Playing darts at the Land, Leisure & Tourism Show.
I attended the recent Land, Leisure & Tourism Show at the NEC in Birmingham and one of the stands and attractions that caught my eye was the one from Target Darts.
I had three games on the Omni Auto Scoring Darts set-up where I played against 'Dartbot' in three games where I was whitewashed!
It was such a slick system to play on and brilliant fun.
I even got to have a photo with the Sid Waddell Trophy, aka the PDC World Darts Championship Trophy!
The Pitch & Putt course on the Great Orme in Llandudno, Wales has re-opened.
Great Orme Golf has re-opened the Pitch & Putt course on the Great Orme in Llandudno. The miniature golf course is a 9-hole Pitch & Putt layout with holes ranging from 40 to 81 yards.
We've been to Llandudno and the Great Orme on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour several times over the years. We haven't played the Pitch & Putt before, but have swung by it.
When we first visited the Great Orme in 2009 we didn't realise the Pitch & Putt course was there as we didn't descend the headland on the town side.
It's excellent news to hear the Pitch & Putt course has now re-opened.
The Great Orme headland is also home to two other minigolf courses - one half-way up (Alpine Adventure Golf), and one right at the very top (Rocky Pines Adventure Golf)!
We're looking forward to re-visiting the seaside town and the Great Orme in the future.
The Galactic Golf venue in Halifax, West Yorkshire is receiving a refurbishment.
Galactic Golf in Halifax is home to two indoor 18-hole adventure golf courses - Moon Mission and Cosmic Quest. Both of these layouts are receiving a refurbishment.
Bay View Mini Golf in Robin Hood's Bay looks like an interesting and unique course - it's a crazy golf course with raised borders, but played on a grass putting surface! It's always interesting to see new and different types of courses. We look forward to checking it out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.
There's a new mini golf course at Mad Swans in the Mendips - between Bath and Bristol.
Mad Swans is a new venue and home to a mini golf course.
Putt Patch Mini Golf is an outdoor 12-hole layout.
Find out more.
Check out the Mad Swans website for more information on the Putt Patch Mini Golf and what else is available at the venue.
Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.
It's always interesting finding out about new minigolf courses and Putt Patch at Mad Swans is a new one for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.
There will be a free-to-play Crazy Golf course in Doncaster this Christmas.
Candy Cane Crazy Golf will be set-up and free-to-play in Doncaster city centre this Christmas.
The festive-themed mini golf course will be set-up on Frenchgate in Doncaster on the 6th and 7th and 13th and 14th December, and then again daily from the 18th December to Christmas Eve.
Find out more.
Check out the City of Donaster Council website for more information on the Candy Cane Crazy Golf course and other festive events this Christmas.
It was incredibly sad to hear of the passing of my friend and crazy golf legend Tim 'Ace Man' Davies.
I first met Ace Man in person at the 2007 BMGA British Masters at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea where I was making my tournament debut. Characteristically he was with another legend of the game, John 'Big Top Ted' McIver, and the pair had been at the course very early to get as much practice in as possible. Tim & Ted were both incredibly welcoming - and had been so for many months before I made my first appearance at an event, through the MiniatureGolfer.com website and forum.
Tim 'Ace Man' Davies and 'Squire' Richard Gottfried at the 2007 BMGA British Open at Strokes Adventure Golf in Margate, Kent, England
The old MiniatureGolfer.com forum was a brilliant place to find out about crazy golf in the UK and speak with a whole host of characters. Ace Man had poured hours of time and effort into the website and forum to get the word out about crazy golf, and this certainly inspired people to get involved in the game and the sport.
Tim's list of 600 or so minigolf courses in the British Isles was the starting point of what became me and Emily's Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, and we spent many years updating the list and website with Tim.
As Tim and I were both keen collectors of minigolf items and ephemera we created the Crazy Golf Museum in 2010, and this continues to be a treasure trove and archive for all things related to minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf, miniature golf, Putt Putt, and putting.
One of the first pieces of minigolf coverage I ever saw was the excellent Grudge Match on Channel 4, a documentary about the rivalry between Tim & Ted! This is still available to watch on demand and I recommend you give it a look!
Tim was a friend, rival, colleague and mentor and will be greatly missed.
My thoughts are with Tim's family at this time.
R.I.P. Ace Man.
Emily Gottfried and Tim Davies at the 2009 BMGA British Open at Strokes Adventure Golf in Margate, Kent, England
Richard Gottfried and Tim Davies at the 2008 Nations Cup at Manse Ratagolf Club in Tampere, Finland
Richard Gottfried and Tim Davies eating Rotten Shark at Harald Viking Restaurant in Finland after the 2008 Nations Cup of Minigolf
The start of July 2025 marked the end of WHSmith on the British high street after 233 years. Following the sale of the business to Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital earlier this year WHSmith shops have been undergoing a rebrand to the new name of TGJones.
WHSmith on the high street, and travel stores.
There were around 500 high street WHSmith shops, and another 580 travel stores in the UK. The WHSmith shops at railway stations, service stations and airports etc. are not affected by the rebrand as they were not part of the sale.
Toys R Us at TGJones and WHSmith.
As well being inside the rebranded TGJones shops, the relaunched Toys R Us brand can be found in sections of some travel hub WHSmith stores.
Toys R Us returned to the UK shopping scene with an online presence in 2022 and with concessions opening inside some WH Smith shops in 2023. There are currently 95 Toys R Us stores open nationwide.
Working at Toys R Us.
My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton Toys R Us store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.
Meeting Geoffrey at the Stockport Toys R Us today!
The old Toys R Us.
It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited several of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.
Find out more.
Visit the TGJones, Toys R Us and WHSmith websites for more information on the brands and their locations.
A mini golf course has been created inside a lorry!
Pukka Putters, a 9-hole mini golf course built inside two lorry trailers, has bene created by The Professional Idiots and is available to play in Tunbridge Wells until this Sunday.
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