be great cold too.

Putting a twist on the recipe on the packet Emily added brie to the mix, a good choice as it melted perfectly inside the dough balls.

As someone with Coeliac Disease I pore over the ingredients, claims and small-print on every single item of food and drink I buy to ensure it's safe to consume, it's pleasing to see that all of Isabel's products are naturally 100% gluten and wheat free.

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac
- Emily's Cooking

Links:
- Isabel's Free From website
- Isabel's Free From on Twitter
- Isabel's Free From on Facebook
- Asda
- Coeliac UK

Gluten free chips for Chip Week 2015

A blog post for Chip Week 2015.

This year Chip Week is taking place between 16 and 22 February.

As someone with Coeliac Disease my life is somewhat dominated by my strict and life-long gluten free diet. However, I try not to let this stand in my way of having a good meal and enjoying one of my favourite dishes - Fish & Chips.

The very first gluten free chip I ate as a newly diagnosed Coeliac in 2008

Obviously, potatoes in their 'natural' form are gluten free. However, in the journey to become chips and to land on your plate they often undergo an interesting journey where they become contaminated with gluten, and therefore unsafe for Coeliacs.

So at home we normally make and cook our own chips, fries and wedges. It's a lot safer, and often tastier that way.

The two bags of oven chips that are always a stock item in our freezer are by McCain. The Original Oven Chips (Fat Chips - Straight Cut) and Quick Cook French Fries are both gluten free. You might think that more oven chips would be gluten free, but you'd be wrong!

On our travels around the UK's seasides we're always on the lookout for gluten free Fish & Chips. After my diagnosis in May 2008 the first place I managed to find some were at Rossi's in Swansea in August of that year.

A large portion of chips, with fish. With a side order of chips. All gluten free and served up at the Fish Factory in Worthing

If you are looking for gluten free chip options when out and about do make sure you double-check on the source, preparation, cooking and serving of the chips to ensure that cross-contamination with gluten-containing food items hasn't and doesn't happen. On a number of occasions I've been told that gluten free food is cooked in the same fryer as gluten-containing food!?

I couldn't of put it better myself. The Quayside Fish & Chip shop and restaurant in Whitby has the right idea

Check out the Chip Week website for more information, recipes, facts, fun and a quiz on chips.

Barley Malt Vinegar isn't safe for Coeliacs as it contains gluten, that's why I'm always pleased to see restaurants and takeaways serving non-brewed condiment with food. You can't beat chips covered in salt and vinegar

This year Coeliac UK will be running it's own Awareness Week between 11 and 17 May and focussing on changing the current state of diagnosis in the UK.

Chip Week Updates:

While shopping in our local Co-op we picked up a bag of potatoes to make some wedges with this week - the bag had a Chip Week sticker on it

Lots of chips for Chip Week. And some tasty veg. And oh look, a rib eye steak is on the plate too

Non-brewed condiment - great with chips and a stock item in my cupboard as Coeliacs can't tolerate barley malt vinegar

Links:

- Chip Week 2015 website
- #ChipWeek
- The Potato Council website
- The Potato Girls on Twitter
- Love Chips on Facebook

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free Fish & Chips that we've found on our travels
- Coeliac Awareness Week 2015

Novelty Automation amusement arcade in London

An amusement arcade - with a twist - is opening in London!

The Novelty Automation amusement arcade features 16 intriguing, crazy and bizarre 'arcade' games. Believe me, they are certainly not what you'd expect to find in a seaside style amusement arcade!

Each of the games has been created by madcap inventor Tim Hunkin and the Novelty Automation arcade in London's Holborn area is twinned with the renowned Under the Pier Show seaside arcade in Southwold.

Back in 2009 we visited the Suffolk coastal resort and while walking on the very nice pier popped into the Under the Pier Show. We were amazed at the array of mad games to play, having a go on such wonders as Fly Drive and Mobility Masterclass.

A proper fly-ght simulator. Seated on the 'Fly Drive' arcade game at The Under the Pier Show in Southwold

The Novelty Automation can be found at 1a Princeton Street, London WC1R 4AX (nearest tube stations are Holborn and Chancery Lane) and will be open Wednesday to Saturday from 11am to 6pm (7pm on Thursday).

We're big fans of Amusement Arcades (aka The Buttons) - even going so far as holding Tat Challenge Tournaments - and so we can't wait to get along and have a play of the machines at the Novelty Automation arcade. Although I do remember the 'Test Your Nerve' game at the Under the Pier Show was bloomin' scary!

