Saturday, August 08, 2020

A Mini Golf Apocalypse

A look back at the Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London.


Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

As we're in the midst of a pandemic I thought it'd be interested to look back at an apocalypse - the Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course from 2012.

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

Looking back to 2012

We played the Golf Apocalypse miniature golf course back in August 2012. The layout had been created as part of the London Pleasure Gardens, an area set-up to tap into the passing trade between the DLR and the London 2012 Olympic Games at the ExCel centre.

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

Obey street art in London
A BIG piece of OBEY street art in the distance

Golf Apocalypse was the first really really really mad-cap pop-up course we played on our travels.

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London
What a sight!

A crazy set-up

The layout contained all manner of strange minigolf obstacles and we found ourselves playing through the fuselage of a crashed aeroplane, around a pinball machine, a snooker table and into a volcano.

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London
What a thing to putt through

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London
Pinball wizard

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London
Snooker loopy

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London
The End

Pop-up crazy golf

The pop-up miniature golf course was the first to use reclaimed materials in its construction. Something that has become commonplace these days and we've seen and played a number of funky, junky, scrap, ghetto, trash, garbage, graffiti, wreck and art-based courses since.

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London
Playing hole 2

Competitive minigolf

In our minigolf match-up Emily picked up the win with a score of 25. I was second with 26, with Gareth Holmes third with 27 and Alan Norman on 28.

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London
Emily playing hole 3

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London
22 was a very good score to get on the 9-hole course

The course’s designer and owner, Dave Lovatt, was also responsible for the 9-hole Crazy Golf course that staged the Welsh Open Crazy Golf Championships as part of the Newport Big Splash Festival in 2010. Following the 2012 pop-up in London the course moved on to Bristol.

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London
Crazy golfing at the end of the world - from l-r Gareth Holmes, Richard Gottfried, Emily Gottfried, Dave Lovatt, Alan Norman

Our challenge match with Dave went to a sudden-death play-off between Dave and Alan after both players had shot rounds of 22. Dave picked up the win on the deciding hole to take the title. I had finished on 24, Gareth had a 25 and Emily had shot a 29.

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London
Alan snookered

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London
Gareth putting on hole 1

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London
A different sort of podium

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

The 9-hole Golf Apocalypse course was the 304th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

More photos of the Golf Apocalypse course.


Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

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Snookered at the Golf Apocalypse

A look at the snooker hole at the Golf Apocalypse.


We've played a number of snooker, billiard and pool-based holes and obstacles on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

The first was hole 7 of the Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London back in 2012.

Snooker hole at the Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

To play it you had to tee-off from the 'D' using your putter as a cue.

Snooker hole at the Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

The aim was to sink the minigolf ball into one of the corner pockets at the other end of the table where they would then drop down onto the green below.

Snooker hole at the Golf Apocalypse crazy golf course in London

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National Bowling Day 2020

It's National Bowling Day!


Today is National Bowling Day.


The annual day to celebrate the game of tenpin bowling takes place on the second Saturday in August.

A bowling-themed hole at Puttshack super tech mini golf at White City, London. October 2019
A tenpin bowling-themed hole at Puttshack super tech mini golf at White City, London

Tenpin bowling is an area of the indoor entertainment industry that has been hit by lockdown rules during the coronavirus pandemic with re-openings being pushed back in England.

We enjoy playing tenpin bowling, bowlingo and skittles and it'll be nice when we're able to safely play again in the future.

Glow-in-the-dark Bowlingo at Mr B's amusement arcade in Rhyl last year
Glow-in-the-dark Bowlingo at Mr B's amusement arcade in Rhyl last year

Tenpin bowling and minigolf

With the boom in the popularity of minigolf and the growth in new courses, a number of tenpin bowling centres have added minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf courses.

Traditionally the two leisure activities have been quite separate and distinct, with people choosing to do either one or other and most operators running either a minigolf course or tenpin bowling alley.

We're fans of both games and we've been to quite a few places on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour that have both entertainment options.

Our 900th minigolf course visit in the British Isles was the Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course at the New York Thunderbowl tenpin bowling centre in Kettering, Northamptonshire.

