Practicing for the World Series of Pong at Luton's Wardown Park

Early on Sunday 21st November I headed to Luton's Wardown Park to play my first Table Tennis match in over 16 years, in preparation for my participation in the upcoming "World Series of Pong" Ping Pong Tournament!





In a best-of-three sets match I lost to my Pitch & Putt and Dodgeball Adversary Simon 'Practice' Hall 18-21, 16-21, followed by a one-off 15-21 defeat. Simon hadn't played in over 20 years!





I had hoped not to stink up the place at the World Series of Pong Slam Jam event, so I'd better improve my game before the Slam Jam Grand Final!

About the World Series of Pong.

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Played #17 St Albans, Hertfordshire (Verulamium Park) - Crazy Golf

Back on the 11th of April 2007 I visited and played the 12-hole Crazy Golf course in Verulamium Park, St Albans, Hertfordshire. At the time it was just the 17th course played on what would become the epic Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

On my first visit I scored rounds of 25, 27 and 35!

I also re-visited it with my former Dodgeball Associates 'Rowdy' Russell Fenner and Paul 'Barer' Harvey for a three-round event on the 10th May 2007.

In the Irregular Mini Golf Tour's Triple-O Thursday 36 Competition, Me and Paul tied having scored a total of 87(+11), Russell scored a 103(+31).



Richard & Humpty.



On the 20th November 2010 I was in St Albans so decided to visit the course to see what the course was like now.

Humpty was still there.



A blue Dolphin now 'Guards' the course from the corner!







I also noticed that the following two holes have changed slightly:
Hole 1 - May 2007

Hole 1 - November 2010


Hole 7 - May 2007


Hole 7 - November 2010


We have also played this type/design of course on a number of occasions on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, including:

• 18 Luton (Wardown Park) - Crazy Golf - Review at Miniaturegolfer.com here


• 48 Lytham St Anne’s - Crazy Golf


• 61 Southsea - Crazy Golf


• 79 Gravesend (Woodlands Park) - Derelict Crazy Golf


• Visit 97 to Maidenhead's Riverside Gardens saw us meet another 'Humpty' and the course did use some similar Fibreglass obstacles, but it was an 18-hole Eternit course (we also revisited it on 10/10/10 at 9pm!)


• 130 Saundersfoot - Crazy Golf


• 132 Eglwyswrw (Dyfed Shires & Leisure Farm) - Crazy Golf


• 134 Llanrhystud (Penrhos Golf & Country Club) - Crazy Golf


• 138 Tywyn (Leisure Park) - Crazy Golf


• 144 Towyn (Knightly's on Sandbank Road) - Crazy Golf


• 156 Melbourn (Kingsway Golf Centre) - Crazy Golf - now replace by The Himalayas Putting Course


• 202 Knaresborough (Conyngham Hall Gardens) - Crazy Golf

And we've also visited these types of courses in the following places (but for one reason or another haven't been able to play them):

• Lytham St Anne’s - Crazy Golf #2


• Newcastle (Exhibition Park) - Derelict 9-hole Crazy Golf


• Porthmadog - Crazy Golf (arrived at 5.30pm, course closed at 6pm but would not let us play)


• Smeeth (The Woolpack Inn) - Crazy Golf - had similar obstacles


• Riviera Hotel, Bowleaze Cove, Weymouth - Crazy Golf

There is also a 9-hole Putting Green at the Abbey View Golf Course at Verulamium Park, it was getting dark and very cold so I didn't play it on this visit.




Links to related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- St Albans
- Humpty

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.

World Series of Pong (WSOPong) - Slam Jam Grand Final

Me and my fellow minigolfer (and odd sports and events fan) Brad 'The Fist' Shepherd have received a Wildcard entry to play in the World Series of Pong Slam Jam Grand Final in Tooting in December.

We had been scheduled to compete in the World Series of Pong (WSOPong) Qualifying Event at Tutus, Kings College, London on Thursday 2nd December, however due to scheduling problems the date for the event has had to move, meaning that we received a 'bye' into the Grand Final itself (and of course we can always claim we're the 'Default Ping Pong Round Winners' for the 2nd December).

