Mini Golf course opening in Saltburn-by-the-Sea

An update on Saltburn MiniGolf.

Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy

The new minigolf course in Saltburn-by-the-Sea is nearing completion and it looks great.

A photo of the course - now with freshly laid carpet. Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy

The marvellous new attraction on the Lower Promenade in Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a 10-hole course built by the minigolf marvels at UrbanCrazy.

Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy

We've played many many UrbanCrazy courses around the country and they're always very good fun and a nice test of putting skill.

Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy

Saltburn MiniGolf opens to the public on Saturday 19th March, with a Grand Launch on Saturday 26th March.

Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy

We can't wait to get along for a game.

Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy

Check out Saltburn MiniGolf on Facebook for more photos and a video showing how the course has developed in the last few months.

Links:
- Saltburn MiniGolf on Facebook
- UrbanCrazy

Related blog posts:
- UrbanCrazy
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Crazy Golf course opening in Saltburn-by-the-Sea

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Hurrah for sensible price reductions

Spotting some gluten free bargains.

I've always had an eye for a bargain. This has been honed even more so in the eight years since I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease.

Shopping for gluten and wheat free food is a hassle at the best of times - not to mention the trouble with gluten free prescriptions - and one of my bugbears is the fact that most supermarkets reduce the price of their free from food incrementally, rather than sensibly! This means that the best you can often hope for is to pay about £1.50 for an item near its sell by / use by date, rather than £2 to £3. It's a rare thing indeed to find gluten and wheat free goodies for mere pence.

That was until I found this great haul in Morrisons this evening.

Over ten quids worth of gluten and wheat free food - for just £1.16. Lovely stuff

There were also some bagels and another loaf of artisan bread in the reduced section, but I'm not greedy so left them for some other poor Coeliac to pick up.

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac
- Funny things about being a Coeliac

Link:
- Coeliac UK

World of Bun Throwing: Abingdon Bun Throwing Championships announced

World of Bun Throwing: Abingdon Bun Throwing Championships announced: Bun Throwing Championships to find town's best thrower to be held on the 30th of May.

The crowd looks on as I throw a currant bun at the first-ever Abingdon World Bun Throwing Championship back in 2012

Ahead of the Royal Bun Throwing to celebrate the Queen's 90th Birthday, Abingdon-on-Thames will be hosting the second-ever World Bun Throwing Championships to find the town's best bun thrower.

Read more over on the World of Bun Throwing blog.

Crazy Golf in Swanpool Park, Falmouth, Cornwall

Playing the Crazy Golf course in Swanpool, Falmouth.

The 631st course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the Crazy Golf course at Swanpool Park in Swanpool, Falmouth, Cornwall.

The 18-hole Crazy Golf layout was the 32nd played on our tour of the South West of England and the 373rd played overall on our tour.

It's certainly a unique course. The colour of the concrete was very different to the norm. And the hole configurations weren't particularly normal. It was a real test and good fun too.

Its in an excellent location and we had brilliant weather on our visit.

In our match on the 18-hole course on the 7th June 2015 Emily scored 52 to take the win as I scored a 56.

The course is open all year round. For more information, opening times and prices visit the Swanpool Beach website.

Swanpool is a really nice spot to spend some time. As well as the Crazy Golf we did a bit of rock pooling, had a walk on the beach and relaxed at a seafront bar with some cold drinks and oysters. Bliss

We couldn't visit Swanpool Park and not see some swans!

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Mini Golf in the South West of England

Link:
- Swanpool Beach website

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Putting at Looe Bowling Club in Cornwall

Playing the Putting Greens at Looe Bowling Club.

Another marvellous putting green visited and played on our tour

While holidaying in Cornwall last year we made a surprise discovery of two grass Putting Greens at Looe Bowling Club at the very end of Marine Drive.

It was nice to spot the town centre sign for the Putting Green

Putting at the top of the lower course. The island in the background is known as Looe Island aka St George's Island aka St Michael's Island!

The pair of grass putting courses were the 29th and 30th visited on our tour of the South West of England and the 628th and 629th visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Follow the signs to the end of Marine Drive and you'll arrive at Looe Bowling Club and the two excellent putting courses

The Putting Greens at Looe Bowling Club are open from April to October

It was brilliant to find the courses and they were fun to play. They became the 371st and 372nd we've played since 2006.

