Lost minigolf courses - Abingdon-on-Thames Crazy Golf

A look back at the old Crazy Golf course at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames.

One of the courses we've visited and played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour travels but has since become a 'lost' course was the 10-hole Crazy Golf layout at the Abbey Meadows in my home town of Abingdon.

The course was the first one I ever played way back in the early 1980's.

The course had been in the park since the 1950's but was removed at the end of the 2016 season as part of renovations to the area.

It's always sad to see an old miniature golf course removed. Especially so when it's not replaced by a new one.

The last hole of the first course I ever played

In August 2007 the course became the 31st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Playing hole 5 in 2007

Playing hole 5 in 2012

Playing hole 5 for the very last time in 2016

We also revisited in June 2012 and December 2014.

The course was very mossy on our visit in 2014

Blogiversary of the Ham and Egger Files

I've been blogging for 18 years today.

I'm often asked how is it that a blog about minigolf has the name the 'Ham and Egger Files'? The answer is that it didn't initially start out life as a minigolf blog.

The first post

I published my first post about how I planned to participate in as many obscure and minority sports as I could and see what would happen with the (limited amount of) sporting ability I had!

What is a Ham & Egger?

The term 'ham and egger' has connotations ranging from that of 'ordinary person' to that of 'loser'. The origin of the term comes from prize fighters whose modest skills wouldn’t let them win large purses. Therefore, the fighter or their manager - who received a percentage of any purses won - were never able to afford to eat better than ham and eggs.

Lots of blogs

Since that first post 18 years ago I have published more than 5,900 posts and received more than 3.5 million pageviews!

Admittedly, a large number of the blog posts have been about minigolf.

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Our interest in minigolf and what would soon become our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour had actually begun on the 30th September 2006, but I didn't publish a post about the sport until the 29th January 2007 when I announced that I had joined the British Minigolf Association - a competition circuit I made my actual debut on in Southend-on-Sea on the 28th April 2007.

We've now been to over 1,000 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press).

When we began our travels there were around 600 courses in the UK. There are now more than 1,370, with new courses opening all the time.

Other sports & games are available

If you're wondering what happened to the quest to play lots of different sports, that has continued and I've participated in some very interesting events over the years!

A massive thank you goes out to everyone who has ever read one of my posts, commented, shared, or guest blogged on the site, it really is very much appreciated.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK? (Update: December 2024)

There are lots of new minigolf courses being built, in development or planned to open in the UK.

Minigolf is an incredibly popular activity for all ages and there are new courses opening up all the time in a wide-range of outdoor and indoor locations.

Whereas the game in the UK has traditionally been a seaside pastime, over the last decade it has grown to be a game enjoyed by people in more and more towns and cities - with many catering to a late night audience.

How many minigolf courses are there in the UK?

As at December 2024 there are approximately 1,370 minigolf courses around the UK and British Isles (including Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and other islands). This includes public courses, as well as those at pay to enter attractions, holiday parks, hotels and other 'non-standard' locations.

Developments over the last two decades

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the British Isles. Only two of those original courses were indoor venues. Both of these were on the East Anglian coast (in Felixstowe and Great Yarmouth). The indoor course at Manning's Amusements in Felixstowe has recently been removed and is being replaced by a brand new layout that is set to open in the same location at Easter 2025.

Now the indoor game is booming and you can find minigolf courses indoors at shopping centres, retail parks, and in town and city centres around the country.

The game was traditionally played on days out, short breaks and holidays, either at the seaside or on holiday camps. While the game has always been enjoyed by people old enough to pick up a putter, it has become a game played as much by groups of adults as it is by families.

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've now been to a total of 1,072 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, with 1,014 of them in the British Isles. Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book to see a lot more minigolf records too!

Of the original list of 600 we've still got to visit 39 of the public courses. In addition there are a further 150 courses at pay to enter attractions, hotels and holiday parks that we've not yet been to.

On top of these 189 courses from the original list there are hundreds more courses that have opened over the last 18 years! We tracked 320 courses that opened between May 2020 and July 2023. Between August 2023 and September 2024 a further 150 courses have opened, or are in development. And between September 2024 and December 2024 another 27 new courses have been announced.

More new courses to come

There are 100+ new courses being created each year - some are on old sites/locations, some are completely new venues, while others are in planning/development, or under construction.

There are quite a few other minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf courses that are short-term 'pop-ups', some of which have been used as proof of concept businesses and developed into permanent courses. 

A few things to note

Please note that minigolf in the UK is not an exact science and courses are opening, in planning/development, and being 'lost' quite often. Others are being refurbished, and some are completely renovated to the point where they could be considered entirely new courses.

