Pitch & Putt miniature golf course in Southport

A look at the Pitch & Putt miniature golf course in Southport.

We had a look at the Pitch & Putt golf course while in Southport on Miniature Golf Day.

Click for a view of the greens from a similar position in 2016

It looked quite different to when we first visited it in October 2016.

I wonder whether the course opened this season, or if it closed earlier in the year than previously as it looked quite overgrown

Only the 'F' remains on the GOLF sign atop the old Public Conveniences next to the course. All the letters were there the last time we visited

Related blog posts:
- Southport
- Pitch and Putt
- Southport Seafront Golf Classic Pitch & Putt course

Schär gluten free products in Düsseldorf, Germany

A look at Schär gluten free products on sale in Germany.

Lots of Schar gluten free food in Germany

Emily was recently in Düsseldorf, Germany and took these snaps of the Schär gluten free products available there. They are certainly different to the products available in the UK.

Savaiardi

Vollkornbrot

Pain Brioche

Knackebrod

Zwieback

Carrotinis

In 2017 Emily brought me back some Schär gluten free goodies from Spain.

Link:
- Schär gluten free

Related blog posts:
- Schär
- Gluten free

Pac-Man ghost street art in Düsseldorf, Germany

Spotting the Pac-Man ghost stickers in Düsseldorf.

Emily recently returned from Düsseldorf, Germany and while there noticed a lot of Pac-Man ghosts stuck up around the city.

This was the first Pac-Man ghost Emily spotted

The Pac-Man ghost stickers are the work of the street artist known as Pdot who has put up 2,000 of the stickers in Düsseldorf!

We're big fans of video games, Pac-Man and street art, so it was a nice surprise for Emily to see them on her trip.

A yellow ghost. The stickers by Pdot are only found on the back of street signs

A red ghost. And oh look, a tram too!

They're hidden in plain sight everywhere!

Related blog posts:
- Pac-Man
- Germany
- Street Art

Miniature Golf Day dates for your diary

Dates of Mini Golf Days in 2020.

With both of this year's Miniature Golf Days now celebrated it's worth noting the dates for next year's Mini Golf Days.

I played the Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course in Aberavon, Port Talbot, Wales on National Miniature Golf Day 2019

The first of the year is National Miniature Golf Day which is on the second Saturday in May. In 2020 that is Saturday 9th May.

We played the Crazy Golf course at Southport's Botanic Gardens on Miniature Golf Day 2019

The second, Miniature Golf Day, is always on the 21st September. Next year that will be a Monday.

The Masters Putting Green in Southport

A revisit to The Masters Putting Green in Southport.

Last Saturday we had a wonderful day out in Southport and it was brilliant to see so many people playing The Masters Putting Green at King's Gardens.

The Masters Putting Green in Southport was the 150th course we played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've revisited the course in October and November 2016, and January and October 2018.

Playing hole 10

A hole-in-one on hole 9 of The Masters Putting Green in Southport

The course was so busy this time that we didn't have time to queue up to play a round. We did however have a game on the Crazy Golf course at Southport's Botanic Gardens to celebrate Miniature Golf Day.

A day out in Rhyl

I had a lovely day out in Rhyl, North Wales yesterday. Once the torrential rain had cleared it was a pleasant afternoon for a wander.

Rhyl beach

I met up with my friend and minigolf partner Peter 'The Crazy Aced Assassin' Jones. While we didn't get to play any minigolf we did have a couple of games of Air Hockey. Peter is renowned in the minigolf world for his skills on the Air Hockey table and he comprehensively defeated me two-nil in games, with wins of 7-3 and 21-3!

Air Hockey in Rhyl

I've never known a game go beyond nine-points, so how we got to play a match for 24-points I'll never know. I was 18-nil down before I got a point on the board. Still, at least I drew the last six-points of the game.

The Air Hockey I lost 21-3 on had the paddles secured to the table!

We had a walk around the town and seafront and took a look at the miniature golf courses there.

Drift Park Crazy Golf course

Indoor Mini Golf at The Palace Amusements

The Welsh Dragon Adventure Golf course

Rhylated blog posts:
- Mini Golf courses in Rhyl, Wales
- Rhyl

Al's Diner in Southport

Or is it Popeye's?

Related blog posts:
- Popeye
- Southport
- Popeyes Take Away in Blackpool
- Popeye, Bluto and Olive - in Edinburgh

Junkyard Golf London is on the move

London's Junkyard Golf Club is moving to Shoreditch.

Junkyard Golf Club's new venue will be opening in November

Junkyard Golf Club's London venue is moving with a new four-course venue opening at the Broadgate Quarter near Liverpool Street. 

I played the Brick Lane Junkyard Golf courses in 2017.

Check out the Junkyard Golf website for more information.

You can find Junkyard Golf courses in Manchester, London, Oxford, Leeds and Liverpool.

Link:
- Junkyard Golf

Related blog posts:
- Junkyard Golf
- London

The Summer Mini Golf Checklist 2019

Now's it's autumn it's time to see who ticked off the most on the 2019 Summer Mini Golf Checklist.

As big fans of minigolf and the summer we created a Summer Mini Golf Checklist containing 18 fun minigolf 'things to do', plus a 19th hole activity.

I managed to complete 13 of the 19, including numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19. The last course we played in the summer was at Southport's Botanic Gardens on Miniature Golf Day.

