Happy Mount Park in Morecambe is 93 years old

Happy 93rd birthday to Happy Mount Park in Morecambe, Lancashire.

Happy Mount Park opened on this day in 1927.

The 16-hole Pirate Adventure Golf course there became the 891st course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a year ago.

Back in April 2012 the old Crazy Golf course on the same spot was the 455th visited. The Putting Course was the 456th.

The park is also home to a miniature railway.

Pubs of Stockport during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown

A look at Stockport's pubs during the lockdown.

I've been photographing the pubs of Stockport while out on my daily exercise.

This is No. 131 - The Jolly Sailor in Davenport.

The Jolly Sailor is the first of the pubs we've seen open during lockdown, albeit in a very limited manner. They are serving takeaway coffee and cakes.

Here are the social distancing signs and measures they have put in place.

You can see more of my Stopfordian Pub photos on Instagram.

We're looking forward to when pubs reopen and it's safe to visit them again.

We've missed going to the pub for pub quizzes, but have been doing quite a few during lockdown.

Ghetto Golf heading to Sheffield

New Ghetto Golf venue could be opening in Sheffield.

Plans for a new Ghetto Golf indoor crazy golf course in Sheffield have been submitted.

The Ghetto Golf course in Byker, Newcastle was the 920th we've visited

There are Ghetto Golf minigolf competitive socialising venues in Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle upon Tyne. The team at Ghetto Golf also have plans for courses in Leeds and Glasgow.

The Ghetto Golf course in Sheffield is the third new course I've heard about during the pandemic. The others are a replacement for the old course in Andover, Hampshire and a new indoor minigolf course at the Bullring in Birmingham.

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Mini Golf at Lister Gardens in Lyme Regis, Dorset

A look at the Mini Golf course at Lister Gardens in Lyme Regis, Dorset.

We visited our 601st minigolf course five years ago today.

The minigolf course at Lister Gardens is a unique and interesting layout, it's one of Emily's all-time favourite courses

It was one of 62 courses we visited on our two week holiday in the South West of England.

We've now been to 948 courses since September 2006.

When we began there were 600 courses in the UK.

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Pirate Mini Golf at the centre:MK in Milton Keynes

Playing the pop-up Pirate Mini Golf course at the centre:MK. Six years ago today.

On Sunday 1st June 2014 we headed over to Milton Keynes to make the 560th course visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The 12-hole Pirate Mini Golf course became the 336th played since 2006.

The course was of the 'Eternit' type of Miniature Golf - with the addition of felt to the playing surface and a few non-standard hole types and obstacles.

The pirate-theming around the site was very well done and the striking blue of the felt on the course made a nice contrast with the green felt flooring surrounding it.

Social distancing and Covid-19 signs

Have you seen any particularly good, bad, or downright ugly social distancing signage during the pandemic?

I think the signs at Stockport bus station are nice and clear.

It's going to be interesting to see how social distancing signs change and develop over time and as more places reopen.

Recording the signs

I've been snapping signs I see during my daily outdoor exercise and logging them on Instagram.

Social distancing minigolf

The first social distancing signs at a miniature golf course we've seen in person were at Bruntwood Park's Pitch & Putt course last month.

New Mini Golf course heading to Birmingham

Birmingham's Bullring will be home to a new indoor minigolf course.

A new indoor minigolf course is being created at Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre.

There's a level of intrigue about the venture. While planning documents have been submitted the minigolf brand opening the course is as yet unknown.

The new Bullring minigolf course in Birmingham is the second new course I've heard about during the pandemic. The other is a replacement for the old course in Andover, Hampshire.

Related blog posts:

• Birmingham
• New minigolf courses
• Minigolf in and around Birmingham

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Happy Minigolf Monday and Happy June

A new month dawns.

Minigolf course in Stoke Park, Guildford (May 2016)

A look at the minigolf course in Guildford's Stoke Park.

The course was the 399th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We played the 18-hole Swedish Felt B-Run Minigolf course as part of a competition for National Miniature Golf Day in 2016.

Jurassic Adventure Golf in Swanage, Dorset

A look at the Jurassic Adventure Golf course in Swanage, Dorset.

We visited our 600th minigolf course five years ago today when we played Jurassic Adventure Golf in Swanage, Dorset.

It was the first of 62 courses we visited on our two week holiday in the South West of England.

We've now been to 948 courses since September 2006.

When we began there were 600 courses in the UK!

Check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions

Crazy Golf course at Malkins Bank Golf Club in Sandbach (May 2019)

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Malkins Bank Golf Club in Betchton, Sandbach.

We played the 9-hole Swedish Felt Crazy Golf course at Malkins Bank Golf Club in Betchton, Sandbach in May last year.

The course was the 518th played and 888th visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Link:
- Malkins Bank Golf Club

Barnard Castle Mini Golf - A Journey Through Teesdale (July 2013)

A look at the Barnard Castle Mini Golf course.

