Looking for the Putting Green at Runcorn Hill Park

We had a look for the Putting Green at Runcorn Hill Park in Runcorn, Cheshire on our way back from a day out at Chester Zoo yesterday. Unfortunately the course wasn't cut in.

Out of season

You could however still see some of the mounds and bumps of the greens of the layout.

A green on the Putting Course

It was still nice to have a wander around a different park, after having traipsed around the same parks and paths for more than a year.

Not a minigolf hole

But it looked a bit like one

One of two stones in the park that depict the Earth

The UK

The other half of the globe

We'll be heading back to Runcorn again in the future as we've never been to the town centre. We'll swing by Runcorn Hill Park again and see if the course is there next time.

We had a wander to the cliff

You get some superb views from the top of the Frog's Mouth Cliff!

Chester Zoo's monorail

A look at what remains of the monorail at Chester Zoo.

Unfortunately we were two years too late to have a ride on the monorail at Chester Zoo when we visited yesterday.

However, as a big fan of monorails it was interesting to see sections of the track still in place

There were quite a few 'ends of the line' too!

A bench underneath the monorail

Mini Golf at The Boathouse in Christchurch

A look at the Mini Golf course at The Boathouse in Christchurch, Dorset.

Our fellow crazy golf adventurer Matt Dodd recently played the Mini Golf course at The Boathouse in Christchurch, Dorset and sent us these snaps of the layout.

Check out The Boathouse's website for more information, opening times and prices.

Matt and his family have visited hundreds of courses on their crazy golf adventures and it's always great to meet up with them for a game. Matt has managed to track down and play quite a lot of courses that we're yet to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

We're looking forward to having a game at The Boathouse in the future.

Crazy Golf at Tuckton Tea Gardens in Bournemouth

A look at the Crazy Golf at Tuckton Tea Gardens in Bournemouth.

Thank you to my friend and minigolf rival Matt Dodd for these photos of the Crazy Golf course at Tuckton Tea Gardens in Bournemouth, Dorset.

Visit the Tuckton Tea Gardens website for more information about the Crazy Golf course and Putting Green there.

Matt and his family have visited hundreds of courses on their crazy golf adventures and it's always nice to meet up with them for a game. Matt has managed to track down and play quite a lot of courses that we're yet to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

We're looking forward to a return visit to Bournemouth and playing the two miniature golf courses at Tuckton Tea Gardens.

National Miniature Golf Day is on Saturday 8th May

There are two annual minigolf 'days' dedicated to celebrating the game each year.

National Miniature Golf Day

The first is National Miniature Golf Day. It is always marked on the second Saturday in May. This year the date is Saturday 8th May.

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

Miniature Golf Day

The second of the annual minigolf days is Miniature Golf Day. It is always on the 21st September. This year that will be a Tuesday.

The first miniature golf course

The world's first miniature golf course opened in St Andrews, Scotland in 1867. The Himalayas Putting Course is still open and is a marvellous place to have a round.

Playing The Himalayas course at the St Andrews Ladies' Putting Club 2012

Playing minigolf around the world

There are tens of thousands of miniature golf courses around the world and millions of people play the game each year.

When our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK and just two of those were indoor venues.

The game has boomed in recent years and there are now more than 1,000 adventure golf, crazy golf and mini-golf layouts in the country, with more new courses opening all the time. Traditionally they were outdoor courses in seaside towns, but now you can find courses in towns and cities around the UK.

Lost World Adventure Golf on Sandown Pier

A look at the indoor adventure golf course on Sandown Pier on the Isle of Wight.

A big thanks to my fellow minigolf adventurer Matt Dodd for these photos of the Lost World Crazy Golf course on Sandown Pier. They were taken on his visit to the Isle of Wight last summer.

Visit the Lost World Adventure Golf website for more information.

Matt and his family have visited hundreds of courses on their crazy golf adventures and it's always brilliant to meet up with them for a game.

We played the Lost World Minigolf course on Sandown Pier back in 2008.