Pirate Cove Adventure Golf at New York Thunderbowl in Kettering, December 2019
Pirate Cove Adventure Golf at New York Thunderbowl in Kettering, December 2019

Playing Mini Golf next to the tenpin bowling alleys at Lane7 in Newcastle upon Tyne
Playing Mini Golf next to the tenpin bowling alleys at Lane7 in Newcastle upon Tyne

You can see more in my blog post about Minigolf and tenpin bowling.


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Friday, August 07, 2020

Session Ale from Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm

A look at some minigolf beer from Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm, Sweden.


Session Ale from Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm

As today is International Beer Day here's a look at the Session Ale from Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm.

Session Ale from Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm

Swing by Golfbaren was the landmark 800th course we visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in February 2018.

Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm

From the Crazy Golf Museum's stores - Session Ale from Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm, Sweden.

Session Ale from Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm

Have you tried this minigolf beer before?

Session Ale from Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm

Session Ale from Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm

It's a superb indoor miniature golf venue with two courses hidden within the speakeasy.

Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm

Visit the Swing by Golfbaren and Golfbaren websites for more information.


We're looking forward to visiting Sweden again in the future and playing the other Golfbaren courses.

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Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf

A look back at Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf.


Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery
Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at York Art Gallery

I played Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf on two occasions in 2016 and 2017. The first was a round at the New Art Exhange in Nottingham, the second was at York Art Gallery.

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at the New Art Exchange in Nottingham
Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf at the New Art Exchange in Nottingham

As today is International Beer Day it's worth taking a look at the ace beer mat scorecard the course had.

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf scorecard

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf scorecard

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course first appeared at the Venice Biennale. It then toured the UK for a while.

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf merchandise
I bought the ace merch on sale at the art pop-up

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf merchandise
Branded minigolf merch - always superb to see

It was an interesting art installation and a nice, playable miniature golf course.


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Simpsons stickers

I always keep an eye out for interesting street art and have some seen some nice pieces, including these Simpsons ones while out and about on my travels.

Bart Simpson sticker in Manchester
Spray can Bart in Manchester

Homer Simpson sticker in Handforth
Homer the hockey player

Homer Simpson sticker in London
I didn't know Homer was a Tractor Boy!

Lisa Simpson sticker in Manchester
Lizard Queen Lisa

Bart Simpson sticker in Leeds
I wouldn't have thought Rugby League was that popular in Springfield

Barney Gumble sticker in Manchester
Who knew Barney Gumble was an Inter Milan fan

Related blog posts:
- Street Art
- The Simpsons

Happy Eater

Do you remember Happy Eater?


Happy Eater badges
Did you used to stop at Happy Eater, or were you more of a Little Chef fan?

Happy Eater restaurants were once a familiar sight on A-roads in the South East and Midlands of England. Set up in 1973 Happy Eater was created as a competitor to Little Chef.

The brand was eventually bought out by it's big rival Little Chef in the mid-nineties. The last Happy Eater closed its doors in 1997.

Neither brand exists on the roadsides of England anymore.

Interestingly if you visit Mauritius you can still dine at a Happy Eater restaurant!

Lost brands

We've seen traces of a number of old and defunct brands that were big in the 80s and 90s on our travels around the country. These have included Woolworths in Stoke-on-Trent, Woolworths Big W in Edinburgh, Kwik Save in Barrow-in-Furness, Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Tandy in Hitchin, RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes and Toys R Us in Ancoats and Warrington.

Urbex - Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield

A look at the remains of the old Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester.


Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Manchester. July 2020

Blockbuster Video lives on in Manchester. In a way.

Kind of.

One for International Beer Day - Crazy Golf in Beer, Devon

A look at a crazy golf scorecard from Pecorama in Beer.


Happy International Beer Day.

Here's an item from the Crazy Golf Museum archives - a minigolf scorecard from the Crazy Golf course at Pecorama in Beer, Devon. Donated by Nigel Lutt.

Pecorama Crazy Golf course scorecard from Nigel Lutt, September 2017

Pecorama Crazy Golf course scorecard from Nigel Lutt, September 2017

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Minigolf in a brewery

Happy International Beer Day.


The Brewmaster's Open minigolf tournament at the Camden Town Brewery

We competed in The Brewmaster's Open at the Camden Town Brewery eight years ago this month.

The Brewmaster's Open minigolf tournament at the Camden Town Brewery
This is still one of the best minigolf scorecards I've seen

It was a superb event played on a portable 5-hole minigolf course from UrbanCrazy set up in a brewery! More than 200 players competed in the tournament.

