Eleven years ago today...

...I won the Weymouth Open minigolf tournament.

Weymouth Winner

What a day!

The inaugural Weymouth Open minigolf competition was held on the 18-hole Pirate Adventure Mini Golf course at the Weymouth Sea Life Centre at Lodmoor Country Park.

One of the holes on the incredibly tricky layout

I had a very good record in Weymouth Open events. As well as winning the individual title in 2008 my team-mate Chris Harding and I were the Weymouth Open doubles champions in 2011.

The Weymouth Open team champs

I was also runner-up in the 2009 and 2011 events and seventh in 2010. In the 2009 tournament Kevin Moseley and I were tied after two rounds and it took 4-holes of a sudden-death play-off to separate us.

Putting aboard a pirate ship

I've heard that the Pirate Adventure Mini Golf course at the Weymouth Sea Life Centre has undergone some changed over the last few years. It'll be interesting to revisit the layout on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. The course was the 77th played on our travels. We've now been to 925 courses since September 2006.

Playing in the 2010 edition of the competition

Crazy Golf and Pitch & Putt at Trenance Gardens in Newquay

A look at the Crazy Golf and Pitch & Putt course at Trenance Gardens in Newquay.

During the summer of 2015 we visited 62 miniature golf courses on a two week road trip of the South West of England.

Two of those were at Trenance Gardens in Newquay, Cornwall.

A view of the Pitch & Putt course

The Crazy Golf course

Trenance Gardens is also home to a miniature railway.

The Little Western Railway

Tiger Woods gets into the world of minigolf with PopStroke

Legendary big golfer Tiger Woods has joined forces with US-based minigolf brand PopStroke.

PopStroke currently has one miniature golf putting venue in Port St. Lucie, Florida and TGR, Tiger Woods Ventures and PopStroke Entertainment Group plan to expand the PopStroke brand with new putting courses to open in Arizona and Florida in 2020.

PopStroke are another of the relatively recent wave of competitive socialising venues, with the minigolf course joined by a food and drink offering.

The PopStroke course and player experience includes interactive scoring via an electronically tracked golf ball, plus a scorecard and loyalty rewards app.

More information on the strategic partnership between TGR, Tiger Woods Ventures and PopStroke Entertainment Group can be found at "Tiger Woods Partnership" and "Tiger Woods and PopStroke Announce Partnership".

It's interesting to see a player from the world of regular golf getting involved in minigolf. Miniature Golf is certainly booming at the moment with new courses opening on a weekly basis.

During the major minigolf boom of the 1960's and early 70's Arnold Palmer was involved with the development of the Putting Courses that bore his name. The Arnold Palmer branded miniature golf courses were part of the Arnold Palmer Enterprises empire set-up in 1961 that saw the legendary golfer's name licensed and franchised to a wide-range of activities and products including Dry Cleaning centres and an Arnold Palmer brand foot detergent.

It's going to be interesting to follow the development of PopStroke. We're looking forward to playing a PopStroke course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach Adventure Golf

Revisiting the Adventure Golf course at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

I was in Blackpool yesterday and had to swing by the Adventure Golf course at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

The weather was a bit different to my last visit in May.

In September 2009 I won the Blackpool Pleasure Beach Open minigolf tournament on the course.

We first visited the 12-hole adventure golf course in 2008 when we helped to launch the course and competed in the inaugural Blackpool Pleasure Beach Open tournament. The course was number 44 on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the Blackpool Pleasure Beach website for more information.

It's still annoying that my name has never been up on the hut as I've got the course record - a 24 in the first round of the 2009 Pleasure Beach Open. Peter McGillivray's name and round of 25 shots has been up on the board since 2016

There used to be another minigolf course inside the Pleasure Beach - an Alpine themed one. That was the 46th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Alpine Golf course at the Pleasure Beach is now a lost course

Related blog posts:
- Blackpool
- Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Mario's and Luigi's takeaways in Blackpool

They're opposite each other on Dickson Road in Blackpool.

What a sight!

Mario's in Blackpool

Pizza Luigi in Blackpool

Over the last few years I've seen a number of Mario takeaways, but this was the first full-blown Luigi place I've spotted.

Pizza Luigi in Blackpool

There's another Mario's on Foxhall Road in Blackpool. That one features both characters on the window.

We've seen Mario and Luigi in some interesting places in the last few years.

