Minigolf Report – Gottfried 4th in London Invitational Tournament 2010

18th October 2010
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Report – London Invitational Tournament 2010

Luton Minigolfer Richard Gottfried recorded his fifth top five finish on the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) Tour this season as he tied for fourth place with London’s Alan Norman at the 2010 London Invitational Tournament (LIT) in East Finchley, Barnet on Sunday 17th October.


The tournament was played on an UrbanCrazy designed 6-hole course over six rounds. The first three rounds were played using the course’s ‘easy’ settings, and the second round using the ‘hard’ hole settings. In the field of 12 players Richard went into the second round in third place having scored a total of 40(+4), he followed this up with a 43(+7) for a total of 83(+11). London’s Jon Angel won the tournament with a score of 77(+5). Defending champion Brad Shepherd was runner-up on 79(+7), and Chris Jones third with 82(+10).



After the tournament Richard said “Thank you to the London Minigolf Club for the invitation to play in the LIT, it was a great event played on a very good course. Well played to Jon Angel for the win, a nice wire-to-wire victory. I’ll be ruing the five shots I took on hole three in the second round, if it wasn’t for that I’d have been looking good for a podium finish.”


With four events left in the 2010 BMGA Season Richard is currently ranked 9th of 91 players in the BMGA Order of Merit Rankings, 8th of 129 in the BMGA Season Only Rankings, and 31st of 255 in the Castle Golf World Crazy Golf Rankings.














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UrbanGolf in Kensington

While in London on Saturday 16th October 2010 we made a visit to the UrbanGolf centre in Kensington.

UrbanGolf offer Golf Course Simulators, where you can hire a bay and take in a round of 'Big' Golf at a number of famous courses.

The centres also have Putting practice areas!





UrbanGolf centres are located at High Street Kensington, Soho and Smithfield.

Fellow minigolfer Jon Angel and I may well have to visit to continue our 'Big' Golf Challenge Series!

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Courses Visited List with Links.

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Crazy Golf in Abingdon, Oxfordshire

A tweet from The Putting Penguin about the local history of minigolf in Illinois linked to a story on the Register-Mail website in Galesburg, USA, which mentioned that in Abingdon, Illinois there was a 27-hole Miniature Golf course known as the “Upsandowns”.

This prompted me to write a little bit about Crazy Golf in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

Prior to moving to Luton a decade ago I grew up and lived in Abingdon and the Crazy Golf course at the Abbey Meadows was the first course I ever played many years ago.


The course was also revisited as part of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on the 18th August 2007 and became the 31st course played on the tour.






A review of the Crazy Golf course at the Abbey Meadows can be found on MiniatureGolfer.com

In addition to the Crazy Golf course in Abingdon, there is also a Mini Golf (Pitch & Putt) and a Putting Green, all of which have been played a number of times over the years.


The town of Abingdon, England also has a unique tradition of Bun Throwing!

Interestingly, despite being born in Oxford, I never played the City's courses until August 2009!

Latest Island Visited on our UK Tour

After the 2010 Weymouth Open minigolf competition we headed along the coast a short distance to visit the Isle of Portland.

The Island is the latest we've visited on our Tour of the UK.


Other nations and islands visited.

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Gluten Free in Weymouth, Dorset

On our recent minigolfing trip to Weymouth we had found that there a number of places in the area that offer Gluten Free options and can cater for Coeliacs :-)

Here's a rundown on where and what we ate.

Stanley's Coffee Shop - great Gluten Free cakes from Honeybuns.

The Wellington Arms - a few Gluten Free options, with knowledgeable staff and a nice friendly pub. I had the Chilli.

The Old Harbour Fish & Chip Shop - we visited in 2009 and this time I had Cod Roe and Chips (for the first time since being a Coeliac!)

The Lugger Inn, at Chickerell - quite a few options for Coeliacs. Knowledgeable staff. A nice pub. I had the Chilli (again)!

