Crazy Golf at Hoveton Hall in Norfolk

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Hoveton Hall in Norfolk.

Ace

My brother, and charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, Christopher and his family found another crazy golf course on his travels when he visited Hoveton Hall Estate in Norfolk.

The Crazy Golf course at Hoveton Hall became the 1,021st course visited in total on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Here are photos of the 9-hole Crazy Golf course at Hoveton Hall.

Hole 1 - Snakes & Ladders

Hole 2 - an anthropomorphic house

Hole 3 - Mount Everest

Hole 4 - Humpty!

Hole 5 - Connect 4

Hole 6 - Dice

Hole 7 - Pool

Hole 8 - Dominoes

Hole 9 - Ace of Diamonds

Mini Golf in Banbury, Oxfordshire

There are plans for a Mini Golf course to open at The Light cinema and entertainment centre at the Castle Quay Waterfront in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

Visit the Castle Quay Waterfront website for more information.

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

Filwood Crazy Golf in Knowle West, Bristol

The story of the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf course.

Check out this superb video telling the story of how the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf course in Knowle West, Bristol came about.

We loved being a part of the clubhouse and tee party online meetings and to play the unique course and meet the people involved was brilliant.

I managed to score a hole-in-one taking the direct route across the beachy 'bridge'

The real life miniature golf course was created during the pandemic and the ideas for the hole designs were generated by members of the Knowle West community during Lockdown 1.

I had the honour of cutting the ribbon to officially launch the course alongside Meg - the creative genius who led the lockdown project!

The Filwood Fantastic Crazy Golf course was the 966th course visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 549th we've played since September 2006.

There were so many fantastic people and organisations involved in the project and you can find out more about them via the links to their websites and social media below:

• Filwood Community Centre
• Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club
• Megan Clark-Bagnall
• Claudia Collins aka Claudia the Caddy
• Re:Work Bristol
• Nic Marshall Designs
• Knowle West Beaches
• Julian Wood

Check out the Filwood Crazy Golf Facebook Page and Filwood Community Centre website for more information and opening times.

One month until National Miniature Golf Day 2022

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 14th May.

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

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 superb place to have a game.

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, a lot of the courses were outdoors in seaside towns, but you can now find courses in towns and cities around the UK.

One month until the Big Mini Golf Tour tees-off

The Big Mini Golf Tour tees-off on Saturday 14th May - National Miniature Golf Day!

We have played in and organised lots of miniature golf competitions, tournaments, challenges and events over the years and this year we are excited to be a part of the Big Mini Golf Tour in the seaside resort of Great Yarmouth.

Miniature golf courses across the Greater Yarmouth Tourism & Business Improvement Area have come together to promote the game.

The four-month event highlighting miniature golf courses across the Greater Yarmouth area tees-off on National Miniature Golf Day, Saturday 14th May 2022 and runs until Miniature Golf Day on Wednesday 21st September 2022.

Mini Golf courses in the Greater Yarmouth area

You can see the details of participating courses in Hemsby, Clippesby, Great Yarmouth and Gorleston-on-Sea in the Big Mini Golf Tour List.

The Big Mini Golf Tour Map of courses in the Greater Yarmouth area

The Big Mini Golf Tour Map of courses is below.

Visit Great Yarmouth

Funding from Visit Great Yarmouth/GYTABIA has helped to bring you the “Big Mini Golf Tour”.

The Big Mini Golf Tour

Check out the Big Mini Golf Tour links for more information.

Swingers Crazy Golf in New York

A new Swingers Crazy Golf venue is opening in New York City.

The New York venue will be the second Swingers Crazy Golf location in the USA following the course at Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. which opened last summer.

The New York Swingers Crazy Golf will feature three indoor Crazy Golf courses at the Virgin Hotel on Broadway in the Flatiron District of New York City.

Check out the Swingers Crazy Golf website for more information.

We played the first Swingers Crazy Golf pop-up course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in Shoreditch back in September 2014. The brand has grown since then, with Swingers in The City opening next to the Gherkin in 2016 and Swingers West End following in 2018.

Emily about to score a hole in one on hole 4 of the Swingers Crazy Golf course in London's West End

Boom: Battle Bar in Bath

A new Boom: Battle Bar is planned to open in Bath, Somerset this year.

The competitive socialising venue will be home to a number of indoor games including minigolf, axe throwing and beer pong.

There are currently 12 Boom: Battle Bars in the UK, with a further 11 opening soon.

Check out the Boom: Battle Bar website for more information.

We played the 'Crazier Golf' course at the original Boom: Battle Bar in Norwich while on a Crazy World of Minigolf Tour trip to East Anglia last year.

Playing hole 1 of the Crazier Golf course at Boom: Battle Bar at the Castle Quarter shopping and entertainment centre in Norwich

New course at Swingers West End Crazy Golf

Changes afoot at Swingers Crazy Golf.