64 teams of two will be competing in the World Series of Pong Slam Jam Grand Final, and me and Brad are planning on bringing home some silverware!

About the World Series of Pong.

Last December Brad and I took part in a Guinness World Record Attempt to eat the Most Brussels Sprouts Eaten in a Minute!

Playing Minigolf Through A Dunny!

At the Glow Golf BlackLight Mini Golf course in Melbourne, Australia you play one of the holes through a Dunny!


Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Australia
- Indoor Mini Golf courses

Melbourne Minigolf Match - 21/11/10 - Results

The scores of the Irregular Mini Golf Tour Minigolf Match that has just been played at the Glow Golf BlackLight Mini Golf course at the Docklands in Melbourne, Australia is as follows:

Emily Gottfried 21 on first 9 and 24 on second 9. Total 45. 3 aces.

Janie Peace 28 on first nine and 23 on second 9. Total 51. 1 ace.


On the 24th September 2008 Emily defeated Janie (and John Peace) in the Irregular Mini Golf Tour's Las Vegas Invitational tournament.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Australia
- Indoor Mini Golf courses

Emily has now played the Glow Golf BlackLight Mini Golf course in Melbourne's Docklands

Emily 'Coach' Gottfried has played the Glow Golf BlackLight Mini Golf course at the Docklands in Melbourne, Australia!




Results of her match to follow...

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Australia
- Indoor Mini Golf courses

Emily has arrived at Glow Golf BlackLight Mini Golf in Melbourne

Emily 'Coach' Gottfried has arrived at Glow Golf BlackLight Mini Golf in Melbourne, Australia!


The only "Melbourn" I've been to is the one in Cambridgeshire!

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Australia
- Indoor Mini Golf courses

The Ham & Egger Files fly to Glow Golf BlackLight Mini Golf in Australia...

...well one half of the team does!

Emily 'Coach' Gottfried is on her way to the Glow Golf BlackLight Mini Golf in Melbourne, Australia right now!

Can't wait to hear her report :-)

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Australia
- Indoor Mini Golf courses

Minigolf Report – Gottfried ties for 7th in the GMGC Club Tournament (18/11/10) at The Green Indoor Mini Golf in Hither Green

19th November 2010
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Report – Gottfried ties for 7th in the GMGC Club Tournament (18/11/10) at The Green Indoor Mini Golf in Hither Green

Richard Gottfried travelled to Hither Green, Lewisham on Thursday 18th November to compete in the Green Mini Golf Club’s latest Club Tournament. In the field of thirteen players Richard finished in tied 7th place in the 36-hole event with scores of 39(+3) and 40(+4) for a total of 79(+7) – adjusted to 75(+3) with the GMGC’s handicap scoring system. The tournament was won by Terry Exall, with Andy Exall beating James Rutherford in a play-off for second place. In the un-handicapped scores Richard’s two rounds also saw him ranked 7th.

Richard said “The event was good preparation for the next two full BMGA Tour events that are taking place at the Hither Green course, however I hit a few too many almost-aces, and threes to make an impact on the lead. Well done to Terry for his win. There were also some players making their competitive minigolf debuts at the tournament and they were playing some very good shots too, the GMGC are a club on the rise.”


Richard Gottfried’s GMGC Club Tournament Record
• GMGC Club Tournament - 1st of 11
o GMGC Club Tournament (without Handicap) - 3rd of 11
• GMGC Club Tournament - 9th of 13
o GMGC Club Tournament (without Handicap) - 8th of 13
• GMGC Club Tournament - Tied 6th of 9
o GMGC Club Tournament (without Handicap) - 7th of 9
• GMGC Club Tournament - Tied 7th of 13
o GMGC Club Tournament (without Handicap) - 7th of 13

The GMGC are based at the Green Indoor Mini Golf course in Hither Green, Lewisham, London.

You can check out the club and course website at http://www.thegreenminigolf.co.uk/

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Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Played #42 Broxbourne (Paradise Wildlife Park) - Adventure Golf

The 18-hole 'On Safari' Adventure Golf at Paradise Wildlife Park, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire was the 42nd Minigolf course visited and played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Its a great course with some testing holes, plenty of good theming and some very large animal obstacles on a few of the holes!

