Mini Golf Putting Course in Bedford

Playing the minigolf grass Putting course in Bedford's Russell Park.

The minigolf course in Russell Park, Bedford

On Saturday 18 April 2015 I made the short journey up the line from Leagrave to Bedford for a day out in the Spring sunshine. One of my things to do in the town was a visit to the Putting Green at Russell Park on The Embankment.

The Kiosk at the Park on The Embankment in Bedford offers food & drink, putting, tennis and ping pong

I first played the course in July 2010 and revisited in August 2011. It's in a very nice location next to the River Ouse.

Holing out for a two on the 15th

In my match-up against Biggleswade's number one miniature golfer Cat 'Fore' Patterson I won with a score of 50 to her 79 on the very tricky layout.

Hole 7

In only her second-ever game of minigolf (with her debut at the Pirates Cove Adventure Golf course in Great Yarmouth last year) Cat had some amazing consistency in her play. The rookie player managed to tie with me on the 8th hole when we both scored threes, and beat me with a three to my four on the last hole.

Hole one from the green

Looking back at my previous visits I have scored holes-in-one on the 14th, the 15th and on this occasion I hit an ace on the 5th hole. Always a very nice feeling on a grass Putting course.

A view of the course from the far end of the layout

A round for adults is priced at £2.90. For more information visit the Kiosk in the Park website.

The scorecards at the course are good quality

Links:
- Kiosk in the Park website
- Kiosk in the Park on Twitter
- Kiosk in the Park on Facebook
- Kiosk in the Park blog
- Pavilion in the Park website

Related blog posts:
- Bedford
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Putting Green / Mini Golf in Bedford - Crazy World of Minigolf course played #184
- Replay of Bedford's Russell Park Putting Green (Mini Golf)

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.

Stonehaven, Kincardineshire Official Holiday Guide

Finding an old Official Holiday Guide, including Mini Golf Putting, for the town of Stonehaven, Kincardineshire.

While on a day out in Bedford I noticed an Antiques and Collectors fair going on at St Paul's Church so popped in to see if I could find any minigolf postcards or ephemera.

I was in luck as I found an interesting old Official Guide for visitors to the seaside town of Stonehaven.

The Stonehaven Official Guide, designed and produced under the authority of the Town Council by Mearns Publications. Printed by Langstane Press, Aberdeen

Flicking through the guide I spotted a half page photo of the Putting and Bowling Greens on page 19.

Some of the entertainment and leisure facilities on offer to visitors to the town

On page 22 it states there were two putting courses in the town, and on page 35 the cost per round is given as 6d.

Stonehaven is on the north east coast of Scotland and lies 15 miles south of Aberdeen. Stonehaven is now a part of Aberdeenshire as Kincardinshire lost its administrative status in 1975. I couldn't find any other dates of publication of the old guide, but it is pre-decimal (before 1971). Very interesting to see the old phone numbers listed too - only four-digits long!

At a guess I would say the guide was produced in 1966. A recent event shown is the reopening of the old tolbooth by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1963. There is also an advert on the inside back cover for Milne's Soft Drinks and Cordials - they are endorsed by Andy Ross, the 1965 winner of the Suffolk Point to Point.

Looking online the current official website for the town is the Stonehaven Guide. You can still find a Putting course at the Stonehaven Recreation Grounds Club. Its existence was confirmed by George McGillivray of the Stonehaven Guide.

The old guide is great find, with some nice minigolf and seaside holiday history.

Over the years Emily and I have enjoyed some very nice trips to Scotland on our travels.

Links:
- Stonehaven Guide website
- Stonehaven Guide on Twitter
- Kincardineshire
- The Crazy Golf Museum

Related blog posts:
- Putting courses
- Putting greens
- Scotland

Plonk Golf Crazy Golf at Efes Snooker Hall in London

Playing the pop-up crazy golf course at Efes Snooker Hall in Dalston.

On St George's Day 2015 I attended the preview launch night of London's newest mini golf course - Plonk Golf.

Along with former minigolf Pro Brad 'The Fist' Shepherd we went along to put the course through its paces ahead of its full launch to the public on Wednesday 29 April.

Hole 7 - the half-pipe-tunnel - looks like an easy ace...it's not

The Crazy Golf course layout is within Efes Snooker Club on Stoke Newington Road and is set-up on either side of the snooker hall with 9 very tricky holes to master.

The second half of hole 5 involves a Pool table!

Plonk Golf has been created from reclaimed materials that have been repurposed to create a very unique miniature golf course. There's a working volcano on the first hole, a birdcage on the hill at the third, a loop-di-loop to tackle on the fourth, and a pool table making up half of the hole on the fifth hole. There are also more pipes and tunnels than you can shake a stick (or golf club) at!