The Brewmaster's Open minigolf tournament at the Camden Town Brewery

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CLUB GOLF crazy golf beer

Today is International Beer Day.


I spotted this Crazy Golf beer at the Club Golf minigolf pop-up at Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross, London in February this year.

CLUB GOLF crazy golf beer

It was the last new minigolf course I played before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

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Minigolf beer at Holeymolies indoor minigolf course

Happy International Beer Day.


Did you know that the Holeymolies indoor miniature golf course in Skelton-in-Cleveland, Teesside has its own beer?

Minigolf beer from Holeymolies in Skelton-in-Cleveland

The minigolf course was the 500th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

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Urbex - Toys R Us in Warrington

A look at the remains of the old Toys R Us store in Warrington, Cheshire.


The old Toys R Us store in Warrington, Cheshire. July 2020

19th Hole minigolf beer for International Beer Day

Today is International Beer Day.


Uncle Stuart's Brewery and Beer Shop at Wroxham Barns in Norfolk created the 19th Hole Beer to commemorate the staging of the 2011 BMGA English Open minigolf championships at Wroxham Barns.

19th Hole beer from Uncle Stuart's Brewery 2011

To our knowledge it was the first minigolf beer in history!

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Thursday, August 06, 2020

Crepes R Us

NOT Toys R Us.

Crepes R Us

Related blog posts:
- Stickers
- Toys R Us

Wednesday, August 05, 2020

Pitch & Plakks now available to pre-order online

The new Pitch & Plakks minigolf game is available to pre-order online.


Post contains affiliate links

Pitch & Plakks indoor miniature golf game

We found out about Pitch & Plakks minigolf course toy back in May and backed the Kickstarter to get the game made.

Pitch & Plakks will be released in November and we're looking forward to receiving this early Christmas present.

You can pre-order the game - with a discount - online now.

We love playing minigolf, outdoors and indoors - whether it's a full size course, a video game or a board game we're super competitive! It'll be interesting to see who wins our games - and how many arguments we'll have while playing it...

Pitch & Plakks is the second game from the team at Plakks after they successfully launched the Plakks football game in 2019.

Pitch & Plakks indoor miniature golf game

You can pre-order Pitch & Plakks through this link. Any purchases made through it will also support us to continue bringing you brilliant minigolf content.


Pitch & Plakks is going to be a nice addition to our collection of minigolf toys, games and board games.

Cornhill Cove Crazy Golf in Lincoln

New pop-up Crazy Golf course opening in Lincoln.


Lincoln city centre will be home to a pop-up Crazy Golf course this summer as Cornhill Cove opens in Lincoln's Cornhill this month

Lincoln city centre will be home to a pop-up Crazy Golf course this summer as Cornhill Cove opens in Lincoln's Cornhill this month.

Cornhill Cove is a seaside-style pop-up area and the Crazy Golf course tees-off on Thursday 13th August and will be open for a month.

The area will also be home to a bar and street food.

Visit the Cornhill Cove Facebook Page for more information.


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New indoor adventure golf course heading to Reading

A new indoor adventure golf course is planned to open at The Oracle shopping centre in Reading, Berkshire and the news was covered on BBC Radio Berkshire afternoon's show yesterday.


I was a guest on the programme to talk about the wide world of minigolf.

The episode is available for 29 days and can be listened to at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08l9kc5

The piece about Crazy Golf begins at 3h 19m 50s.

The new venue at The Oracle in Reading will replace the House of Fraser department store. As well as indoor minigolf the location will also be home to a food hall and tenpin bowling.

A new indoor adventure golf course is planned to open at The Oracle shopping centre in Reading, Berkshire

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Tuesday, August 04, 2020

Lost Blockbuster Video in Oldham

Last month we popped over to Oldham for our daily walk and a look for an old Blockbuster Video store on Ashton Road.


Sadly there were no traces of the brand visible at the former location. Until fairly recently the upstairs windows had retained the Blockbuster branding. Sadly they had been boarded up. Had the store been open I believe the old QuikDrop box is still in place. Next time we're over that way we'll take another look.

Discount Square in Oldham
Interestingly the new shop in the building has retained a blue and yellow colour scheme and a Square is a kind of Block too

It wasn't all for nought though as we did spot an apt road name on the way back.

Corona Avenue in Oldham

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Check out more Blockbuster Video related blog posts