There's a Mario mini market in Levenshulme, Mario & Luigi ice cream vans in Buxton and Hathersage, Mario movers in Newcastle and Mario's takeaway in Barnsley.

What a carrot!

What a sight!

A carrot of distinction

It might have come from the same sample of seeds as the one my brother spotted during National Gardening Week earlier this year.

Coral Island amusement arcade in Blackpool

A look at the Coral Island amusement arcade in Blackpool.

A view of Coral Island and the Tower

I revisited the excellent Coral Island amusement arcade while in Blackpool yesterday.

The skull at the entrance recently suffered a fire. Luckily it didn't cause any real damage

Coral Island is one of my favourite amusement arcades. We've visited a LOT of arcades on our travels to over 200 seasides in the UK since 2006 and it's the only place we've found to have an Pirate Flyer Laser Gun Indoor Monorail!

The view from the Pirate Flyer Monorail

Visit the Coral Island website for more information.

Related blog posts:
- Pirate Flyer Laser Gun Monorail in Blackpool
- Amusement Arcades
- Blackpool

A look at the Metropole Hotel in Blackpool

While visiting the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course I had a look at the neighbouring Metropole hotel.

The Metropole is operated by Britannia Hotels, the owners of Pontin's. It was formerly a Butlin's hotel.

The Metropole hotel in Blackpool

Built in 1776, the hotel was owned by Butlins from 1955 until 1998 when it was purchased by Grand Hotels. In 2004 the hotel was sold to Britannia Hotels.

Interestingly it's the only hotel in Blackpool on the seaward side of the tram tracks.

The Pontin's flag flying at The Metropole

Related blog posts:

- The Metropole Hotel in Blackpool

- Blackpool

Graffiti Golf in Blackpool

A look at the Graffiti Golf course in Blackpool.

I swung by for a quick look at the Graffiti Golf course in Blackpool while in the seaside resort yesterday.

We played the course in August last year.

Graffiti Pirate indoor UV glow-in-the-dark Crazy Golf!

Back in 2009 the course was a 'normal' indoor Pirate Adventure Golf course and the 151st played on our travels. Since then the venue has changed hands a couple of times. In 2016 it was a Merlin Pirate Adventure Mini Golf course.

Visit the Graffiti Golf website for more information.

Related blog posts:
- Blackpool
- Graffiti Golf in Blackpool
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Merlin Pirate Adventure Mini Golf in Blackpool
- Minigolf Course Visit No. 151 - Blackpool, Golden Isle Indoor Adventure Golf

Popeye's Take Away in Blackpool

A look at Popeye's Take Away in Blackpool.

Popeye's take away in Blackpool

Popeye's takeaway in Blackpool has had a bit of a refresh since last year.

Popeye's take away in Blackpool has some new signage

They sell kebabs, pizza and burgers. But what about spinach?

Is spinach on the menu at Popeye's?

Related blog posts:
- Popeye
- Popeyes Take Away in Blackpool

A Coronation Street film location. In Blackpool

Visiting an infamous scene location in British soap history.

I was recently in Manchester city centre and was starstruck when I spotted Sue Nicholls and Mark Eden who played Audrey Roberts and Alan Bradley in Coronation Street.

This bit of celeb spotting got me chatting about the classic and infamous scene where the soap's baddie Alan Bradley got his comeuppance by getting killed by a tram in Blackpool.

My mate Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley and I jokingly wondered whether there was a plaque on the spot he was hit. After a little research I found out that there actually is a plaque to 'commemorate' the incident! It's on the entrance of The Strand Hotel.

We regularly visit the seaside resort so on my latest day out there I had a look to see where the scene was filmed.

The scene of telly soap baddie Alan Bradley's Coronation Street Death by Tram outside The Strand Hotel in Blackpool

A view from outside The Strand Hotel

A closer look at the tracks

A view of The Strand Hotel

A view of the street

I was able to avoid the same fate that befell one of soap's most notorious bad guys when I filmed this tram passing by the spot.

We've spotted quite a few interesting plaques on our travels.

Related blog posts:
- Plaque-ing Interesting
- Blackpool
- Plaques

Putting Green at Killacourt in Newquay

During the summer of 2015 we visited 62 miniature golf courses on a two week road trip of the South West of England.

One of those was the Putting Green at Killacourt in Newquay. Unfortunately it wasn't open for the season during our visit.

No putting