The working and smoking volcano on hole 1 at Plonk Golf!

The Plonk Golf course is the brainchild of the team at The House of Revelry and will be open on Wednesdays (6pm to 12.30am) and Thursdays (12pm to 1am) from the 29 April. A round on the course will cost £7.50 per player.

Plonk Golf poster

The course was the 596th visited and 360th played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

At minigolf course visit #596

In our match-up on the Plonk Golf course I defeated Brad in round one, scoring a 20 to his 27 and setting the clubhouse record.

Hole 6 was one of my favourite holes

In our second game we both shot scores of 20. we were very happy to both finish with a hole-in-one on the incredibly tricky 'Jump into the bucket' shot on the ninth hole!

Brad about to play the 6th hole at Plonk Golf

The minigolf course will be changing through the duration of its pop-up at Efes, with new obstacles and hole configurations, which'll certainly make it even more crazy.

Results of the Plonk Golf Pro Challenge

You can find Plonk Golf at Efes Snooker Club, 17B Stoke Newington Road, Stoke Newington, London N16 8BH. The nearest station is Dalston Kingsland (Overground).

Efes Snooker Hall is housed in a nice Art Deco building on Stoke Newington Road

For more information and booking details check out the Plonk Golf website.

Links:
- Plonk Golf website
- Plonk Golf on Facebook
- Plonk Golf on Twitter
- Efes Snooker Hall on Twitter
- The House of Revelry website

Related blog posts:
- Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in and around London
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Plonk Golf in Dalston, London

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.

The Golferholics Board Game

A new old golf-based board game.

The Golferholics Board Game - an 18-hole Golf Game

On our recent minigolf meet-up in Dorridge my mate and BIG miniature golf enthusiast Paul 'Johnson Paul Johnson' Johnson gave me a Chad Valley Miniature Golf set from the 1960's. He also gave me a board game from the 1990's - The Golferholics Board Game.

The Golferholics Board Game - an 18 hole Golf course

The game was created and designed by A.L.E.M. in 1999.

The board is a large 18-hole golf course layout, with space on the side for the two different sets of cards

The scorecards are very well made and high quality

  

Lovely putt - the ideal result

The set is very well made and the copy Paul gave me for The Crazy Golf Museum is in great condition

Links:
- Golferholics at Board Games Geek
- The Crazy Golf Museum
- Miniature Golf and Crazy Golf toys and games at The Crazy Golf Museum

Related blog posts:

- The Crazy Golf Museum

Gluten free at Six Poor Folk in Knaresborough

A gluten free meal at the Six Poor Følk restaurant in Knaresborough.

While in Knaresborough we were looking for somewhere to eat and while checking the restaurants in the town centre we spotted a bottle of Mongozo gluten free beer lined up with some other beers in the window at Six Poor Følk at Castlegate.

We checked the menu and noticed it said gluten free options were available. We managed to get a table for two and I double checked with the waiter what was gluten free. I was told that much of the menu was gluten free, so it was one of those occasions when I had to pick something and get the waiter to double check with the kitchen if it was OK. Unfortunately the Pork Belly dish I had spotted on the menu outside had run out, but there were options for a starter and main so we decided to dine there. I also ordered a bottle of Mongozo.

Emily had the Ham Hock Terrine, Chicken Schnitzel and Lemon Posset. My gluten free choices were the Warm Duck Salad, Pan Fried Coley (pictured) and another Mongozo beer for pudding

Six Poor Følk is worth a visit. We had very good service and tasty food. Emily really enjoyed her (non-gluten free) three courses too.

For more information visit the Six Poor Følk website. Interestingly when looking at the menus online there is an Allergy Menu that can be viewed/downloaded (April 2015 here). As mentioned, when I ordered in the restaurant I wasn't given a copy of the allergy menu, but had to relay my choices from the 'normal menu' via the waiter, to the kitchen and back to me again.

Link:
- Six Poor Følk website

Related blog posts:
- Gluten free
- Coeliac
- Knaresborough
- Gluten free beer

A gift from Paradise

Finding out about the miniature golf courses at Paradise Fun Park in Canada.

As a big fan of all things minigolf-related I was very pleased to receive a package from paradise - Paradise Fun Park in Canada that is.

A great selection of minigolf ephemera and promotional material from Paradise Fun Park

I've been in touch with the team at the seaside resort in British Columbia since 2011 and it's really nice to speak to other people within the world of miniature golf. I love finding out about new and interesting courses, and it's always wonderful to get ephemera and merchandise for my collection and that of The Crazy Golf Museum.