Testing my nerve on the worryingly interactive housebreaking simulator

Visit the links below for more on the Novelty Automation arcade.

Links:
- Novelty Automation website
- Novelty Automation on Twitter
- The Under the Pier Show website

Related blog posts:
- Under the Pier Show - Southwold
- Southwold
- Amusement Arcades

Gluten free Gnocchi from Rustichella d'Abruzzo

Cooking up some dishes with Rustichella d'Abruzzo senza glutine Gnocchi.

While on a recent visit to the West Berkshire town of Newbury we popped into Oldbury's Deli for a look round and were pleased to see they had a gluten free section. It was also nice that there were some interesting and different products on sale.

The one item that really caught our eye was the gluten free Gnocchi. Something that is not a stock item in most shops. Emily has tried to make Gnocchi before, with mixed results, so we decided to buy a bag and give it a go.

Gnoccho di patate senza glutine from Rustichella d'Abruzzo

The Gnocchi (senza glutine) is from Rustichella d'Abruzzo, and is made to strict standards to avoid cross contamination in the production process.

Gnocchi with a tomato and basil sauce

Emily cooked up two sauces and prepared the Gnocchi two ways. We had boiled Gnocchi with a tomato & basil sauce, and a fried Gnocchi with a lemon & sage butter. Both were delicious. I really liked the fried version.

Gnocchi with a lemon and sage butter

Being on a strict life-long gluten free diet can be frustrating and a little boring so it's great when Emily and I spot something new to cook and eat. The 500g bag of Gnocchi cost £5.80. We would buy it again.

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac
- Emily's Cooking

Links:
- Rustichella d'Abruzzo website
- Rustichella d'Abruzzo on Twitter
- Oldbury's Deli website
- Coeliac UK

World Minigolf Sport Rankings

New international minigolf ranking lists published by the WMF.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation has published the latest ranking lists for General Class (Adult), Youth and Senior players (dated 31 December 2014).

Emily and I are both ranked in the General Class Rankings.

The Great Britain 3 team at the 2013 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters in Hastings - from l-r John Moore, Emily Gottfried, Richard Gottfried, Craig Patterson. The team finished the event in fifth place

In the Women's World Ranking List Emily is in tied 107th place (110 players) alongside Erika Benke (HUN), Erika Takashima (JPN) and Kinga Szekretar (HUN).

Emily is the reigning WMF World Adventure Golf Masters Women's Champion, winning the title for the second time at the 2013 event in Hastings.

Emily at the WMF Nations Cup in Stockholm, Sweden - an event where she set a new British Women's Record with a round of 24 on the Miniaturegolf (Eternit) version of the sport

In the Men's World Ranking List I am in tied 383rd place (396 players) together with Takaya Asao (JPN), Mislav Bjazic (CRO), Jose Ferreira (POR), Hiroyuki Honda (JPN), Arton Krasniqi (KOS), Scott Lancley (GBR), Pawel Larus (POL), John Moore (GBR), Tiger (Alex) Pragnell (GBR), Jawaharlal Purohit (IND), Craig Small (GBR) and Georgij Srebren (CRO).

At the WMF Nations Cup in Sweden

In the General Class Nation Rankings Great Britain has moved down one place to be ranked 16th of 29 countries. Germany, Sweden and Austria top the rankings. Spain is the biggest mover in the lists entering for the first time at 24th.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the umbrella organisation of Minigolf sports association's worldwide and continental associations in Asia, Europe and America.

There are over 38,000 competitive minigolf players registered with the WMF via the 46 member nations, with 900-plus clubs between them. More than 1,000 courses are approved for official competitions and over 1,500 minigolf tournaments are held each year.

The WMF is a member of SportAccord - the union for both Olympic and non-Olympic international sports federations, and organisers of international sporting events.

The Great Britain Minigolf Sport Team is sponsored by UrbanCrazy, suppliers of permanent and portable mini and crazy golf courses.

At the end of the domestic minigolf season I was ranked 12th and Emily 29th of 105 places (161 players) in the BMGA Strokeplay Order of Merit.

Links:
- World Minigolf Sport Federation
- European Minigolf Sport Federation
- British Minigolf Association
- SportAccord
- UrbanCrazy

WMF Ranking Lists at 31 December 2014:
- General Class
- Youth
- Senior

Related blog posts:
- World Minigolf Rankings for 2014
- End of 2014 minigolf season BMGA rankings
- UK Mini Golf Competitions in 2015

Player profiles
- Miniature Golf Player Profile of Richard Gottfried
- Miniature Golf Player Profile of Emily Gottfried

Bar Billiards and Darts in King's Cross

A look inside the Games Room at The Parcel Yard pub in London.