In July 2013 we visited Barnard Castle in County Durham to help launch the new Mini Golf course there.

The 9-hole course was designed and built by the team at UrbanCrazy.

The Barnard Castle Mini Golf course was the 532nd visited and 319th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Your private green minigolf postcard

A playable postcard from the Netherlands.

I found this fun minigolf postcard at the last postcard fair I attended in Stockport.

The Dutch text reads Vouw de ansichtkaart langs de stippellijnen, en druk het balletje uit de kaart (Fold the postcard along the dotted lines and push the ball out of the card)

It was published by GreenCards and can be turned into a putting cup by folding along the perforations and popping out the golf ball in the middle.

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich (May 2017)

A look at the Eaton Park Crazy Golf course in Norwich, Norfolk.

The 18-hole Crazy Golf course was the 432nd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. The layout was the 734th visited overall and the 707th we'd been to in the UK.

Holes 1-9

Holes 10-18

It's one of my all-time favourite courses.

Visit the Eaton Park Crazy Golf course website for more information.

We've now been to 948 courses since September 2006.

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A crazy golf postcard from Butlinland Minehead

A look at an old crazy golf postcard from Butlin's Minehead.

One of the old miniature golf postcards I found at the last postcard fair I attended before the pandemic lockdown was this superb John Hinde one showing the Crazy Golf and Chair Lift at Butlinland Minehead.

Butlinland Minehead. Crazy Golf and Chair Lift. John Hinde Studios. 24 May 1976

The card was posted from Minehead to Devizes in Wiltshire on the 24th May 1976.

I grew up on holidays at Butlin's holiday camps in Minehead, Bognor Regis and Ayr.

I've got brilliant memories of the monorail, funfair, laser tag and arcades there. It's little wonder that even now I'm such a big fan of the British seaside, crazy golf and video-games.

Social Distancing Miniature Golf

Seeing social distancing miniature golf in Cheadle.

We saw social distancing measures in place at a miniature golf course in person for the first time today.

The additional rules of Pitch & Putt during the current 'new normal'

It was at Bruntwood Pitch & Putt in Bruntwood Park, Cheadle, Stockport.

Spacing lines for queuing at the course

We were out on a bike ride for our daily exercise and cycled through the park.

The green of hole 1

The lady at the course said they'd had a good morning with players enjoying a game on the 18-hole layout.

A view of one of the holes at Bruntwood Park's Pitch & Putt course

We saw a couple of pairs out on the course just after a downpour.

You can just make out two golfers playing the course in the distance

There was clear signage and spacing marked out for queuing to the kiosk. There were also spaces marked out on the approach to the first tee.

Social distancing signage at the entrance

Spacing marked out on the approach to the first tee

Playing at Bruntwood Pitch & Putt

Bruntwood Park's Pitch & Putt was the 695th course we visited and 414th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We played there on Miniature Golf Day 2016.

Playing hole 1

Visit the Bruntwood Pitch & Putt website for more information.

I always keep my minigolf scorecards, but someone had discarded theirs elsewhere in the park. Sad to see

Related blog posts:

• Cheadle
• Stockport
• Coronavirus
• Social Distancing
• Bruntwood Pitch & Putt
• Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
• The next normal rules of minigolf
• Competitive socialising in isolation
• The Coronavirus (Ham & Egger) Files

Check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions

Our plans for 2020

While our out-of-home putting has been paused by the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown we've been putting at home.

Stay alert. Control the virus

I was alert on my government mandated outdoor exercise time today.

Boules at Bramhall Park in Stockport

Spotting a sign for Boulles (sic) in Stockport.

We visited Bramhall Park for the first time yesterday. Crazy really as it's more or less on our doorstep!

We've been to so many other parts of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport and surrounding areas since moving here in 2016 but have never got round to go going.

While there we saw a sign for a 'Boulles Court'.

It should be 'Boules' with one l. And it's a terrain or piste rather than 'Court'.

And really it should be called 'Petanque'.

We couldn't find the 'court' and we got a bit lost in the woods too

Petanque in Stockport

We play for the Woodstock Petanque Club at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport.

Bramall Hall

We're looking forward to visiting Bramall Hall when it reopens. In the meantime we'll spend some of our outdoor exercise time exploring the grounds during lockdown.

Bramall Hall

Related blog posts:

• Petanque
• Boules
• Bramhall

Merseyway Comic Con in Stockport

There should've been a comic con at the Merseyway shopping centre in Stockport today.

Another casualty of the coronavirus.

Here's a snap of me on a Star Wars speeder bike at the Merseyway's first comic con last September.

Having fun in Stockport last year

Hopefully there'll be a return of retailtainment events in the future.

There was going to be a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man at the Merseyway comic con.

I'm so glad I went to Urmston last October!