Five postcards from Paradise Fun Park showing the miniature golf courses - Surf 'N Turf and Treasure Island

Paradise Fun Park was built 27 years ago and is a family business. In that time millions of people from around the world have enjoyed visits to the park. There are two 18-hole mini golf courses at the park, with the Turf 'N Surf built in 1988 and the Treasure Island layout introduced two years later.

The Paradise Fun Park mini-golf scorecard

The rules for Paradise Mini-Golf

I do like seeing courses putting in time and effort to their scorecards. This is a well designed and useful tool - it's packed with  adverts for local businesses

In addition to the two Miniature Golf courses, Paradise Fun Park is home to Bumper Boats, a Games Arcade, Snack Bar and Ice Cream Parlour, motel, and an RV park and camping ground. The park on Vancouver Island is located beside Parksville Bay and its sandy beaches.

The brochure for Paradise Fun Park

Two lovely pieces of minigolf ephemera

A look inside the brochure for Paradise Fun Park - the mini-golf courses have some very BIG obstacles including a fully rigged pirate galleon, treasure cave, water mill, Victorian mansion, Bavarian clock and a Dutch windmill

You can find Paradise Fun Park at 375 West Island Highway, Parksville, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Visit the Paradise Fun Park website for more details of the park, opening times, prices and photos of the minigolf courses.

A token from the games arcade at Paradise Fun Park

I look forward to visiting Paradise Fun Park in the future. It sounds like exactly my kind of place.

Links:
- Paradise Fun Park website
- Paradise Fun Park on Twitter
- Paradise Fun Park on Facebook
- The Crazy Golf Museum
- Miniature Golf courses in Canada at MiniatureGolfer.com

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Ephemera
- Postcards

Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby

Our visits to the Lost World Adventure Golf course in Hemsby.

Back in May 2009 we visited the Norfolk seaside resort of Hemsby and played the great 9-hole Lost World Adventure Golf course on Beach Road. It became the 88th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Lining-up a putt as a dino looks on

Since then we've revisited the course for some fun rounds and two Pro-Am contests, with Emily and her 'pro' Brad Shepherd achieving third place in the 2010 contest, while me and my 'Am' William Collins were runners-up in 2011.

Brad 'The Pro' Shepherd and Emily in the wonderful setting that is the Lost World Adventure Golf course in Hemsby

Putting as another dino looks on

More of the great theming on the course

Emily in amongst the skulls on spikes

The Aztec temple

Emily on the last hole

The Lost World Adventure Golf course is a must-visit if you're in Hemsby

For more information, opening times and prices check out the Lost World Adventure Golf website.

As well as the minigolf course you can also Pan for Gold, play the Jungle Jeeps and get food and drink from Madisons next to the course. Hemsby is a great British seaside resort with plenty of amusement arcades and a great beach.

Links:
- Lost World Adventure Golf website
- Lost World Adventure Golf on Facebook

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Minigolf Course Visit Number 88 – The Lost World, Hemsby

- Hemsby

- Norfolk

A Putt-Putt Postcard from South Africa

We recently visited York and attended the International Postcard Expo held at the racecourse to see what miniature golf postcards we could find. We found a bumper crop.

We picked up 31 minigolf postcards for our collection at the York CardExpo

The very first postcard we bought at the fair was from Brian Lund of Reflections of a Bygone Age who had saved a great old Putt-Putt card from South Africa for me.

The reverse of the card is stamped from 'Putt-Putt Southdale', a suburb of Johannesburg, and doubles as a FREE game card!

Putt-Putt is the only patented game of miniature golf and began in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1954. In the 1960's Putt-Putt franchises began opening outside of the US, in locations such as the one on the postcard, as well as Australia and Japan. You can read the Putt-Putt story on the Putt-Putt Fun Centres website.

Update 22/04/15: My expert minigolf contact in South Africa PJ Goedhals has been doing some research on the location of the Putt-Putt course shown on the postcard and he tells me that course is not in Johannesburg as I had thought based on the words 'Putt-Putt Southdale' stamped on the reverse.

The location on the front of the card is actually the Putt-Putt miniature golf course at Three Anchor Bay in Moullie Point/Sea Point in Cape Town - PJ's local course! Great to hear that it's still standing. I can't find a website for the course, but it has got a Google+ page.

Looking at the card again it makes sense that one standard postcard/advertising card was produced for marketing purposes and then distributed to all of the Putt-Putt courses in South Africa. So the Southdale location stamped on the reverse of the card is in Johannesburg, but the image is of the course in Cape Town. Many thanks to PJ and his Putt-Putt contacts for the info.