There was also an Italian Restaurant in Weymouth that has Gluten Free options, but it was fully booked on the Saturday night. we'll try it out next time we visit.

Thank you also goes to fellow BMGA Tour Minigolfer Peter Jones for a Gluten Free Fish & Chips tip-off, as he'd spotted the 'Gluten Free Options' sign in the Old Harbour Fish & Chip Shop window. If only more places advertised the fact they offer menu choices for Coeliacs - they'd certainly do more business!

Looking through some of the local tourist information and pamphlets I also noticed that in Bournemouth there is a Mexican restaurant with a Gluten Free menu. It's called 'Coriander' and the website is http://www.coriander-restaurant.co.uk/ - we'll check it out next time.

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Random Maidenhead Minigolf Course Re-visit on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - 10/10/10 at 9pm

While driving back from the 2010 Weymouth Open minigolf competition on the 10th October we had to take a number of detours in order to miss out the horrendous traffic problems on the Motorways. The solution was to travel back on the A and B Roads, one of which led us through Maidenhead.

Taking a turn onto the Riverside it dawned on us we had visited Maidenhead before, and we were in fact very close to the 18-hole Eternit Miniature Golf / Crazy Golf course at Riverside Gardens!

Never one to miss an opportunity to (re)visit a minigolf course on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, we parked up and went for a wander!





We had originally visited and played the course on the 30th May 2009, when the course became the 97th played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The course at Riverside Gardens was also the setting for the classic Mr Bean episode 'Tee Off Mr Bean'.

Greenhill Putting at Greenhill Gardens in Weymouth, Dorset - Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course played 204

On Saturday 9th October 2010 we managed to play the 18-hole Putting Course at Greenhill Gardens in Weymouth, and very good it was too.

On our visit to Weymouth last year the course had just closed, so we didn't get a chance to play it.

This time however, it became the 204th Minigolf course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.




It's well worth a visit to play the course and it is quite tricky indeed.


In our Irregular Mini Golf Tour match-up Emily managed to get a hole-in-one on the 5th hole, and after the 18-hole round we were tied on 49(+13). The sudden-death play-off lasted four holes, when Emily managed a two, which I had no reply to. Emily received a postcard/certificate for the win from the course owner!




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Derelict Crazy Golf at the Derelict Riviera Hotel, Bowleaze Cove, Weymouth

Prior to the 2010 Weymouth Open minigolf tournament we headed to Bowleaze Cove to check out the Crazy Golf course at the Riviera Hotel.

However, the course AND the hotel look to be disused!








Bowleaze Cove is also home to a Flintstones-themed Crazy Golf course, at the Fantasy Island Fun Park. I first visited the course in 2008 when it became the 77th course played on Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, and last year we played for the Johnson's Scrap Iron Cup there.


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Minigolf Report – Gottfried Seventh in 2010 Weymouth Open

11th October 2010
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Report – Weymouth Open 2010

Luton Minigolfer Richard Gottfried was in action at the third-annual Weymouth Open competition at the 18-hole Pirate Adventure Golf course at the Sea Life Centre at Lodmoor Country Park on Sunday 10th October. Competing in an 18 player field Richard finished in seventh place with a total of 88(+16) after two rounds of 44.

In 2008 Richard won the Weymouth Open, and last year he lost a play-off for the title to Bath’s Kevin Moseley at the fourth extra-hole. This year saw a new champion crowned, with Oxford’s Michael Smith the winner with a total of 75(+3), after rounds of 38 and 37, which also beat Richard’s course record of 41(+5) that he set, along with Weymouth’s Ed Evans, in 2009. Kent’s Sean Homer was second on 85(+13), with four players tied for third place on 87(+15).

Richard said “Despite Weymouth being one of the toughest courses on the BMGA Tour circuit I did enjoy my weekend here. It’s unfortunate I wasn’t able to win again, but Michael was untouchable the way he was playing. I was one shot off tied third place, but sadly that means I finished seventh. On the upside, I was one of only three players to score a hole in one on the day, which just goes to show how hard the course can be.”

