The Dragon's Quest Mini Golf at Fontygary Leisure Park in Rhoose, Barry, Wales

A look back at a visit to The Dragon's Quest Mini Golf course at Fontygary Leisure Park in Rhoose, Barry, Wales.

I played The Dragon's Quest Mini Golf at Fontygary Leisure Park back in May 2019.

It was great to have a round on the 18-hole Dragon's Quest Adventure Golf course. It looked really nice and had some interesting features, most noticeably the BIG red dragon!

Look at the size of that dragon!

The Dragon's Quest Mini Golf course at Fontygary Leisure Park became the 887th visited and 517th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

A funny looking character on the course. And what I believe is a Dragon Slayer model

I really liked the look of the mining hole 

The course was in a very nice setting and looked lovely

Check out the Fontygary Leisure Park website for more information.

I shot a round of 41 on the 18-hole course

Photos of the 18-hole Dragon's Quest Mini Golf course.

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 4

The mine theming on hole 4

I really liked the derailed effect on the hole

The green of hole 4

Hole 5

A tunnel through a barrel to the cup on hole 5

The water jets varied in height on hole 6 so you needed to time your shot just right

Hole 6

Hole 7

Into a tunnel on hole 8

Hole 8

Hole 8

The green and raised cup on hole 8

A view of hole 8

Hole 9

Hole 9

Hole 9

Hole 10

Hole 10

Hole 10

Hole 11

Hole 12

Hole 13

Hole 14

Hole 14

Hole 15

Hole 16

The green on hole 16

Hole 17

Hole 18

Hole 18

Hole 18

The Hole In Wand Wizard Golf in Chester has reopened

The Hole In Wand Wizard Golf in Chester has reopened after a refurbishment following flood damage to the venue.

In addition to the Chester venue you can find The Hole In Wand minigolf courses in Blackpool, York and Seaham. The brand recently announced plans for a new location in Leeds.

Good luck to the team at The Hole In Wand in the refurbished venue following the flood damage caused to the property.

Check out The Hole in Wand website for more information.

Mini Golf at the Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

A Museum Masters Mini Golf Course has been created at the Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.

The custom 9-hole course will be available to play inside the museum on Monday 14th April 2025.

The Paul W. Bryant Museum opened in 1988 to and is dedicated to the history of Alabama American Football, with an emphasis on the legendary coach Paul William "Bear" Bryant.

Find out more on the Paul W. Bryant Museum website.

New Crazy Golf course at the Caban in Pendine Sands

Pendine Sands has a new Crazy Golf course.

There's a new Crazy Golf course located at the Caban in Pendine Sands, Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Find out more on the Caban website.

It's another new course for us to check out on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

New Crazy Golf course at Hillsborough Park in Sheffield

A new Crazy Golf course is being created at Hillsborough Park in Sheffield.

The new outdoor Crazy Golf layout at Hillsborough Park has a Sheffield landmarks theme with obstacles based on landmarks past and present.

The course is under construction as part of the Hillsborough Hub project and is planned to open this summer.

Check out the Courtside at Hillsborough website for further information.

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

Dinosaur Cove Mini-Golf now open at Ocean Beach Pleasure Park in South Shields

The new Dinosaur Cove Mini-Golf has opened at Ocean Beach Pleasure Park in South Shields.

Check out the Ocean Beach Pleasure Park website for more information.

It's a new course for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

South Shields was the location of the 100th course I played on our travels way back in June 2009.

Competitive socialising, activity bars, entertainment, and leisure venues in Manchester

A look at places to play a range of competitive socialising games and activities in Manchester city centre.

While minigolf is the main game we play, we're big fans of a range of what are now termed 'competitive socialising' activities. And luckily for us Manchester city centre has a variety of different places to play.

The landscape of competitive socialising venues is constantly changing, with locations opening and closing, while others expand or change the activities available.

Below is a list of places to play a range of different games in Manchester city centre as at April 2025.