Find new courses

For information about new minigolf, crazy golf, and adventure golf courses opening in the UK take a look at the posts with the New course tag here on the Ham & Egger Files minigolf blog where I regularly post updates about new places to play the game.

Let's talk minigolf

If you know of a new course opening in the UK please do get in touch and let me know.

Mini Golf at Worthing Winter Fest

There will be a pop-up mini golf course at Worthing Winter Fest this Sunday.

Globetrotters Golf will have a pop-up mini golf course at the Worthing Winter Fest event at Montague Place this Sunday, 22nd December.

Find out more on the Worthing Town Centre Initiative website.

King Pins Mini Golf at Trafford Palazzo in Manchester

A look at the new King Pins Mini Golf course at the Trafford Palazzo shopping and entertainment centre in Manchester.

King Pins Mini Golf at Trafford Palazzo in Manchester

An indoor mini golf course is part of the set-up at the King Pins tenpin bowling and entertainment venue at the Trafford Palazzo in Manchester.

The 9-hole King Pins Mini Golf course opened at the Trafford Palazzo in July this year.

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 3

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 6

Hole 7

Hole 7

Hole 8

Hole 9

Hole 9

Find out more about King Pins locations on the King Pins website.

The King Pins Mini Golf course at Trafford Palazzo became the 1,072nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Earlier this year we played Mini Golf at King Pins at the Manchester Arndale.

Merry Puttsmas

'Tis the season - for festive Putting!

Have you played or seen any festive minigolf courses this holiday season?

We've heard about a few Christmas-themed minigolf courses either popping-up, or permanent courses being festively decorated in the run-up to the big day.

We also managed to have a game on the Christmas-themed minigolf course from Lancashire Crazy Golf at the 2024 Northwich Christmas Extravaganza in Northwich, Cheshire.

The Christmas-themed Crazy Golf course in Northwich, Cheshire

Puttify Golf opening at Center Parcs Woburn Forest

Center Parcs Woburn Forest will be home to one of the UK's first Puttify Golf courses.

The new indoor mini golf course will be opening at Center Parcs Woburn Forest in 2025.

Puttify Golf is a new type of interactive mini golf. You can find out more about Puttify Golf on the Greenspan website.

Visit the Center Parcs website for more information on the Woburn Forest holiday park.

Emily and I haven't been to a Center Parcs before, however my brother Christopher and his family have holidayed at Center Parcs Elveden Forest in Norfolk and played the outdoor Treasure Island Adventure Golf course there on their branch of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

A snowy day at two lost minigolf courses in Luton

A look back at a snow day on the minigolf courses in Wardown Park, Luton.

Snow play allowed. This was back in January 2010

When we lived down in Luton, Bedfordshire our local park had two miniature golf courses. One was a 9-hole grass Mini Golf layout, the other was a 9-hole fibreglass Crazy Golf course.

That's hole 1 of the Crazy Golf course under the snow

The grass course at Wardown Park opened in 1934 and was an interesting one to play. It was too big to be considered to be a Putting Green, but not large enough to be classed as a Pitch & Putt, even though you were issued with an iron and a putter when you played.

You also received a paper ticket every time you played a round on the courses. A really nice touch and something we've rarely seen elsewhere on our travels

Sadly both courses are now long gone. Luckily we played a lot of games there in the latter half of the noughties.

The area where the two courses were was turned into a mini meadow in 2015.

Minigolf in Wardown Park

There is a new minigolf course near to where the other courses were. We visited it back in 2021.

Wardown Adventure Golf in Luton (2021)

You can find out more on the Wardown Adventure Golf website.

Crazy Pool at Roxy Lanes in Bristol

Roxy Lanes on Union Street in Bristol has added Crazy Pool to its range of activities.

A new 9-hole Crazy Pool layout has been added to the games and activities on offer at Roxy Lanes on Union Street in Bristol.

Crazy Pool is a mix of crazy golf and cue sports, with the game played on a table using a golf ball to tackle obstacles, and played with a cue rather than a putter.

This is one of the Crazy Pool tables/holes at our local Roxy Ball Room in Manchester

Visit the Roxy Lanes website for more information.

Treetop Golf at Cabot Circus in Bristol

The new Treetop Adventure Golf venue is opening at Cabot Circus in Bristol today, Tuesday 17th December 2024.

The venue is home to two 18-hole indoor adventure golf courses.

You can find other Treetop Adventure Golf courses in Cardiff, Manchester, Leicester, Birmingham and Gateshead.

Visit the Treetop Adventure Golf website for more information.

Puttify Golf opening at Bath Sports and Leisure Centre

Bath Sports and Leisure Centre will soon be home to the UK's first Puttify Golf course.