The West End location of Swingers Crazy Golf in London is being extended and will soon feature a third course as well as an all weather roof terrace.

Swingers West End Crazy Golf in London, October 2019

Visit the Swingers Crazy Golf website for more information.

We played the first Swingers Crazy Golf pop-up course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in Shoreditch back in September 2014. The brand has grown since then, with Swingers in The City opening next to the Gherkin in 2016 and Swingers West End following in 2018.

We played the West End Swingers Crazy Golf course in October 2019.

The brand is expanding, with new venues opening in the USA and plans for three more venues next year and five more locations opening in 2024 and 2025.

The Mini Masters miniature golf tournament in Manchester

Looking back at the 'Mini Masters' miniature golf tournament in Manchester.

I won the Mini Masters miniature golf tournament in Manchester back on the 11th April 2009. Time certainly flies!

Mini Master

The Mini Masters was the first of two tournaments I won on the 9-hole Championship Miniature Golf course at what was then Playgolf Manchester. The second event being the Miniature Open in July 2009.

I won the Mini Masters with a three round total of 81 (-24) after scoring 26, 27, and 28.

The course was the 84th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Back then the course wasn't one of our local layouts as we still lived in Luton and travelled up for the events.

The Championship Miniature Golf course is no longer at the centre, but you can find an expanded Championship Miniature Golf layout with two 18-hole courses in New Brighton. The location is no longer a Playgolf venue either. It's now known as the Trafford Golf Centre and is home to two 18-hole dinosaur adventure golf courses. I won the Dino Falls Masters Adventure Golf competition there in 2018 too!

The Cow Putt Adventure Golf at Heaven Farm

A little visit to The Cow Putt Mini Golf at Heaven Farm in Uckfield, East Sussex.

My little brother and founder member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour recently spotted The Cow Putt Adventure Golf course at Heaven Farm in Uckfield, East Sussex.

The Cow Putt Adventure Golf at Heaven Farm in Uckfield, East Sussex. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, April 2022

He and his family didn't have time for a game though.

Visit the Heaven Farm website for more information.

The 18-hole farm-themed adventure golf course at Heaven Farm became the 1,020th course visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Quest Krazy Golf

A look back at the Quest Krazy Golf course at Merry Hill shopping centre in Dudley.

We headed to Dudley to play the Krazy Golf course at Merry Hill shopping centre nine years ago this weekend.

Krazy Golf course at Merry Hill shopping centre

The challenging 9-hole course was the 528th we visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Sadly the unique and colourful layout is no longer there.

Krazy Golf course at Merry Hill shopping centre

Mini Golf at Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan

Visiting the two miniature golf courses at Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan.

We headed to Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan to contest the Great Northern Minigolf Open tournament on the two minigolf courses in the park five years ago this weekend.

It's crazy to think that half a decade has passed already. Although two of those five years don't really count as they were a covid write-off!

First up was the Adventure Golf course.

Adventure Golf at Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan

It was the 700th course we visited in the British Isles and 727th overall.

This was followed by the Crazy Golf layout.

Crazy Golf at Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan

At just £1 per game, the course was the lowest price we'd ever found for an 18-hole course on our travels. Amazing value for money. We still haven't anywhere charging less than a quid a go.

The Haigh Woodland Park Crazy Golf course was the 728th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 701st in the UK.

We've now been to 983 courses on our travels since September 2006.

Great Northern Minigolf Open tournament

Margate's Scott Lancley won the Great Northern Minigolf Open played in Wigan's Haigh Woodland Park on Saturday 8th April.

Played over two rounds on the park's two 18-hole courses, Lancley won with a 36 hole score of 87. I was runner-up on 93, with Ramsbottom's Russ Dent finishing in third place on 95. A total of nine players took part in the first - and to date, only - staging of the event.

Crazy Golf at The Dreadnought Hotel in Callander

There are plans for a Crazy Golf course at The Dreadnought Hotel in Callander, Scotland.

The course will be a temporary, season-long attraction and will operate under the name Pee Wee's Crazy Golf.

Visit the Pee Wee's Crazy Golf Facebook Page for more information.

Mini Golf at Vivary Park in Taunton

Looking back at our visit to the Mini Golf course in Taunton's Vivary Park.

The 380th course we played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the 18-hole Mini Golf course at Vivary Park in Taunton, Somerset.

The layout was the 62nd visited and 17th played on our tour of the South West of England in the summer of 2015. It became the 640th we visited in the UK, and the 661st overall.

We've now been to 983 courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

In our minigolf match up at Vivary Park on the 12th June 2015 Emily scored 45 and I shot a par round of 36.

Check out the photos below to see the 18-holes.

Visit the Vivary Golf & Adventure Centre website for more information.