Aces Minigolf Gloucester

A new minigolf course is opening at Dobbies Garden Centre in Gloucester.

Work is underway on the new Aces Minigolf course at Dobbies Garden Centre in Gloucester.

Check out the Aces Minigolf Facebook Page for more information.

The 12-hole minigolf layout is the brainchild of my minigolf rival and doubles partner Seve Kukielka. Seve has been playing tournament minigolf since the mid 2000's, is highly ranked in the British Minigolf Association Order of Merit and has won a number of competitions over the years.

We're really looking forward to playing the Aces Minigolf course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Garden Centre Minigolf

We've played a few miniature golf courses at garden centres on our travels and they have become a popular spot to set up a course.

Blockbuster in Billingham

A look at the old Blockbuster Video Express in Billingham town centre, Teesside.

The former Blockbuster Video Express in Billingham is one of the last remaining Blockbuster storefronts that is almost fully intact in the UK.

It's always interesting seeing ghost signs for lost brands and even better when those ghost signs are so fresh looking.

Blockbuster in the UK

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

Blockbuster around the world

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster stores operating around the world. There is now just one remaining store open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

Blockbuster visits

We've visited a number of former Blockbuster locations, including:

• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Colne, Lancashire
• Chester, Cheshire
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Wythenshawe, Manchester
• Billingham, Teesside

New Crazy Golf course at Cefn Mably Farm Park near Cardiff

There's a new farm-themed Crazy Golf course at Cefn Mably Farm Park near Cardiff, Wales.

As well as the new Crazy Golf course the farm park is also home to a new miniature railway.

Visit the Cefn Mably Farm Park website for more information, opening times and prices.

Happy World Penguin Day

Today is World Penguin Day.

This obstacle is at the Surfside Amusements at Pensarn Beach in Abergele, Wales.

In September 2017 the Surfside Crazy Golf course at Pensarn Beach in Abergele became the 463rd played and 782nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

To mark the day why not check out The Putting Penguin minigolf course review website.

New Adventure Golf course in Perth, Scotland

There are plans for a new adventure golf course in Perth.

The Willowgate Trout and Salmon Fishery has created plans for an 18-hole animal and wildlife themed adventure golf layout.

Visit the Willowgate Trout and Salmon Fishery website for more information.

Minigolf in Perth

We visited Perth on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2012. It was the location of one of our strangest course visits as we found a huge, abandoned Crazy Golf course in South Inch Park.

Final results from the Putt18 World Pro League 2021

Play has concluded in the 2021 Putt18 World Pro League and the results are in.

The 2021 Putt18 World Pro League was won by Matt Ansley (NZL) with a total of 805 points from seven events (28 rounds and 504 holes). Matt successfully defended the title having won the inaugural event last year.

Dave Gomm (GBR) was the runner-up on 761 points.

Josh Mars (AUS) finished in third place with 675 points.

Others in the prize money were John Ansley (NZL) and Cameron Couper (NZL) in 4th and 5th places. Glenn Palmer scored the lowest round (59) from players outside the top 5 to pick up that prize.

A total of 21 players teed-off in the seven event series back in January. Competitors hailed from Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the USA.

I completed the Putt18 World Pro League in 16th place with 109 points. I was 15th place in the strokeplay leader-board on 2,150 shots and an average of 76.79 per round of 18 holes.

International pro putting. From my kitchen

Putt18

Playing in the league has been a fun and interesting way to compete with fellow minigolfers, golfers and novices in a new golfing format during the pandemic and the various lockdowns we've found ourselves in.

We first received the Putt18 golf game home competition putting mat from Australia last May - where has that time gone?

Competitive Putt18

The first tournament we played on it was the Putt18 4 Nations Cup the day after we got it!

I then entered the 2020 Putt18 World Pro League and finished in 18th place of 20 players with 107 points. I finished in 17th place of 20 players in the strokeplay rankings with 2,189 shots and an average of 78.18 per round of 18 holes.