Nobody managed to complete ALL 19 items, but the top four who came closest to completing the checklist and so win a free game with us, either at their local course (if we're in the area), or at one of our local courses (if they're in the area), are:
1. Putt Putt Bros (USA)
2. Andy Collins (USA)
3. The Putting Penguin (USA)
4. Putter Madness (UK)

Summer in the Northern Hemisphere began on the 21st June and ended on the 23rd September. During that time we challenged minigolfers worldwide to complete the 19 activities on the Summer Mini Golf Checklist:
1. Play at five different minigolf courses
2. Score par or better on a course
3. Compete in a miniature golf tournament
4. Score seven holes-in-one
5. Play a game of Pitch & Putt miniature golf
6. Play at a Pirate Adventure Golf course
7. Play a course with a Jungle-theme
8. Play a dinosaur-themed course
9. Play three windmill obstacles
10. Play at a space-themed course
11. Read a book about minigolf
12. Play a portable or pop-up course
13. Play at an indoor course (it doesn't have to be on a rainy day)
14. Play a course on a pier
15. Find and post a minigolf postcard
16. Post about minigolf on social media and use the hashtags #minigolf and #summerminigolf19
17. Play three loop-di-loop obstacles
18. Play minigolf at a garden centre
19th hole – Win a FREE GAME on a Lucky Last Hole!

Related blog posts:
- Summer Mini Golf Checklist
- Summer

Dizzy Land

It's no Disney Land.

Spotted in Rhyl

Crazy Golf at Southport's Botanic Gardens

Playing the Crazy Golf course at the Botanic Gardens in Southport.

We played a round on the Crazy Golf course at Southport's Botanic Gardens to celebrate Miniature Golf Day last Saturday.

We'd first visited the course in November 2016 when it became the 717th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As it was out of season we didn't get a game on it that time.

The weather was brilliant on Saturday and luckily the course was open so it became the 528th played on our travels.

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 4

 

Hole 5

Hole 6

  

Hole 7

Hole 8

Hole 9

In our round on the 9-hole course Emily won with a score of 18 - a perfect par of all twos. I shot a 20, including one hole-in-one. Our friend Cat scored 27.

Emily playing hole 2

Emily playing hole 5

We've now visited 925 courses since September 2006. Five of those have been in Southport.

The Botanic Gardens Crazy Golf course is the sister course to the one in the town's Hesketh Park. We first visited that course in September 2009 and finally played it in October 2016.

We really enjoyed our visit to the Botanic Gardens and the Crazy Golf course. They are worth a visit if you're in town.

Gluten free at 3 Squared Cafe in Manchester

Finding a 100% gluten free cafe in Manchester.

We recently found out about 3 Squared Cafe in Manchester city centre. The menu is 100% gluten and wheat free, as well as being diary free and refined sugar free.

We visited for the first time yesterday afternoon and it was amazing.

Pulled beef and eggs - perfect

The beef brisket with poached eggs and salsa verde was absolutely delicious.

It was very nice to have a meal out with Emily where we could both eat for a change.

We ordered 3 of the 4 desserts. They were all lovely.

We had the Warm Brownie & Coconut Whip, Carrot & Cinnamon Cake and the Chocolate & Pistachio Tart for pudding

You can find the 3 Squared Cafe in the Royal Exchange Arcade in Manchester city centre.

We're looking forward to our next visit already.

Link:
- 3 Squared Cafe

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac Disease
- Manchester
- 100% gluten free places in the UK

Happy Miniature Golf Day 2019

Have a wonderful Miniature Golf Day.

Crazy Golfing in Skegness

Each year there are two annual 'days' to celebrate the game. The first of the year is National Miniature Golf Day which is on the second Saturday in May - you'll next be able to celebrate that on Saturday 9th May 2020. The second, Miniature Golf Day, is ALWAYS on the 21st September.

Happy Telegraph Pole Appreciation Day

Last year we met Martin Evans, founder of the Telegraph Pole Appreciation Society, at the Dull Men's Club gathering in Preston.

Who knew there was such a thing. But obviously and quite rightly so there is.

There is also a Telegraph Pole Appreciation Day, and that day is today.

The same day as Miniature Golf Day.

Have a happy day whether you're celebrating either or both.

A telegraph pole at the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway heritage steam railway

Check out the Telegraph Pole Appreciation Society website for more information.

Another view of the telegraph pole at the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway heritage steam railway

Related blog posts:
- Telegraph Pole Appreciation Society
- Dull Men's Club

Inflatable advertising at Domino's Pizza in Manchester

We're on a bit of a run in seeing inflatable advertising on our travels.

Yesterday I saw a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man promoting Stockport Powder Coating Ltd and a few weeks ago we saw a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man on The Clubhouse Stoke's Crazy Golf course in Newcastle-Under-Lyme and another wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man advertising Mr Bubbli's Car Wash in Leicester.

While having an evening out in Manchester on Tuesday we spotted an inflatable piece of advertising at Domino's Pizza on Grosvenor Street. The takeaway was doing a booming trade.

A happy piece of Domino's Pizza inflatable advertising

Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube air-dancers and other inflatable advertising are some of the most fun and eye-catching ways to promote a business. They certainly stand out!

Related blog posts:
- Inflatable advertising
- Advertising
- Marketing
- Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man