My fellow pub games enthusiast John Moore recently told me that a friend of his had informed him that The Parcel Yard pub at London's King's Cross train station has a Bar Billiards table! John relayed this information to me, so I had to go and take a look.

On my visit to the pub I couldn't see the Bar Billiards table, but did enjoy having a look inside as I'd never been there before. It's well worth popping in.

Having a look on the pub's website I noticed that the table is in the Games Room, so on my second visit I knew where to look. One of the pub's staff members was happy to show me the Games Room and I must say I was impressed with the setting.

The Bar Billiards table at The Parcel Yard

Unfortunately the room and the games inside are not open for everyday casual play, as the room is often booked out for functions. However, I made an enquiry online and found out that the room can be reserved for events - both corporate and private meetings or parties. For more information drop The Parcel Yard team a line via the website.

As big fans of darts it was great to see there's a board in the Games Room too.

The dart board and oche at The Parcel Yard

If Bar Billiards or darts aren't your thing, then the Games Room also has a Pinball Machine and other traditional games.

I'm looking forward to getting the chance to play the Bar Billiards at The Parcel Yard for a bit of a 'do'. A group of us had a brilliant time on our London Bar Billiards Pub Crawl a couple of years ago and we do enjoy a pub sport meet-up.

Links:

- The Parcel Yard

- Bar Billiards Forum
- The All England Bar Billiards Association (AEBBA)

Related blog posts:

- Bar Billiards
- Darts

- Pub
- Pub games

UK Mini Golf Competitions in 2015

Minigolf tournament calendar for 2015.

The British Minigolf Association (BMGA) has announced its calendar of tournaments for the 2015 season.

Eight BMGA events have been confirmed, with competitions being held on six courses.

Emily playing at Hastings Crazy Golf during the 2014 World Crazy Golf Championships 

- The British Club Championships will be held on Sunday 1 March at the Pirate Adventure Golf course on Hastings seafront in East Sussex.

- The British Masters will be held on Sunday 12 April at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing, West Sussex.

- The British Championships - a two-day major tournament - will be held on 16 and 17 May at the Pirate Adventure Golf course in Hastings.

Playing at Strokes Adventure Golf course in Margate last year

- The British Open - a two-day major competition - will be taking place on 19 and 20 September at Strokes Adventure Golf in Margate, Kent.

- The day before the British Open tees-off the Players Championship and International Players Championship contests will take place on the Strokes layout.

- The World Crazy Golf Championships - the final major of the season - will be played on 24 and 25 October at the Crazy Golf course in Hastings.



- The Star City Open will close the official BMGA Tour season on Sunday 6 December when it is held at the Adventure Island Mini Golf course in Birmingham.

There will also be various club events during the year, as well as fun friendlies and independent events on courses around the UK.

Playing at Splash Point Mini Golf course in Worthing during the British Masters last season

Club Open competitions announced so far include:
- Midlands Open - Sunday 22 March at the Four Ashes Golf Centre in Dorridge, Solihull.
- Splash Point Open - Saturday 25 July at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing.
- Kent Open - Sunday 15 November at the Lost Island Encounter in Sidcup, Kent.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation will also be holding an event in England this year, with the WMF World Adventure Golf Masters taking place on 6 and 7 June at the Pirate Adventure Golf course in Hastings.

National Miniature Golf Day takes place on the second Saturday in May and this year will be on Saturday 9 May. Miniature Golf Day is always on 21 September, which this year falls on a Monday.

Worldwide there are over 38,000 competitive minigolf players registered with the WMF via the 46 member nations, with 900-plus clubs between them. More than 1,000 courses are approved for official competitions and over 1,500 minigolf tournaments are held each year.

Links:
- British Minigolf Association
- World Minigolf Sport Federation
- European Minigolf Sport Federation

Related blog posts:
- Mini Golf Days in 2015
- End of 2014 minigolf season BMGA rankings

New indoor adventure golf course in Cardiff, Wales

New 36-hole adventure golf course to open in Cardiff.

There's a brand new indoor minigolf course opening in Cardiff, Wales this year - Treetop Adventure Golf!

The themed miniature golf centre will have two 18-hole layouts set in a rainforest environment. One will be called the 'Tropical Trail' while the other is the 'Ancient Explorer'.

Looking at the Treetop Adventure Golf course website the courses will feature a thunderstorm, swamps, talking trees and more. Tree Top Adventure Golf will also have a bar and cafe.