Photos from the 2010 Weymouth Open

With my playing partners, Michael Smith, middle, (2010 Champion), and Chris Smith, right.

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Poole Park, New 12-hole Crazy Golf Course - Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course played 203

On Saturday 9th October 2010 we made a visit to Poole on our way to Weymouth, as the old Crazy Golf course at Poole Park has been replaced with a new one!

The old course was a 9-hole one, while the new course is 12-holes.


The new course is well worth a visit and is great fun to play. It's also quite tricky!

The course was the 203rd course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, the previous incarnation was the 153rd.

In our Irregular Mini Golf Tour Clash I defeated Emily by 35 shots to 37.

Poole Park is also home to an 18-hole Putting Course, among other things.

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Weymouth Minigolf Open - 2008 & 2009

Ahead of the 2010 Weymouth Open I had a look back at the archives to the two previous Weymouth Open minigolf tournaments.

At the 2009 Weymouth Open, me and minigolf doubles team-mate Kevin Moseley tied for first place in the two round event, and had to face-off in a sudden-death play-off. I was the defending Champion, while Kevin was looking for his second tournament victory of the 2009 season.

Videos from the play-off
Play-off Coin Toss – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGvb2JfZ8hs
Play-off Hole 1 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJG5opQHXv8
Play-off Hole 2 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRMHhhq6Q3U
Play-off Hole 3 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo5SrN5i08g
Play-off Hole 4 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GA8xJSXzlc

Weymouth Open 2009 - BMGA Report

Weymouth Open 2009 - Ham & Egger Files Report

In 2008 I won the first-ever Weymouth Open competition, played over three-rounds at the 18-hole Pirate Adventure Golf course at the Sea Life Centre at Lodmoor Country Park, Weymouth, Dorset.

Weymouth Open 2008 - Ham & Egger Files Report


The Sea Life Centre course was the 76th played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

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More Gluten Free Finds

Bonnet in Felixstowe, Suffolk has Gluten Free options

Offley Oriental, Great offley (near Luton and Hitchin) has a great Gluten Free menu

Crabtree & Evelyn in Stratford upon Avon is excellent for Gluten Free food

Darling Spuds Crisps are Gluten Free

Links to other Gluten Free finds on the Ham & Egger Files

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Happy Fourth Birthday to the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour is four years old today!!!

Back on the 30th September 2006 we played our first course on the Tour, when we headed to Portsmouth/Southsea, Hampshire to play the Treasure Island Victory Trail 9-hole course.

We liked playing Adventure Golf so much we returned the next day to play the Warrior Trail course too!

It's kind of snowballed since then...

Latest Gluten Free finds while on Tour

Some of the latest places we've found to eat out at that serve Gluten Free food for Coeliacs have been:

Brasserie Caprice in Whitley Bay - When I visited I had Confit Duck and Eton Mess for pudding. All very tasty and good service too. Well worth a visit.

Soupcon Restaurant in Hastings (Old Town) - Soupcon does excellent food including gluten free options. When we visited I had a great dish of Scallops in an Asparagus Broth with Avruga Caviar (very posh indeed ;-)) to start and for the main I had a Sirloin Steak with a Peppercorn sauce. It was very nice to be able to have a sauce for a change!

Antonia's Restaurant in Tonbridge, Kent - An Italian restaurant that can cater for Coeliacs. Quite a few different Gluten Free options available. Very big portion sizes!

Carluccio's (Various locations) - I've been able to dine out at Carluccio's as they have a great Gluten Free menu and knowledgeable staff. The two I've visited so far have been in St Albans and Hampstead, London.