In the Pro League each player had a 20-minute time limit to play four 18-hole rounds for a 72-hole total score in each of the seven events of the Pro League. There were additional points on offer for low scores and the round total.

In January I played in the first Putt18 Battle of the Brits putting tournament - and won it with a total of 281 strokes over 72-holes - a new personal best four round total. My fourth round of 67 was also a personal best.

Check out the Putt18 website for more information.

Dates for your diary - Coeliac UK Awareness Week 2021 - 10th-16th May

Coeliac Awareness Week runs from the 10th to the 16th May.

This year's Coeliac UK Awareness Week is taking place from the 10th to the 16th May.

The theme of the week this year is #ShineALightOnCoeliac to make life better for everyone who needs to live gluten free.

What is Coeliac Disease?

Coeliac Disease ('Celiac' in the USA and Canada) is a lifelong autoimmune condition, where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. In Coeliac Disease the immune system mistakes substances found inside gluten as a threat to the body and attacks them. This can trigger a number of painful, horrible, stressful and uncomfortable symptoms.

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

Visit the Coeliac UK website for more information.

Living a gluten free life

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.

Shine a light on Coeliac

With the possibility of meeting up with family and friends, and once again visiting restaurants means people with Coeliac Disease need to again take the risk of eating and drinking items prepared by other people.

Trusting other people to provide gluten free food can cause feelings of worry and exclusion. And the last thing anyone needs now is more isolation. So Coeliac UK is looking for everyone to shine a light on Coeliac Disease together to make life better for people who need to live gluten free.

Check out the #ShineALightOnCoeliac web page for more information, advice, fundraising ideas, recipes, challenges and activities.

Pirates Cove Adventure Golf in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight

A look at the Pirates Cove Adventure Golf course in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.

A big thanks to fellow minigolf fanatic Matt Dodd for these pics of the Pirates Cove Adventure Golf course in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.

Visit the Shanklin Seafront website for more information, opening times and prices.

Matt and his family have visited hundreds of courses on their crazy golf adventures and it's always great to meet up with them for a game.

The Pirates Cove Adventure Golf course was built on what was once a grass Putting Course.

We visited the Pirates Cove Adventure Golf course but ran out of time to play it on that occasion.

New mini golf course opening in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland

A new mini golf course will be opening as part of an Airtastic entertainment centre in Newtownabbey, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The location will be home to an 18-hole indoor mini golf course, inflatable park, arcade, tenpin bowling and more.

Interestingly the new retailtainment venue is opening up in a unit formerly occupied by Toys R Us.

There are also minigolf courses at the Airtastic entertainment centres in Craigavon and Cork.

Visit the Airtastic website for more information.

We're looking forward to a return visit to Northern Ireland on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Grainger Games in Ashton-Under-Lyne

We spotted the old signs for Grainger Games while having a walk round Ashton-Under-Lyne last week.

The company was founded in 1996 and ceased operations on the 28th March 2018. The Ladysmith Shopping Centre location in Ashton-Under-Lyne became a bike shop and is now a clothes shop. The racking and walls inside are still clearly still using the Grainger Games colour scheme.

We've also seen former Grainger Games stores in Stretford, Salford and Hyde. Interestingly they were all still branded and some had a few bits of stock inside!

Adventure Golf in St Albans

Rockin' Romans Golf in Verulamium Park, St Albans.

The ancient Roman city of St Albans in Hertfordshire is home to an adventure golf course.

The 9-hole Rockin' Romans Golf course can be found in Verulamium Park.

Check out the Rockin' Romans Golf website for more information, opening times and prices.

It's a course created by Mini Golf 35 and Greenspan Projects.

Crazy Golfing in St Albans

We've visited two previous crazy golf courses in Verulamium Park. They used to be local layouts for us when we lived in Luton. The first of those was the 17th played on our travels. We've now been to 957 courses.

Roman Miniature Golf

It's always nice to see different themes in minigolf. We've played a Roman-themed minigolf course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour before. That was the Wye Valley Miniatvre Golf course in Symonds Yat West back in 2010.