Photos from the visit on the 7th March 2008.














Related blog post:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date

Link:
- Paradise Wildlife Park

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Played #3 Southsea (Golf Links) - Mini Golf - 9 Hole Par 3/Pitch & Putt

The third course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was at the Southsea Mini Golf Links (Pitch & Putt) course.

The course is open 7 days a week - and has been since April 1914!!!

No photos from our original visit could be found in the Ham & Egger archives (!?) but here are two snaps from a re-visit in March 2007.



Check out other courses visited and played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Kent Open 2010 - Minigolf Tournament Write-up by the KMGC

Following last Sunday's Kent Open Minigolf Tournament at World of Golf Sidcup, Michael 'Hole In One Kenobi' Smith of the Kent Minigolf Club has written-up a review of the event.

A highlight of the report is the line "When play resumed, Richard Gottfried from MMC got his first ace in 28 holes and followed it with a peculiar dance on the turf which exhilarated and perplexed the watching public."

The full report can be read on the Kent Open page of the Kent Minigolf Club website.

Latest news from the World of Bun Throwing...

...there could be two Bun Throwing events coming up in Abingdon to celebrate Royal Events.

Head on over to the World of Bun Throwing Blog for more information.

Great Britain Minigolf Team on Russell Howard's Good News, BBC3 Tonight

Fellow minigolf blogger, and latest addition to the Great Britain Minigolf Team Oliver 'The Machine' Florence, and Asian Open Championships runner-up Richard Skeggs will be featuring on Russell Howard's Good News on BBC3 tonight at 10.30pm.

Check out Ollie's Blog Post about the show.

Russell Howard's Good News Blog.

Third Place Finish for The Ham & Eggers Tenpin Bowling Team at the Macmillan Annual Bowling Challenge

Third Place Finish for The Ham & Eggers Tenpin Bowling Team at the Macmillan Annual Bowling Challenge

The Ham & Eggers Tenpin Bowling Team finished with the bronze medal after attempting to defend their Macmillan Cancer Support Annual Bowling Challenge Title at Luton's Namco Station last night (17th November 2010).

The 2010 event saw a change in the format, with the teams now made up of six players, as opposed to four aside as in previous years. Ten teams competed for the prestigious Macmillan Tenpin Bowling Trophy and player medals.

The Ham & Eggers finished the tournament with a two round team score of 1303. The team consisted of Richard, Simon, Mike, Jim, Rob and Alan (Mark/Geoff).

Macmillan Annual Bowling Challenge Honours Board:
2010 - Andy's Team
2009 - The Ham & Eggers
2008 - The Flecney Four
2007 - Plumbs DIY
2006 - Plumbs DIY

Previous Ham & Eggers Team Rankings:
2010 - 3rd
2009 - 1st
2008 - 3rd
2007 - 6th
2006 - DNP




Report from the Ham & Eggers win in the 2009 Macmillan Bowling Challenge.

Blog posts about Ten Pin Bowling.

Blog posts about Bowlingo.

strange games: UK RPS Championships - Report

strange games: UK RPS Championships - Report: "Excellent UK RPS tournament report with lots of photos and videos by Richard 'the Rock' Gottfried over at the Ham and Egger blog (your first..."

The Ham & Eggers Tenpin Bowling Team Defend Their Title Tonight!

The Ham & Eggers Tenpin Bowling Team will be defending their Macmillan Cancer Support Annual Bowling Challenge Title at Luton's Namco Station tonight.

The 2009 title was won by a team of four with a two game team score of 870.

The 2010 event had been scheduled to take place in April. The new date also sees a change in the format, with the teams now made up of six players.

Macmillan Annual Bowling Challenge Honours Board:
2009 - The Ham & Eggers
2008 - The Flecney Four
2007 - Plumbs DIY
2006 - Plumbs DIY

Previous Ham & Eggers Team Rankings:
2009 - 1st
2008 - 3rd
2007 - 6th
2006 - DNP

Report from the Ham & Eggers win in the 2009 Macmillan Bowling Challenge.

Blog posts about Ten Pin Bowling.

Blog posts about Bowlingo.

