Boom: Battle Bar Aberdeen

There are plans for a new Boom: Battle Bar in Aberdeen.

The indoor competitive socialising venue in the former Aberdeen Market will be home to a crazy golf course and other games including axe throwing, curling, pool, shuffleboard and darts.

Visit the Boom: Battle Bar website for more information.

Retailtainment and crazy golf

A number of shopping malls, town centres and retail parks are adding minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf and other experiential entertainment and activity leisure offerings to their sites to attract and retain customers.

New minigolf course in Peterhead

There are plans for a new minigolf course in Victoria Park, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.

The 9-hole minigolf course will be created on former bowling greens in the park. The community park will also be home to a BMX track, exercise area, new pavilion and more.

The project is being led by Peterhead Area Community Trust (PACT) and further information on the Victoria Park project can be found on the trust's website.

We haven't been up to Scotland for a few years and are looking forward to returning to visit some more courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Putt18 World Pro League - Season Two, Week Three

I'll be teeing-off in week three of the Putt18 World Pro League at 6pm on Saturday 20th February.

You can watch my rounds live via the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Facebook Page.

Putt18 World Pro League

21 players from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the USA are competing in the seven event series to find the world's best putter on the Putt18 Golf Putting Game System.

I am currently in 13th place on 24 points and in 15th place in the strokeplay standings.

Visit the Putt18 website for more information.

Toys R Us in Ipswich

A look at the old Toys R Us store in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Many thanks to my sister-in-law Annette for sending over a snap of the closed Toys R Us store in the Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich.

This sign is still up. But for how much longer?

Sadly Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018. Luckily there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK. I worked in the Gipsy Lane store in Luton, Bedfordshire back in the year 2000.

Check out the blog posts below about other former Toys R Us stores:

• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby
• Riverside Retail Park in Nottingham

Swing by Golfbaren minigolf in Stockholm, Sweden

We visited Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm, Sweden in February 2018 to celebrate the first birthday of the course. It doesn't seem like that long ago!

The indoor minigolf course and speakeasy was the landmark 800th course visit overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and our 31st overseas.

Head to the Swing by Golfbaren website for more information.

It's going to be superb to play there again in the future.

We managed to visit a total of nine miniature golf courses during our 42 hours in Sweden!

Boom: Battle Bar heading to Eastbourne

A Boom: Battle Bar is opening in the seaside town of Eastbourne.

There are plans to create a Boom: Battle Bar in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

Boom: Battle Bars are competitive socialising locations and home to indoor minigolf courses (known as crazier golf), axe throwing, electric darts, shuffleboard and more.

There are Boom: Battle Bars in Norwich and Cardiff and plans for others in Liverpool, Glasgow, Oxford, Coventry and West Thurrock.

Check out the Boom: Battle Bar Eastbourne Facebook Page for more information.

New golf venue planned for Glasgow

A new golf facility is planned to open in Glasgow next year.

The R&A has submitted plans for what it describes as a new community golf facility to open on the site of the public golf course at Lethamhill in Glasgow.

The golf centre will include a 9-hole golf course, a par-3 course, an adventure golf course, a driving range, putting greens and a short game area.

The venue will also include a café, indoor golf simulators and more.

Further information can be found on the R&A website.

Lost shops - Sainsbury's on Warren Street in Stockport town centre

A look at Sainsbury's on Warren Street in Stockport town centre.

Now a lost shop.

It closed on the 31st January this year.

Boom: Battle Bar heading to Lakeside

The Lakeside Shopping Centre in West Thurrock, Essex will be home to a new Boom: Battle Bar.

Boom: Battle Bars are competitive socialising venues and home to minigolf (known as crazier golf), axe throwing, electric darts, shuffleboard and more.

There are other Boom: Battle Bars in Norwich and Cardiff and plans for others in Liverpool, Glasgow, Oxford and Coventry.

Visit the Boom: Battle Bar Lakeside Facebook Page for more information.

Boom: Battle Bars are a relatively new entrant to the world of competitive socialising and retailtainment. A number of shopping malls, town centres and retail parks are adding minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf and other experiential entertainment and activity leisure offerings to their sites to attract and retain customers.

Read more in my blog post about the retailtainment and minigolf boom.

New minigolf course in Reading

A new minigolf course is being created as part of an activity centre at Prospect Park in Reading, Berkshire.