Minigolf, Crazy Golf, Adventure Golf:

• Junkyard Golf, First Street
• King Pins, Arndale Centre
• Putters Tech-Infused Mini Golf at Urban Playground, Arndale Centre
• Roxy Golf at Roxy Ball Room, Deansgate
• Treetop Adventure Golf, The Printworks

Crazy Pool:

• Roxy Ball Room, Arndale Centre

Arcade Games:

• King Pins, Arndale Centre
• NQ64, Peter Street
• NQ64, Northern Quarter
• Pixel Bar Manchester, Thomas Street

Axe Throwing:

• Boom Battle Bar, The Printworks

Baseball:

• Base Bar, Millow Street

Beer Pong / Prosecco Pong:

• Boom Battle Bar, The Printworks
• Lane7, Deansgate
• Roxy Ball Room, Deansgate

Cricket / Batting Cages:

• King Pins, Arndale Centre
• Sixes Social Cricket, Corn Exchange

Escape Rooms:

• Breakout Manchester, Church Street
• Breakout Manchester, Newton Street
• Escape Hunt Manchester, Corn Exchange
• Lucardo Escape Rooms, Great Ancoats Street

'Game Shows':

• Challenge Point, Newton Street
• The Crystal Maze, Lower Byrom Street
• The Cube at Urban Playground, Arndale Centre

Golf / Virtual Golf:

• Pitch Golf (opening 2025)

Ice Free Curling:

• Boom Battle Bar, The Printworks
• King Pins, Arndale Centre
• Roxy Ball Room, Deansgate

Interactive / Tech / AR Darts:

• Black Cat Club, Brown Street
• Boom Battle Bar, The Printworks
• Flight Club, King Street
• King Pins, Arndale Centre
• Roxy Ball Room, Arndale Centre
• Twenty Twenty Two, Little Lever Street
• The Gas Works Brewbar, Jack Rosenthal Street

Ping Pong / Table Tennis:

• Pong & Puck, Deansgate
• Roxy Ball Room, Arndale Centre
• Roxy Ball Room, Deansgate
• The Brotherhood Of Pursuits And Pastimes, Mount Street
• Twenty Twenty Two, Little Lever Street

Shooting Galleries:

• King Pins, Arndale Centre
• Point Bank, Deansgate

Shuffleboard:

• 7Sins, Northern Quarter
• Black Cat Club, Brown Street
• Boom Battle Bar, The Printworks
• Electric Shuffle, Deansgate
• King Pins, Arndale Centre
• Pong & Puck, Deansgate
• Roxy Ball Room, Arndale Centre
• Roxy Ball Room, Deansgate
• The Bierkeller Manchester, The Printworks
• The Gas Works Brewbar, Jack Rosenthal Street

Ten Pin Bowling / Duck Pin Bowling:

• King Pins, Arndale Centre
• Lane7, Deansgate
• Roxy Ball Room, Arndale Centre
• Tenpin, The Printworks

Virtual Reality (VR) / Gaming:

• DNA VR Manchester, Brown Street
• Immersive Gamebox, Arndale Centre

All-round venues:

These places offer a range of different games and activities, these are also listed above in the specific activities.

• Boom Battle Bar, The Printworks
• King Pins, Arndale Centre
• Roxy Ball Room, Arndale Centre
• Roxy Ball Room, Deansgate
• Trax Social, The Printworks
• Urban Playground, Arndale Centre

Have we missed any places to play in Manchester city centre?

What's your favourite game and place to play?

Do let us know in the comments.

Mini Golf at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC (2013)

Noting a Mini Golf course at the National Building Museum back in 2013.

As big fans of minigolf, and curators of the Crazy Golf Museum, it's always interesting seeing minigolf/museum crossovers.

The National Building Museum in Washington, DC, USA had a Mini Golf course exhibition between May and September 2013.

The Mini Golf exhibition featured two 9-hole indoor courses with holes and obstacles designed and built by leading Washington-area architects, landscape architects, and contractors.

