The course is great fun to play, with some excellent obstacles and well designed holes. I'd definitely return to play there again.
While at the course we talked with Lindsay Heyes, co-owner of the Wye Valley Miniature Golf course who kindly gave us some background history to his very well thought out course.
He told us that the Wye Valley Miniature Golf was opened on 11th September 2007, and he designed the course, while his brother Edward Heyes led the construction team. In the research stage they looked at 80 parameters which determine playability, from drainage and gradient to type of ball and gap-width between obstacles.
Interestingly the whole course acts as a water-collector for, and admits light to, the Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo as part of their environmental sustainability effort. Nearly all components were sourced from local suppliers - e.g. the colonnade was cast just a mile away from the course, where they had the columns distressed to age them two thousand years!
The concept was that the course would wind its way through a fictional excavation, complete with a grave, of a Romano-British villa engaged in the fellmongery business.
The centre also has an Amazing Maze (and Maze Museum), Butterfly Farm, Tea Room and Garden Centre, and makes a great location for a day out.
The Maze
Richard Gottfried, Leo Kukielka & Owen Johnson try their hand at juggling(!?) at the Amazing Maze after the minigolf.
On Saturday 21st August 2010 we played minigolf course number 192 on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, when we visited the 9-hole course at Tredegar Park Minigolf, Newport, Wales to play the first three rounds of the 2010 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament).
The course wasn't too bad to play, but unfortunately the park's facilities and course hut/kiosk weren't even open, despite our visit being on a Saturday during the summer!?
Having previously spent '10 minutes in Canvey Island' in 2008 we found ourselves visiting Barry Island in Wales for a quick 45 minutes of amusements and seaside attractions*.
On Saturday 21st August 2010 we visited the Fairwater Fish & Chip Bar in Fairwater (Coed Eva), Cwmbran, Wales as we'd heard they sold Gluten Free Fish & Chips.
And they did!
They also sell a wide-range of Gluten Free Fish & Chip shop classics that are safe for Coeliacs to eat - including Battered Sausages, an absolute rarity!
Highly recommended, very knowledgeable staff and very tasty Gluten Free food!
Contact details for the Fairwater Fish & Chip Bar: 15 Fairwater Square Fairwater, Cwmbran, Gwent NP44 4TA 01633 485 262
Leo Kukielka won the second annual Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament) in a 5-round 48-hole tournament played at Tredegar Park, Newport, Wales and the Roman-themed Wye Valley Miniatvre Golf course at Symonds Yat West, Herefordshire on Saturday 21st August 2010.
Seve Kukielka was runner-up, with Paul Johnson taking the bronze medal back to England.
On the 14th August 2010 we played the Mini Golf Putting course at London's Hyde Park.
Video - Introducing the visit to Hyde Park's Adventure Golf Grass Putting course
The 9-hole layout is also called 'Adventure Golf' on one of the Park's signs, and the Grass Putting course was quite different to other Putting Miniature Golf courses we have played.
Video - A Walkround of the Adventure Golf Grass Putting course in Hyde Park, London
The course was the 191st played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, and the 251st minigolf course location visited since the tour began in 2006.
The Hyde Park 'Adventure Golf' grass putting course is open from early-May to October.
Video - Richard Putting on Hole 6 at the Hyde Park Adventure Golf Grass Putting course in London
The cost was £5.00 per player for two 9-hole rounds. The holes are quite tricky and if some of the lawns were in a little better condition it would have been great. Apart from that it was one of the most aesthetically pleasing courses we have visited to date.
In our match I managed to beat Emily by one-shot with a score of 33(+6) over the one 9-hole round we had time for.
The Green Mini Golf Club (GMGC) has released the first edition of its ranking list and I am currently ranked at number five.
Selected ranking list for GMGC members as of August 14, 2010: 1. Nick Sandqvist -5 2. Michael Smith -4 3. Marc Chapman -4 4. Sean Homer -2 5. Richard Gottfried -1 6. Oliver Florence +2 (21 players are currently ranked in the GMGC List.
The GMGC are based at the Green Indoor Mini Golf course in Hither Green, Lewisham, London.
On the 13th August 2009 we went on a nine-day 983-mile Minigolfing Tour of Wales, where we managed to play 28 Crazy Golf, Miniature Golf and Adventure Golf courses (93% of all the public Minigolf courses in Wales).
About the competition:
As the official airline partner of the London 2012 Games, British Airways has launched a programme called Great Britons, which will help and inspire people in the UK to be the best they can be. This scheme will look for individuals who demonstrate the values associated with Olympic and Paralympic Games and who strive to be the best, whether their passion is in sport, music, fashion, performing arts, art and design, innovation, or community.
Why have I applied?
If I won the Great Britons competition I would use the flights to compete in Professional Miniature Golf tournaments in the USA and Europe.
Visiting the 250th course location on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour! On Saturday 7th August 2010 Emily and I were guests of UrbanCrazy at the launch party of their latest minigolf course, at the home of their client in East Finchley, London. The six-to-nine hole minigolf course is a course tailor-made for the customers and features some unique obstacles and some changeable holes! This means that it can vary from round to round and range from a six hole to a nine hole course!
In the practice rounds and various challenge matches against other guests my best score was 12(par). I also managed to Ace every hole bar the 1st and 5th. It's a tricky, interesting and visually pleasing minigolf course. The course was the 190th we have played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and is also the 250th overall course location visited in the four years of the Tour.
Richard Gottfried accepted an invitation to compete in the Green Mini Golf Club’s first Club Tournament on Friday 6th August. Competing in a field of eleven players Richard won the 36-hole event with scores of 35(-1) and 36(par) for a total of 71(-1) – adjusted to 63 with the GMGC’s handicap scoring system. Hither Green’s Julio Kent was runner-up, with Kent’s Sean Homer third.
The event was a first for the Green Mini Golf Club (GMGC) which is based at the 18-hole Green Indoor Mini-Golf course in Hither Green, Lewisham. Earlier this year the course hosted the Spring Classic Competition where Richard was runner-up. The GMGC is now looking to organise regular competitions at the venue.
In the un-handicapped competition Richard’s two rounds were good enough to see him ranked third, behind London Open champion Nick Sandqvist and Sean Homer.
Richard said “It’s great to get a tournament win, and after my recent spate of runner-up spots it’s good to grab gold and a bronze. It makes a change to second place silver. The GMGC’s Club Tournaments also look like they are going to be great developmental events and I can’t wait to return for more action.”
Full results list from the GMGC Club Tournament. Photos from the GMGC Club Tournament:
Richard at the Green Indoor Mini Golf Course in his new GMGC Club Polo Shirt.
Course owner Nick Sandqvist presents the prize money.
Richard plays a shot on the course.
The 'podium' at the first-ever GMGC Club Tournament, from l-r Sean Homer (3rd), Richard Gottfried (1st), Julio Kent (2nd).
Richard is currently ranked at a new career high of 7th of 88 players in the 2009-2010 BMGA Order of Merit. Emily is currently 34th in the BMGA Order of Merit list. Having missed two ranking events this season, Richard has dropped slightly from 8th to 11th, in the 2010 BMGA Season Only Ranking list. Emily is 56th of 94 players in the list.