The centre will also include a climbing wall and rope course.

It'll be another new course to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

Miniature Golf in Reading

A new indoor adventure golf course is also planned to open at The Oracle shopping centre in Reading. The new venue 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.

There are also plans for a Mini Golf & Bowling Lounge at the Broad Street Mall in the town.

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A Happy Shopper

I've added another nice retro badge to my collection.

It'll look good next to my Happy Eater badges.

Check out my other Happy Shopper and badge blog posts.

New minigolf course opening in Weston-super-Mare

A new indoor minigolf course is opening in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

Weston-super-Mare will be home to a new indoor minigolf course as the former Seaquarium is converted into a family-themed restaurant and minigolf venue.

It'll be another new course for us to play when we revisit the seaside resort on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Related blog posts:

• Weston-super-Mare

Only Cars and Commercials

We spotted this amazing van on our daily walk in Cheadle on Saturday!

I'd literally just said to Emily that I hadn't seen anything fun to photograph recently as we've been locked down in the borough.

Only Fools and Horses is a pop culture icon that has been ripe for bootlegging and parodies over the years.

It's crazy how many Reliant Regal Supervans we've seen on our minigolf travels.

Elsewhere in Stockport you can see a hearse from a business called Shed's Household Independent Traders.

Shawfield Line Marking Specialists Ltd. is another business that operates in Stockport and some less exotic locations like London, Paris and New York.

If you're in Blackpool you can visit Lester's Independent Trading Co.

Putt18 World Pro League Results - Season Two, Week Two

The results are in for the second week of the 2021 Putt18 World Pro League.

After shooting rounds of 74, 85, 85 and 80 for a 72-hole total of 324 I am currently in 13th place on 24 points and in 15th place in the strokeplay standings.

21 players from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the USA are competing in the seven event series to find the world's best putter on the Putt18 Golf Putting Game System.

Matt Ansley, NZL has maintained his lead, with Dave Gomm, GBR in second and Josh Mars, AUS in third place.

You can watch my rounds from week two in the video below.

  

 Visit the Putt18 website for more information.

Minigolf American Football in Sweden

A look at the minigolf course at O'Leary's bar and entertainment centre at the Mall of Scandinavia in Solna.

We visited our 801st minigolf course and 32nd overseas at O'Leary's bar and entertainment centre at the Mall of Scandinavia in Solna, Stockholm, Sweden in February 2018.

Hole 12 was Gridiron themed

The Sports World Minigolf course was a 14-hole indoor layout with sports themed holes.

 

Check out the blog post from our visit to Sports World Mini Golf at O'Leary's in the Mall of Scandinavia.

Visit the O'Leary's website for more information.

New Adventure Golf course in Skelmersdale

There are retailtainment plans for the Concourse Shopping Centre in Skelmersdale, Lancashire.

As well as an indoor Adventure Golf course, the WonderWorld attraction at the Concourse Shopping Centre will include a wide-range of activities for adults and children including an inflatable assault course, darts, tenpin bowling, amusements, arcade games and more.

Link:

• Concourse Shopping Centre

Retailtainment

More and more shopping centres, retail parks and high streets are adding retail entertainment offerings to increase footfall, attract and retain customers. There are a lot of new minigolf courses, competitive socialising venues and family entertainment centres in development and under construction at the moment, all gearing up to be ready for the post-covid world.

Porth Island Krazy Golf in Newquay

A look at the Porth Island Krazy Golf course in Newquay, Cornwall.

We played the Porth Island Krazy Golf course in Newquay on our road-trip around the South West coast of England back in June 2015.

The course was similar to a Beton Concrete type of miniature golf course and interesting, if a little too difficult, to play.

The course was the 47th visited on our two-week holiday, the 377th played overall and the 646th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the Newquay Football Golf website for more information on the Porth Island Krazy Golf course.

New Adventure Golf course in Henley

Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire could become home to a new Adventure Golf course.

There are plans to create a new 9 or 18-hole Adventure Golf course on the site of the Putting Green at Mill Meadows in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

It'll be another new course to play in my home county!

It's Groundhog Day

Happy Groundhog Day.

Do you want to see six more weeks of Winter or an early Spring?

Lost shops - Debenhams in Stockport town centre

A look at Debenhams in Stockport town centre. Now a lost shop.