The KitKat x Blockbuster pop-up video shop in Soho, London

KitKat has created a 'Blockbuster Video' pop-up shop in Soho, London to launch its new sharing chocolate bars.

The KitKat x Blockbuster pop-up video shop is part of a nostalgia inspired campaign to launch KitKat's new sharing bars.

The chocolate/video shop can be found on Greek Street in Soho, London until tomorrow, Saturday 12th April. It opened on Wednesday 9th April.

Check out the Nestlé website for more information about the KitKat x Blockbuster pop-up.

Unfortunately I couldn't make it down to London to visit the store. However, my friend Gareth Holmes went along today! Gareth joined the queue and sent me these photos from his visit to the Blockbuster store!

Browse the VHS tapes on the shelves

Have a break from browsing

Browse some more

A nice selection of old tellies

Visitors to the pop-up received a free KitKat sharing bar and a code to stream a film

Nostalgia and 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.

During the pandemic our interest in lost brands and retail history was piqued and over the last five years we've been to several former Blockbuster Video stores around the UK, as well as finding some other old, and some still open, video shops on our travels.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster Video 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.

The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013 and there is now only one Blockbuster Video store in the world - it's in Bend, Oregon, USA!

Conservation Golf course at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium in Palm Beach, Florida

There's a miniature golf course at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium in Palm Beach, Florida, USA.

As big fans of minigolf, and curators of the Crazy Golf Museum, it's always interesting seeing minigolf/museum crossovers.

Visit the Cox Science Center and Aquarium website for more information.

The 18-hole outdoor miniature golf course was designed by Jim Fazio and Gary Nicklaus and is designed to educate visitors about natural Florida habitats.

It's worth noting that the course will be closing on the 12th June!

Crazy Golf at Wythenshawe Park, Manchester

A revisit to the Crazy Golf course at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester.

One of our local minigolf courses can be found at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester. Unfortunately it's been closed for many years and has fallen into disrepair.

We swung by the course for another look last weekend.

We last visited the layout in June 2020.

We actually did play the course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour way back in 2009.

Wythenshawe Park is/was also home to a Pitch & Putt course. This too has not been open for some time, but you can still see the course layout - mainly by the bunkers dotted around the field.

Mini Golf at the Museum of Ice Cream in Chicago

There's a miniature golf course at the Museum of Ice Cream in Chicago.

The Museum of Ice Cream has locations in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York City, and Singapore, with a new location opening in Las Vegas soon.

Looking at the Museum of Ice Cream website the only location with a minigolf course is the Chicago venue.

The KitKat x Blockbuster pop-up in Soho, London

KitKat has created a 'Blockbuster Video' pop-up shop in Soho, London as part of a new promotional campaign.

The pop-up video shop is part of a nostalgia inspired campaign to launch KitKat's new sharing bars.

The video/chocolate shop can be found on Greek Street in Soho, London from Wednesday 9th to Saturday 12th April.

Unfortunately I can't make it down to London to visit, but luckily my friend Sarah Ward was able to swing by today! Sarah joined the queue and sent me these snaps from her visit to the Blockbuster store!

Sarah told me that while there was a fairly long queue and the pop-up was proving popular, the queue did go down quite quickly. As part of the experience visitors receive a KitKat sharing bar along with a code to stream a movie.

Check out the Nestlé website for opening times and more information about the KitKat / Blockbuster pop-up.

Nostalgia and 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.

During the pandemic our interest in lost brands and retail history was piqued and over the last five years we've been to several former Blockbuster Video stores around the UK, as well as finding some other old, and some still open, video shops on our travels.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster Video 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.

The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013 and there is now only one Blockbuster Video store in the world - it's in Bend, Oregon, USA!

Pitch & Putt and Putting at Bantock House Museum & Park in Wolverhampton

There's a Pitch & Putt layout and Putting course at Bantock House Museum & Park in Wolverhampton. 

As big fans of minigolf, and curators of the Crazy Golf Museum, it's always interesting seeing minigolf/museum crossovers.

Visit the Bantock House Museum & Park website for more information.