The new indoor adventure golf course is due to open in Spring 2015 and will be located at St David's Dewi Sant Shopping Centre in Cardiff.

We're looking forward to visiting and playing the course as part of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've been to quite a few indoor mini, crazy and adventure golf courses over the years and they're a great way to play the game in all weathers.

Members of the team behind the course have designed and built some great indoor adventure golf courses that we've played for fun and in competitions in places like Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Aberdeen, Manchester and Nottingham, as well as outdoor courses in Hastings.

Playing the Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf course at the Liverpool ONE shopping centre

At Adventure Island Mini Golf in Birmingham's Star City leisure and entertainment complex

Links:
- Treetop Adventure Golf course website
- St David's Dewi Sant Shopping Centre website
- Castle Golf Adventure Golf Developments

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Indoor Mini, Crazy and Adventure Golf courses

Winning at the PDC Unibet Darts Masters in Milton Keynes

A trip to the 'arrers in Milton Keynes.

On Sunday 1 February me, Emily and Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley attended the 2015 Unibet Masters Darts tournament presented by the Professional Darts Corporation and played at the tremendous facility that is the ArenaMK.

Two of the Sajwani Army on manoeuvres at the PDC Unibet Darts Masters in Milton Keynes

As BIG darts fans we were really looking forward to being at the major PDC competition and we weren't disappointed by the event. We had tickets for the semi-finals and the final. We saw some brilliant matches, with the Unibet Masters title won by world number one Michael Van Gerwen. We also got to meet darts legend 'The Prince of Style' Rod Harrington.

'Squire' Richard Gottfried playing a game if Inflatable Darts at the Unibet Masters - to win a Unibet 180 t-shirt you had to score 60 or more with three 'darts' (velcro balls)

Before the action got underway we had a wander around the ArenaMK venue and found that the tournament sponsor Unibet had set up an inflatable dart board where you could compete to win a Unibet 180 t-shirt, we couldn't miss that opportunity so stepped up to give it a go.

Channelling the spirit of darts underdog Peter 'Chatterbox' Sajwani I scored 100 with my three darts! Emily also won on the game, scoring treble-20, 20 and 5. Marc didn't play, but was incredibly happy with the Unibet Trucker Cap he got at the player's walk-on area

Links:
- Professional Darts Corporation (PDC)
- Unibet
- ArenaMK
- Peter Sajwani, Darts player (Twitter and Facebook)
- Darts Performance Centre

Related blog posts:
- Darts
- Milton Keynes

A hidden plaque in Woodbridge

On a recent trip to Woodbridge, Suffolk we had a walk along the banks of the River Deben. With our eyes always peeled for interesting things we noticed an old plaque on a shelter.

The wind shelter on the banks of the River Deben in Woodbridge

The old, painted over, plaque on the shelter in Woodbridge

We really enjoyed our visit to Woodbridge. We've been to pubs and restaurants in the town before, but had never had a wander there. We're looking forward to returning again.

Related blog posts:
- Plaque
- Plaques
- Suffolk
- Woodbridge
- Plaque-ing Interesting

Gluten Free Beer and Lager in Whole Foods Market Piccadilly

Five gluten free beers on sale in Whole Foods Market in London.

While recently in the West End I popped into the Piccadilly branch of Whole Foods Market to take a look at the gluten free products available and my eye was taken by the five different gluten free beers, ales and lagers on the shelf in the beer department.

The range of gluten free beers, ales and lagers on sale in Whole Foods Market Piccadilly - Daas Blond, Celia, Mongozo, St Peter's Brewery G-Free and Dark G-Free

Since being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 2008 I've tried all five of the gluten free beers (and a lot more besides).

The other fridge in Whole Foods Market contained bottles of Mongozo, Celia and St Peter's Dark G-Free gluten free beer

Having a look on the Mongozo website I noticed the gluten free Mongozo Buckwheat White Beer - one I haven't tried yet.

The Whole Foods Market website lists the New Planet Gluten Free Pale Ale, but I've never seen it in store. The website shows a mix of products that are available in UK and/or US stores.

Check out the links below for more information on the gluten free beers, as well as my blog post about the gluten free beverages I've drunk over the years.

Links:
- Whole Foods Market Piccadilly
- Celia Lager
- Mongozo
- Daas Beer
- St Peter's Brewery

Related blog post:
- Gluten Free Ales, Beers and Lagers

Please Keep Of The Flower Beds

Having read Viz comic for many years I always thought the correct way of saying it was 'Please Keep Off Of'.