Princess Parade Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore

An update on the project to reopen the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore.

Last year the teams at Blackpool Fulfilling Lives and Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels joined forces to refresh and reopen the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore.

The course has now received the green light from Blackpool Council and will be opening once the refurbishment work is complete and it is safe to do so.

The spruced up course in October 2019

The minigolf project is helping people in Blackpool by giving them the chance to work on the Crazy Golf course so it is playable and then staffing it for the season. It's a wonderful plan to give people the opportunity to receive work experience, while also bringing an historic, but disused, minigolf course back to life.

How the course looked before work began

It's a pleasure to be a part of the Princess Parade Crazy Golf project and I've enjoyed meetings and calls with the teams at Blackpool Fulfilling Lives and Blackpool & the Fylde Street Angels, Blackpool Council and the Blackpool Civic Trust.

At the course in May 2019

The different the volunteers have made to the course and the area has been massive. It's going to be brilliant when people are allowed to play the course once again.

The course in May 2019

The course in October 2019

More information on the project can be found on the Blackpool Princess Parade Crazy Golf Facebook Group and via Blackpool Fulfilling Lives and Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels.

A piece of seaside heritage and Blackpool minigolf history

The course has been there since the 1960s and we've quite quite a few old postcards showing the area. It's lovely to see the photos of it in its heyday.

Crazy Golf Course and North Pier, Blackpool postcard. The Photographic Greeting Card Co Ltd. London. Posted to Manchester on the 4th June 1969

The obstacles are pretty much unchanged since then and the work to refurbish the course has seen a number of holes repaired.

A postcard from the Railway Convalescent Home in Herne Bay

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from from the Railway Convalescent Home in Herne Bay, Kent.

One of the nice old minigolf postcards I bought at the last postcard fair I attended was this one by Photochrom Co. Ltd. showing the Railway Convalescent Home in Herne Bay, Kent.

It's postally unused and undated.

The Railway Convalescent Home in Herne Bay was the first of ten homes opened by the railway industry for railwayworkers to recover from sickness and illness.

Adventure Golf at Romsey Rapids Sports Complex in Southampton

A look at the Adventure Golf course at Romsey Rapids Sports Complex in Southampton.

We visited last May.

The course was the 877th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Museum Week 2020

This week is Museum Week.

Running from today to the 17th May, MuseumWeek has returned for a seventh edition.

This year MuseumWeek celebrates togetherness. The theme was adopted earlier this year and with the coronavirus pandemic reaching almost all areas of the world the idea of togetherness has come to take on more meaning in these times of social and physical distancing.

Over the week there are seven different hashtags focusing on a different area, with the overall theme of togetherness.

The hashtags are:
#HeroesMW
#CultureInQuarantineMW
#TogetherMW
#MuseumMomentsMW
#ClimateMW
#TechnologyMW
#DreamsMW
#MuseumWeek

Check out the MuseumWeek website for more information.

The Crazy Golf Museum

The Crazy Golf Museum is celebrating it's tenth year in 2020. The worldwide archive of miniature golf memories, histories and ephemera opened it's online doors to the world on the 15th July 2010.

Visit the Crazy Golf Museum website, Facebook Page & Group, Twitter and Instagram to see more.

Today is Minigolf Monday

Putt at Home.

Coeliac Awareness Week, aka Gluten Free Community Week

This week is UK Coeliac Awareness Week, aka Gluten Free Community Week.

Gluten Free Community Week runs from the 11th to the 17th May.

Other important dates for your gluten free diary:

• May is Celiac Awareness Month.
• International Coeliac Day is on Saturday 16th May.
• National Celiac Disease Awareness Day is on the 13th September this year.
• The week before Christmas is Gluten Free Baking Week.

About Coeliac Disease

Coeliac Disease (Celiac in the US and Canada) is a lifelong autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to gluten and the only treatment is to adhere to a strict lifelong gluten free diet.

In the UK it's estimated that 1 in 100 people have the condition.

My Coeliacversary

I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in June 2008.

Having suffered from a range of symptoms for around ten years I finally received a positive diagnosis of Coeliac Disease following some 'interesting' and in-depth tests and procedures in 2008. It came as a relief to finally have a name for the mysterious cause of my illnesses and ailments, but at the time I was only given a brief summary and told that I'd have to "cut down on bread and beer". It was only later when I met with a Gastroenterologist and a dietitian that I found out that the only treatment for people with Coeliac Disease is a strict, life-long gluten free diet.