Minigolf Report - Gottfried Ties for Sixth Spot at the GMGC Club Tournament

24/09/10
Minigolf Report
GMGC Club Tournament (23/09/10) at The Green Indoor Mini Golf in Hither Green - Gottfried Ties for Sixth Spot at the GMGC Club Tournament

Richard Gottfried competed in the Green Mini Golf Club’s fifth Club Tournament at Hither Green, Lewisham, London on Thursday 23rd September 2010. In the field of nine players Richard finished in tied 6th place in the 36-hole event with scores of 47(+11) and 35(-1) for a total of 82(+10) – with Richard's GMGC Handicap at 'zero' his unhandicapped round was also marked at 82. In the un-handicapped scores Richard’s two rounds saw him ranked 7th. The GMGC Club Tournament was won by Cambridgeshire's Tony Kelly.

Richard said “I started off my first round with a shocking score of five on the seventh hole, and managed to drop a fair few shots on three other holes. I was happy to come back with a 35 in round two, but after scoring a 47 it was a damage limitation round. Congratulations to Tony Kelly for his win, he was rattling in the Aces in the two rounds. Well played also to Adam Kelly and Giuseppe Ruggiero for their great rounds, some fantastic consistency in their scoring and thoroughly deserved podium finishes. GMGC Rookie player William Donelly is also improving his game and putting in the practice."

Richard added "I've been playing a lot of tournaments recently and it does take it out of you sometimes, I'll be having a few weeks off to relax ahead of the October, November and December run of events."

Heading into the competition Richard was in 6th place of 26 players in the GMGC Rankings. Following this week's tournament he has dropped down one place to 7th of 28 ranked players.

Full results list from the GMGC Club Tournament - 23/09/10
1. Tony Kelly 34 35 = 69 ( +8 ) 61
2. Adam Kelly 31 31 = 62 ( +0 ) 62
3. Giuseppe Ruggiero 44 44 = 88 (+20) 68
4. Michael Smith 34 30 = 64 ( -8 ) 72
5. Andy Exall 40 37 = 77 ( +4 ) 73
6/7. Richard Gottfried 47 35 = 82 ( -0 ) 82
6/7. Nick Sandqvist 32 38 = 70 (-12) 82
8. William Donelly 58 52 = 110 (+26) 84
9. Sean Homer 43 38 = 81 ( -4 ) 85

Ranking list for GMGC members as at 23/09/2010
Top 10
1. Nick Sandqvist -5
2. Michael Smith -4
3. Marc Chapman -3
4. Adam Kelly -3
5. Tony Kelly 0
6. Sean Homer 0
7. Richard Gottfried +2
8. Oliver Florence +2
9. Andy Exall +2
10. Julio Kent +3
(28 players are currently ranked in the GMGC list).

Richard won the first GMGC Club Tournament on the 6th August 2010. On his last visit to Hither Green for the third GMGC Club Tournament on the 9th September he finished in 9th spot of 13 players.

The GMGC are based at the Green Indoor Mini Golf course in Hither Green, Lewisham, London. You can check out the course and club website at The Green Indoor Mini Golf.

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The Alfred Brimble Memorial Minigolf Tournament

Following the 2010 BMGA Players Championships, but before the BMGA British Open teed-off, I joined four members of the London Minigolf Club for a mini-minigolf competition to crown the Champion of the first-ever Alfred Brimble Memorial Minigolf Tournament.

Played over one-round on the White Rock Gardens Adventure Golf Course in Hastings, East Sussex, I finished as the runner-up - and escaped the tournament forfeit of 'buying a round in the pub later'.

Full results of the Alfred Brimble Memorial Minigolf Tournament:
1st Brad 'The Fist' Shepherd - 36 (Par)
2nd 'Squire' Richard Gottfried - 42 (+6)
3rd Chris 'Stretch' Jones - 43 (+7)
3rd Gareth 'Colleen' Holmes - 43 (+7)
5th Alan 'Stormin'' Norman - 49 (+13)


Players (from l-r) Richard Gottfried, Brad Shepherd, Chris Jones, Alan Norman, Gareth Holmes.

A few years ago the Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Club used to hold an Albert Steptoe Memorial Trophy competition in Hastings.

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