100 Days until National Miniature Golf Day 2022

National Miniature Golf Day always takes place on the second Saturday in May. In 2022 that is Saturday, 14th May.

Happy Groundhog Day 2022

It's Groundhog Day!

The big question today is will Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators see his shadow and predict six more weeks of winter, or will he predict an early spring?

Mr Mulligans Mini Golf opening in Worcester

A new Mr Mulligans Mini Golf course is opening in Worcester.

A new indoor minigolf course is opening on Worcester High Street later this year.

The Mr Mulligans Mini Golf centre is planned to open in Worcester, Worcestershire in the summer.

We've played a number of Mr Mulligans courses on our travels and the new course in Worcester will be another to add to our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the Mr Mulligans website for more information.

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Manor Park in Glossop, Derbyshire.

Our last minigolf course visit of 2021 was to the Crazy Golf course at Manor Park in Glossop, Derbyshire.

The course was originally the 743rd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in June 2017. It became the 438th played when we returned the following month.

New Adventure Golf course at Aylesbury Golf Centre in Bierton, Buckinghamshire

Plans for a new Adventure Golf course at Aylesbury Golf Centre in Bierton, Buckinghamshire.

There are plans for a new Plans for a new outdoor Adventure Golf course at Aylesbury Golf Centre in Bierton, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

It'll be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Putters Crazy Golf at the Urban Playground in the Manchester Arndale Centre

The Urban Playground in the Manchester Arndale Centre is opening soon.

We were in Manchester on Saturday and swung by the new Urban Playground in the Arndale Centre to see if it was open yet.

It wasn't.

It does look like the venue is almost finished though.

The Urban Playground will be home to Putters Crazy Golf - a high-tech minigolf course.

We first took a look at the Urban Playground Mini Golf at the Arndale Centre in Manchester last October.

It'll be a new place to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the Urban Playground website for more information.

Mini Golf in Watford

A look at Mini Golf courses in Watford, Hertfordshire.

One of the first miniature golf courses we ever played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was at TopGolf in Watford. A course we returned to many times when we lived nearby.

With the popularity of minigolf booming there have been a number of new courses opening in the town, including:

• Putt Club Crazy Golf 
• Glow in One Golf
• Puttshack

There is also a Crazier Golf course being created as part of the new Boom: Battle Bar at the Atria Watford shopping centre.

The Adventure Golf course at TopGolf in Watford was the 8th played on our travels in 2006. We've now been to 982 courses.

Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Manchester (January 2022)

A visit to the old Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester.

I took another look at the former Blockbuster Video store at Fallowfield Retail Park while driving back from Manchester city centre on Saturday 22nd January.

The unit next door has now closed down and there are plans to create a new supermarket on the site.

The graffiti wasn't there the last time I looked

It'll be a shame to see this video shop relic from another time lost forever. It's an interesting and fun little time capsule.

All Rental Returns

I first noticed the remains of the Blockbuster Video store while driving to Manchester in October 2019.

The sign that first caught my attention

Someone has tried posting something in the QuikDrop box!

Blockbuster Video Stores

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were 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.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!

We've now been to 27 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop.

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

New Birdies Crazy Golf course opening in London

A new Birdies Crazy Golf venue is opening in Angel, London.

The team at Birdies Crazy Golf are creating a new venue at the Angel Central shopping centre in North London.

It'll be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when we're next in the capital.

We played the first Birdies pop-up crazy golf course when it was in The Vaults underneath Waterloo station in 2015. Back then it was among the first wave of new-style of 'competitive socialising' miniature golf venues in London.

Birdies Crazy Golf also has a course in Battersea, London. We've yet to play there.

Visit the Birdies Crazy Golf website for more information.

New glow-in-the-dark minigolf course opening in Eastbourne

Eastbourne will soon be home to a new glow-in-the-dark minigolf course.

A new glow-in-the-dark minigolf course called Planet Golf is opening in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

The indoor minigolf venue will be called Planet Golf and is set to be home to 12-holes.

Check out the Planet Golf Eastbourne Facebook Page for more information.

We've played minigolf in Eastbourne on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour before. But not for a few years. And not indoors. We're looking forward to a game at Planet Golf in the future.

Lego Adventure Golf at Legoland Windsor

There are plans for a new Lego Adventure Golf course at Legoland in Windsor.

Legoland Windsor was previously home to an outdoor crazy golf course, but it's long gone.

The new Lego Adventure Golf course will be an indoor attraction and is planned to open in Spring 2023.

Lego Adventure Golf will be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We're big fans of Lego and have long thought a Lego-themed layout - both in real-life and toy form - would be a winning idea.

We never got the chance to play the old Mole-in-One Mini Golf at Legoland Windsor before it closed in 2013. However, it didn't have much, if any, Lego theming to it.