While having a life-long condition such as Coeliac Disease can be a pain - and horrible if I 'get glutened' - having the disease has had some positives. I've met great people since my diagnosis and have made some brilliant friends who I've met through Coeliac groups. I've also blogged a lot about living with the condition and the great free from food and drink I've found since 2008.

The Inverted Jenny stamp

Celebrating the Inverted Jenny stamp.

It's been 102 years since the 24 cent US postage stamp, known as the Inverted Jenny, was issued.

The stamp is the most famous error in US stamps and only 100 of the inverted stamps were ever found.

It's my favourite stamp. Probably because it appeared in the 80's classic film Brewster's Millions.

I was lucky to receive two examples of the stamp's re-issue, in $2 form, in some post I received from the USA a few years ago.

The 2008 Minigolf Nations Cup

A look back at the 2008 Nations Cup of Minigolf in Finland.

We made our Great Britain team debuts at the 2008 Nations Cup of Minigolf in Tampere, Finland twelve years ago today!

The GB team playing the Beton Concrete Minigolf course in Tampere, Finland

In international action on the Eternit Miniature Golf course

Our Great Britain Minigolf team, sponsored by UrbanCrazy, finished the tournament in 13th place. In the individual rankings I finished in 51st place and Emily was 53rd.

The 2008 Great Britain squad - Jouni Valkjarvi (coach), John 'Big Top Ted' McIver, Marion 'Mation' Homer, Sean 'Freebird' Homer, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies, Steve 'F1' Gow, Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried, Andy 'Sarge' Booth, 'Squire' Richard Gottfried

We've also played for the national team in tournaments in Stockholm, Sweden and Hastings, England.

Receiving some tips on the Middle Hill Eternit Miniature Golf hole from Crazy Golf legend Tim 'Ace Man' Davies

The Beton Concrete Mini Golf course at the Manse RG Club in Tampere was the 50th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. The Eternit Miniature Golf course was the 51st and the Swedish Felt Minigolf course was the 52nd played.

Happy National Windmill Day

Today is National Windmill Day.

In addition to it being National Miniature Golf Day, today is also National Windmill Day.

Playing a windmill hole in Skegness on a previous National Miniature Golf Day

The two things very often go hand-in-hand.

The windmill hole on the grass putting miniature golf course at the Palm Bay Café in Cliftonville, Margate back in 2007

 

Playing the windmill hole on the Crazy Golf course at Penwith Pitch & Putt in Cornwall 

Emily playing a windmill hole at the Rhos Fynach Crazy Golf course on Miniature Golf Day in 2017

National Windmill Day is a holiday in the Netherlands and actually takes place over two days on the second Saturday and Sunday in May.

A Dutch-themed hole at Glo-Golf indoor Crazy Golf at the Riverside Bowl in Andover

Related blog posts:
- Windmills

National Miniature Golf Day

A look at a pair of National Miniature Golf Day posters.

A few years ago I spotted these two posters for National Miniature Golf Day on Twitter and Facebook.

National Miniature golf Day
Annually the second Saturday in May celebrates National Minia… https://t.co/QcVnMUzMEQ pic.twitter.com/ZZBZjLgntJ

— Police Heart (@police1091heart) May 14, 2016

National Miniature Golf Day
Annually the second Saturday in May celebrates National Minia… https://t.co/EJEEVYidwa pic.twitter.com/F8mdpABz3a

— Ruzan Khambatta (@ruzankhambatta) May 14, 2016

The posters use one of my photos taken during the National Miniature Golf Day competition we played at the Pebble Beach Adventure Golf course in Skegness in May 2015.

National Miniature Golf Day at the Pebble Beach Adventure Golf course in Skegness

Happy National Miniature Golf Day

Today is National Miniature Golf Day.

It's certainly a different one to normal.

Playing the Arnold Palmer Putting Course in Skegness on National Miniature Golf Day during a minigolf weekender in 2015

Are you Putting at Home to celebrate?

Emily playing the Stoke Park Minigolf course in Guildford during the Report from the Surrey Invitational Minigolf Tournament on National Miniature Golf Day 2016

However you're marking the occasion stay safe and be well.