What a course and what a view

A looooooong putt. Note the petanque piste behind Emily

The windy layout is great fun

They were certainly a unique couple of layouts, with plenty of twists & turns, dips & hills. And to top it off there was a magnificent view from the course.

Down on the lower course

Hole 3 on the lower layout

There's a wooden board/fence on the corner of the dog-leg third hole - something we've never seen on a grass putting course before

A view of the lower course

In our match on the upper course on the 6th June 2015 Emily scored 49, while I scored 48 to take the win. On the lower course I shot a 56, with Emily hitting a 61.

Emily with an uphill shot

For more information, opening times and prices visit Looe Bowling Club on Facebook.

Visitors to Looe Bowling Club are made very welcome

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Mini Golf in the South West of England

Link:
- Looe Bowling Club on Facebook

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

The National Railway Museum in York

Visiting the National Railway Museum on our travels.

Last year we had a wonderful weekend in York. We love spending time Yorkshire and have visited a number of minigolf courses in the county during the last nine years of our tour around the UK.

The National Railway Museum is a real hands-on place to visit

On this occasion we were in the fine city to attend the International Postcard Expo at the racecourse. But a visit York isn't complete unless you also take a look around the National Railway Museum.

See what I mean!

It's a tremendous facility that is a must visit.

In amongst the million-plus objects and exhibits at the National Railway Museum

Driving

Hanging out on a faux InterCity 125

The 'Midland Express'

We spent a few hours wandering around the various exhibits - there are over a million of them there! There's so much to see the museum warrants more than one visit and we can't wait to return.

I was tuckered out as there was so much to see I had to have a nap on a bullet train

While on our travels we always enjoy popping into museums for a look around. Some other great museums we've been to are in Abingdon, Ipswich, Stevenage, Newbury, High Wycombe, Buckingham and Canvey Island.

Abingdon's County Hall museum is the venue for the curious tradition of bun throwing

As a keen collector of ephemera, researcher of social history and a miniature golf historian I'm a curator of the Crazy Golf Museum. A marvellous place full of memories, memorabilia and merchandise from the world of minigolf.

Links:
- The National Railway Museum
- The Crazy Golf Museum

Related blog posts:
- Museum
- York
- Yorkshire
- The Crazy Golf Museum
- Funicular Railway
- Miniature Railway
- Train

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

60 ways to get more out of your golf - play more minigolf

#48 is all about Crazy Golf.

In November last year I was named Officially Britain’s Craziest Golfer by Today's Golfer magazine and in a follow-up I was recently asked to contribute to a feature that appears in the April 2016 edition (on sale from 18th February to 16 March).

The magazine has collected together 60 ways to get more out of your golf in 2016. At number 48 is an interview where I've selected some of the top hot spots to putt on mini, crazy and adventure golf courses in the UK.

The HUGE windmill on the Oddballs Crazy Golf course in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire gets a mention in the Today's Golf article. Check out the magazine to see where else I selected

The issue of Today's Golfer also contains a look at the new miniature golf course at The Belfry.

Lovely to see some big coverage of the mini game.

Check out the Today's Golfer website to read my interview from last year at "This bloke has played 640 crazy golf courses. Just one question... why???"

Link:
- Today's Golfer magazine

Related blog posts:
- Officially Britain’s Craziest Golfer
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Richard Gottfried's Minigolf Player Profile

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Anglo-American Summit of the World Finger Jousting Federation

News from the Anglo-American Summit of the World Finger Jousting Federation.

Visit the World Finger Jousting Federation website for details of the recent Anglo-American Summit of the WFJF. An historic and landmark event in the fine sport of finger jousting.

President of the WFJF, and Lord of the Joust, Julian Gluck meets Richard Gottfried, British Consul to the Federation and head of operations in Europe

Back in 2006 I became the first international member of the WFJF. Check out the news item heralding my arrival.

Check out this video of a finger jousting contest between Squire Richard of Surleigh and Sir Myles of Hampshire.



Related blog posts:
- Finger Jousting
- The second ever blog post on the Ham & Egger Files

Links:
- World Finger Jousting Federation website
- World Finger Jousting Federation on Facebook