There are currently Putt-Putt courses in a number of US states as well as a competition circuit operated by the Professional Putters Association.

The PPA website has an archive of Putt-Putt World Magazine - a great resource and an interesting read indeed.

Check out MiniatureGolfer.com for details of minigolf courses in South Africa.

Links:
- York International Postcard Expo
- Reflections of a Bygone Age
- Picture Postcard Monthly Magazine
- Putt-Putt Fun Centres
- Professional Putters Association

Related blog posts:
- Postcard
- Postcards

Gluten free at Filmore and Union in York

On our first evening in York we headed to Filmore & Union on Petergate. Ahead of our trip we'd searched for gluten free places that were suitable for Coeliacs and Filmore & Union was highly recommended.

We had a starter and a main and very good they were too. I had the seared pigeon breast with watercress and bean sprout salad, followed by the sesame and sumac trout fillet with roasted red peppers.

The menu is nice and clear and states the allergens. Filmore & Union have also received Coeliac UK Accreditation which is good to hear.

Our waiter and chef were confident in their answers about the gluten free options available, understood needs of Coeliac diners and explained the procedures to reduce cross-contamination. All plus points.

Unfortunately we were so hungry on this occasion that no photos exist of our meal there!

As well as dining in there are also takeaway options for lunch including a gluten free wrap and Brown Bag crisps.

I noticed that they also sold Daas gluten free beers which I think is always a nice touch. It's great to have the option of a GF beer with a meal, rather than always having to opt for soft drinks, cider or wine.

Check out the Filmore & Union website for more information, menus, restaurant locations and details of their offerings for special dietary requirements.

Links:
- Filmore and Union
- Filmore and Union York
- Brown Bag Crisps
- Coeliac UK

Related blog posts:

- Gluten free

- Coeliac
- Gluten free beer

Gluten free at El Piano restaurant in York

A brilliant gluten free and vegan meal at El Piano in York.

While visiting the wonderful city of York I found that I was spoiled for choice when it came to options of where to eat. So many restaurants and takeaways had gluten free options, or stated they could cater for special dietary requirements.

Having so many choices and so little time (and capacity) to eat at all of them on this trip was a nice problem to have. While walking around the city centre on our arrival on the Thursday we'd spotted the El Piano restaurant and the brightly coloured menu outside. It clearly stated that they offered food that is vegan, has no gluten, is nut-free, and without palm-oil. The menu served 'all plant based dishes with no gluten-containing ingredients'.

The brilliant menu at El Piano

The menu also clearly stated that dishes containing soya, coconut, sesame or mustard (4 of the official 14 allergens) were shown in BOLD red text.

We decided that we would definitely dine there on our stay and so after a long day of shopping, postcard hunting, playing Bar Billiards and walking we headed there for dinner on the Friday evening. And I am so glad we did.

It was one of the best meals I've had. There was so much to choose from and we had great service from the friendly and knowledgeable staff. The restaurant looked great and it was so pleasing to see the other diners excited to be eating there too.

We spent a while looking over the menu and there was a lot to choose from. I quite fancied having Bob's Best Burger, but then Emily and I both decided to go for the interesting main courses where you got to 'build your own plate'.

My main course

The options offered gave an around-the-world flavour. You chose a principal dish, added fritters and then a cold salad. There were also Greens gluten free beers available on the drinks menu. Always a nice touch for gluten free diners to be able to choose a beer with a meal.

A very happy Coeliac diner indeed

I went for the Chow Mein, with Pineapple Croquetas (fresh pineapple with a hint of madras) and the Big E Salsa. Emily went for the Mexi Trio, Pestolitos and Hummus. I also treated myself to a side order of Mathematical Chips (square root veg chips) with El Piano ketchup.

Emily's Mexican main course

We couldn't leave without having a dessert. I had a lovely sticky toffee pudding, while Emily had a chocolate mousse pie that she couldn't finish. Unfortunately I had to scoff the last of it.

All of the food was amazing. With so many different flavours and new things to try it was brilliant for us to be able to taste off of each others plates with no fear of cross-contamination. This was the first meal out we'd had since my diagnosis with Coeliac Disease where we weren't scared, or unable, to do this and it felt pretty much 'normal'.

The restaurant is now in its 18th year and long may it continue.

I can't wait to go back to York and we'll definitely be eating at El Piano again.

Visit the El Piano website for more information and menus.

Link:
- El Piano website

Related blog posts:

- Gluten free

- Coeliac
- Gluten free beer