The new 9-hole indoor mini golf course will be opening at Bath Sports and Leisure Centre in Bath, Somerset on Friday 20th December.

Puttify Golf is a new type of interactive mini golf. You can find out more about Puttify Golf on the Greenspan website.

Puttify Golf at Bath Sports and Leisure Centre will be another new venue to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Indoor Adventure Golf at Tenpin Parrs Wood in Manchester

There's an indoor adventure golf course at the Manchester Tenpin centre in Parrs Wood.

The Tenpin centres at Parrs Wood Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton are all home to indoor Tenpin Putt crazy golf courses.

The Parrs Wood Manchester Tenpin centre now features a Prison Putt indoor adventure golf course.

Check out the Tenpin website for more information.

Happy Shopper shops - Sheffield (closed)

There are still a few Happy Shopper shops around England and Wales.

Here's a look at the Happy Shopper in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

Check out this blog post looking back at our visits to Happy Shopper shops since 2020.

View my YouTube Playlist of Happy Shopper shop videos.

Swedish Felt Minigolf in Maryport, Cumbria

Playing minigolf at the Lake District Coast Aquarium Crazy Golf course in Maryport.

The course was originally the 469th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in April 2012. We returned in June 2023 and were able to have a round on the Swedish Felt B-Run type of minigolf course on that occasion.

Take a look at this blog post to see more of the course.

Crazy Golf at The Bear in Newton Abbot

The Bear in Newton Abbot, Devon will have a Crazy Golf course in 2025.

A new bar and restaurant has opened in Newton Abbot, Devon and it has plans to expand its offering to include Crazy Golf among several activities next year.

Find out more on The Bear's Instagram account.

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

Bournemouth's Lower Gardens Mini Golf course

A revisit to the Lower Gardens Mini Golf course in Bournemouth.

We first visited and played the Mini Golf course at the Lower Gardens in Bournemouth, Dorset in June 2009 and revisited the course in July 2013 while in the area for the BMGA British Matchplay Championships that were to be played in nearby Boscombe.

Emily swung by for a look at the course on her recent trip to the seaside town.

The course location is one of the oldest sites of Miniature Golf in the UK. According to information on a board near the course a Putting Green was introduced to the Lower Gardens in 1931 and the present Mini Golf course was extensively remodelled in 2007.

We've got a fair few postcards in our collection showing the course over the years (here are links to a couple of them - 1 / 2). I've also got several photos of my parents playing the course in the 1970s!

The demise of Blockbuster Video in the UK

The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK on this day in 2013.

Blockbuster Video entered the UK video rental market in 1989 following the purchase of Ritz Video.

In 2013 there were over 500 Blockbuster locations in the UK. Throughout that year the number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. On the 16th December 2013 all stores ceased operations.

It's amazing that there are still clearly visible remnants of the brand on the high street and on retail parks eleven years later.

If you're lucky, and know where to look, you might find a QuikDrop box hiding in plain sight

The first Blockbuster Video store had opened in Dallas, Texas, USA on the 19th October 1985.

The very last Blockbuster Video store in operation is in Bend, Oregon, USA.

Until January this year there was an abandoned Blockbuster Video store near us here in Manchester. It was always an eerie, interesting and nostalgic thing to drive past the old shop at Fallowfield Retail Park.

Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Manchester

The sign about the closure was still visible on the window there before it was demolished.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster stores around the world. 500+ of which were in England, Scotland and Wales. Interestingly in Northern Ireland the Xtra-Vision brand was used by the owners in-line with the Republic of Ireland.

Blockbuster certainly wasn't the first video rental shop brand, but it was at one time the market leader.

Blockbuster Video store locations we've visited on our travels

Our interest in lost brands and retail history has taken us to several former Blockbuster stores:

• 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
• Failsworth, Manchester
• 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
• Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Lost brands

Emily and I have spent the last few years reminiscing about 'the good old days'. One of our areas of interest is in old retail brands - we're both marketers by profession and two of my first jobs in the 1990's and the year 2000 were at Tandy and Toys R Us, while Emily's first job was at a Happy Shopper shop. It's been fascinating to find remnants of these brands - and a number of other lost, dead and defunct brands - on the high street and at retail parks around the UK.

The abandoned minigolf course on Bournemouth's Exeter Road

A look at the derelict minigolf course on Exeter Road in Bournemouth.

Back in June 2009 we found a derelict minigolf course in Bournemouth and when we revisited in July 2013 it was still there. On Emily's recent trip to the seaside town she found it was still in place.

The former 18-hole course is on Exeter Road and next to the cafe/restaurant.

The course is very similar in design to the busy course that can be found over the road in the Lower Gardens and the championship course in the Boscombe Chine Gardens, though in an entirely unplayable state.