Visit the Legoland Windsor website for more information.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

A look at the old Blockbuster Video shop in Billingham.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

The old Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham town centre, Teesside, England was still standing when we visited last April.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

There were a few remnants inside too.

Many thanks go to LaserDisc Turtle on Twitter for letting us know about the store's existence and Visual Sound on Instagram for letting us know it was still there.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

Blockbuster Video

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were 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.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!

We've now been to 27 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop near to us in Manchester.

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Other Blockbusters

We've found a few other 'Blockbuster' stores on our travels - with one former store becoming a book shop called Bookbuster and a Crazy Golf hole themed on a store.

We've also seen out that a new video shop-themed bar called Blockbusters NQ is opening in Manchester's Northern Quarter later this year.

Puttstars Mini Golf opening in Peterborough

A new Puttstars Mini Golf venue is planned to open at the Queensgate shopping centre in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.

Puttstars Mini Golf in Rochdale, June 2021

Puttstars Peterborough will be home to three 9-hole indoor minigolf courses.

Visit the Puttstars Mini Golf website for more information.

There are also Puttstars Mini Golf venues in Rochdale, Leeds, Harrow and York.

We played at Puttstars Rochdale on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour last year.

Crazy Golf at The Ffolkes Inn and Hotel in Hillington, Norfolk

A new Crazy Golf course is being created at The Ffolkes Inn and Hotel in Hillington, Norfolk.

The Ffolkes Inn and Hotel in Hillington, Norfolk will be opening a new Crazy Golf course this year as part of development plans at the venue.

Visit The Ffolkes Inn website for more information.

The Ffolkes Inn and Hotel is near King's Lynn and that is something of a regular stopping point for us when travelling to visit family in Norfolk. It's great to know there'll be a new place there to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Adventure Golf at Lightwater Country Park in Surrey

A new Adventure Golf course is being created at Lightwater Country Park in Surrey.

The team behind Dinton Adventure Golf and Wardown Adventure Golf in Luton are creating a wildlife-themed Adventure Golf layout at Lightwater Country Park in Surrey.

It'll be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Mini Golf at Lane7 in Edinburgh

The new Lane7 venue at St James Quarter in Edinburgh will soon be home to a mini golf course.

The new Lane7 location at the St James Quarter shopping and entertainment centre in Edinburgh is already home to ten-pin bowling, ping pong, darts, shuffleboard and more.

Check out the Lane7 website for more information.

Mini Golf at Lane7

We've played minigolf at Lane7 in Newcastle upon Tyne on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and are looking forward to playing at their other venues in the future.

Mini Golf at Lane7

Minigolf dates for your 2022 diary

Key minigolf dates for the year ahead.

As ever there are two key dates for your diary - National Miniature Golf Day and Miniature Golf Day.

National Miniature Golf Day 2022

National Miniature Golf Day takes place on the second Saturday in May. In 2022 that is Saturday, 14th May.

Miniature Golf Day 2022

Miniature Golf Day is always on the 21st September. This year that will be a Wednesday.

Tournament minigolf

It's also worth keeping an eye on the websites of national minigolf associations and international federations to see what competitions and tournaments are coming up.

The British Minigolf Association and its clubs and courses have a number of events pencilled into the 2022 season.

You can find out more about the World Minigolf Sport Federation and its events on the WMF website.

International Mini Golf Summit

Our friends at The Putting Penguin, A Couple of Putts and O-Street Mini Golf in the USA are organising an International Mini Golf Summit in Texas in April 2022. Further information and registration details will be available in mid-to-late January.

Other minigolf events

If you know of or hear about any other minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf or putting events please do let us know.

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Manor Park in Glossop

Our last minigolf course visit of 2021 was to the Crazy Golf course at Manor Park in Glossop, Derbyshire.

The course was originally the 743rd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in June 2017.

Happy New Year

Here's to another interesting year!

What a long road it's been in 2021

All the very best for 2022.

So that was 2021

What a crazy year. Again.

2021 was certainly another interesting year in the life of planet Earth.

It's been a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong year!

With plenty of uncertainty, ever-changing rules / guidance / laws, and the threat of coronavirus at every turn it's been a tricky year in a number of ways.

Despite the obstacles and hazards that have abounded we've still been able to play a bit of minigolf this year.

The last courses we played this year were at Looney Golf in Bradford - quite an aptly named course for the times we're living in!

We've been to a total of 29 new courses to us (playing at eleven of them) on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in 2021. We've also revisited a number of courses from years gone by.

We have also seen a lot of new minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf courses opening this year too, with more planned to open in the coming months.

Here's hoping 2022 will be a better year for us all.