Changes and Updates to The Ham & Egger Files Blog

Hello dear readers, viewers, visitors and followers,

Many thanks for taking an interest in The Ham & Egger Files Blog and our continued adventures on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour (and in other Sports and Games).

After running The Ham & Egger Files since the 21st December 2006 and with no real changes made to the layout of the site itself since then, I though 'enough was enough, it's time for a change' - so I've changed the Blog's layout so that it can now incorporate new widgets, gadgets and apps to make your reading experience better!

Please do get in touch and/or add a comment to let me know what you think of the updates/changes, and if you have any further suggestions please tell me too.

Many thanks,

Richard

PS - There is now a 'Followers' section on the right hand side of the Blog, please click on the 'Follow' button to become a part of The Ham & Egger Universe!

BMGA Rankings Updates following the Kent Open in Sidcup

The latest British Minigolf Association (BMGA) Ranking Lists have been published following the Kent Minigolf Open tournament at the Lost Island Encounter Adventure Golf in Sidcup, Kent.

BMGA Order of Merit 2009-2010
Richard Gottfried - 10th of 91 players
Emily Gottfried - 40th of 91 players

BMGA Season-Only Rankings 2010
Richard Gottfried - 9th of 153 players
Emily Gottfried - 96th of 153 players

Minigolf Results: Midlands & Oliver Florence Invitational Tournament (MOFIT)

During the 2010 Kent Open Minigolf Tournament at the Lost Island Encounter Adventure Golf Course on Sunday 14th November, members of the Midlands Minigolf Club, alongside invited guest (and one of the latest BMGA players to earn a Great Britain International Cap) Oliver Florence, competed for the prestigious and much sought after 'Miniature Easter Island Head Trophy' in the Midlands & Oliver Florence Invitational Tournament (MOFIT).

Midlands & Oliver Florence Invitational Tournament Results
1 Richard GOTTFRIED - 117 +9
2 Paul JOHNSON - 120 +12
3 Oliver FLORENCE - 123 +15
4 Peter JONES - 128 +20
5 Owen JOHNSON - 133 +25


Player photo, from l-r: Owen 'Jackpot' Johnson, Peter 'The Crazy Aced Assassin' Jones, 'Squire' Richard Gottfried, Paul 'The Overtaker' Johnson, and Oliver 'The Machine' Florence.

Minigolf Report – Gottfried 8th in Kent Open & a Team Win in KO Team Tournament

14th November 2010
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Report – Gottfried 8th in Kent Open & a Team Win in KO Team Tournament

Luton Minigolfer Richard Gottfried picked up his 9th top 10 finish from 15 full BMGA Tour events of the season so far as he finished in tied 8th spot of 22 players in the fifth annual Kent Open in Sidcup, Kent on Sunday 14th November.

The three-round tournament was played on the two 18-hole Adventure Golf courses at the Lost Island Encounter at World of Golf Sidcup. Richard managed rounds of 40 (+4), 38 (+2) and 39 (+3) for a 54-hole total of 117 (+9), to tie with London's Nick Chitty.


The tournament was won following a play-off by Kent Minigolf Club Captain Sean Homer with a score of 108 (par). Cambridge’s Tony Kelly was 2nd, with Hastings’ Ted McIver 3rd, following a play-off win against Adam Kelly.

During the Kent Open main-event, a Team Tournament also took place for the first-time, with groups of players drawn together, and their individual scores pooled together for a team result. In this, Richard and his playing partners, Oxford’s Michael Smith, and, making his debut, Sidcup’s James Davies, picked up the victory, defeating six other teams with a team average of 38.7.


Richard said “With this tournament being the first held at World of Golf Sidcup I’m pleased with my 8th place result, as with only a few hours to learn and practice 36 brand new holes I managed some respectable rounds. The holes are quite tricky to master and they don’t give up as many holes-in-one as you’d like. I was also very happy to win the inaugural Kent Open Team Tournament alongside Michael and James, they were great playing partners and had some good rounds themselves.”


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Unplayed course on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - World of Golf Sidcup - Putting Green

While at the World of Golf at Sidcup for the Kent Open we were unable to play the Short Game/Putting course as it was for 'Members Only'.