Playing the Championship Adventure Golf course in New Brighton on National Miniature Golf Day 2017

Two days to celebrate

There are two 'official' days each year to celebrate Miniature Golf. The first of these is National Miniature Golf Day and falls on the second Saturday in May. The second of these is Miniature Golf Day and is always on the 21st of September.

Playing the Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course in Aberavon, Port Talbot on National Miniature Golf Day last year

Happy National Train Day

Today is National Train Day.

Riding a little train at Falkirk High railway station in 2014

At Putters End station on the now gone Weston Miniature Railway in Weston-Super-Mare

One the wrong side of the tracks

Playing a miniature golf course inside the loop of the old miniature railway in Weston-Super-Mare

National Train Day was created by Amtrak in 2008 (and discontinued in 2016). It was observed on the Saturday closest to the 10th May.

Related blog posts:
- Train
- Trains
- Miniature Railways

Crazy Golf at the Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley, Southampton.

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley, Southampton.

We played the course last May.

The 9-hole course was the 879th visited and 512th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Happy National Miniature Golf Day Eve

It's National Miniature Golf Day Eve.

Last year I was preparing for a trip down to the South Wales coast and a visit to the Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course in Aberavon, Port Talbot for a weekend of minigolf action with the Welsh Minigolf Club.

Hole 12 of the Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course in Aberavon, Port Talbot

Related blog posts:
- National Miniature Golf Day
- Aberavon

Tidal Bay Crazy Adventure Golf in Sherfield on Loddon

A look at the Tidal Bay Crazy Adventure Golf course in Sherfield on Loddon, Hampshire.

We played there a year ago today.

The course at Wyevale Garden Centre was the 515th we played and the 883rd visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. It was the 845th course visited in the British Isles.

Old photo of people playing Crazy Golf

An old photo of people playing Crazy Golf (circa 2019).

The Masters Putting Green in Southport

An old postcard from Bridlington

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from Bridlington.

One of the old postcards I found at the last postcard fair I attended before the pandemic lockdown was this one showing Bridlington Princes Parade and The Spa Boating Lake. It was published by Photochrom Co. Ltd. and is unposted and undated.

Bridlington Princes Parade. The Spa Boating Lake. Photochrom Co. Ltd.

I'd guess that it's from the late 1920's or early 1930's.

Interestingly the minigolf course being played looks to be a portable layout.

Portable and pop-up minigolf courses are very often seen as a modern thing. However there have been a number of seasonal set-ups at seaside locations over the years.

We've really enjoyed our visits to Bridlington. It's a nice seaside town and we've had some fun games of minigolf there. One of those was a temporary course at the Foreshore Sands.

Bridgehall BMX Track in Stockport

I found a BMX track on my daily walk yesterday.

It's only 5 minutes away from my house too!

Amazing.

It's hidden in plain sight if you know where to look.

And there's me thinking I'd explored all of my local area!

A Putting Green postcard from Butlin's Luxury Holiday Camp in Pwllheli

A look at a nice old Putting Green postcard from the Butlin's Luxury Holiday Camp in Pwllheli.

Putting Green, Butlin's Luxury Holiday Camp, Pwllheli. Published by Butlin's Photographic Services Ltd. Postally used on 4th June 1951

This is the oldest postcard I have showing the Putting Green at Butlin's Pwllheli. The other cards I have were posted in 1964 and 1966.

Butlin's Pwllheli opened in 1947 and closed in 1998.

Moroccan Adventure Golf at Pleasure Land in Southport

A look at the old Moroccan Adventure Golf course at Pleasure Land in Southport.

Back in September 2009 we visited Southport for the first time. It was the last Friday of the summer season but Pleasure Land had closed down so we weren't able to play the Moroccan-themed Adventure Golf layout.

It's one of my favourite lost minigolf courses as it had a theme we hadn't seen before and haven't seen since.

  

We returned to Southport Pleasureland when we moved north in 2016. On that trip in October we were please to see the park open and thriving. It had also declared itself the 'Happy Halloween Capital of the UK'. A title it truly deserved.

Unfortunately since our previous visit the Moroccan Adventure Golf course had been removed as the park had received an extensive refurbishment. The area that was once home to the minigolf course had become a pathway.

Late last year the owners of Southport Pleasureland announced that a new year-round Dinosaur Adventure Golf course was planned to open at the theme park. Fingers crossed that will still go ahead.

We're looking forward to returning to Southport when trips to the seaside are once again allowed post-lockdown.