Course Played #36 Margate (Palm Bay Café) Cliftonville - Crazy Golf on Grass - Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

On the 14th September 2007 while travelling back to Margate from Broadstairs we spotted what appeared to be Crazy Golf obstacles on a Grass Putting area in Cliftonville, Margate, Kent.

And at the Palm Bay Café we did indeed find a quite unique Minigolf layout.


























Links to other course visits on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Gottfried Minigolf Rankings in 2010 - BMGA, WMF, WCGC, MMGC, GMGC

With the 2010 Minigolf and Crazy Golf season completed here are the updated rankings for Richard & Emily Gottfried in the various Miniature Golf Ranking Lists published by the Governing Bodies and Clubs within World Minigolf and Crazy Golf.

British Minigolf Association - BMGA
BMGA Order of Merit Rankings 2009-10
Richard Gottfried - 11th of 98 players - new end-of-season career high
Emily Gottfried - 41st of 98 players

BMGA Season Only Rankings 2010
Richard Gottfried - 7th of 160 players - new end-of-season career high
Emily Gottfried - 100th/101st (tied) of 160 players

Castle Golf
Castle Golf World Crazy Golf Rankings 2003-2010
Richard Gottfried - 26th of 260 players
Emily Gottfried - 55th of 260 players

World Minigolf Sport Federation - WMF
WMF World Minigolf Rankings as at November 2010
Richard Gottfried - 413 of 413 places / 431 players
Emily Gottfried - 138 of 138 places / 158 players
Great Britain - 20th of 31 Nations

Green Mini Golf Club - GMGC
GMGC Minigolf Rankings as at End of 2010
Richard Gottfried - 16th of 37 players

Midlands Minigolf Club - MMGC
MMGC Club Rankings (based on BMGA Order of Merit Rankings 2009-10)
Richard Gottfried - 2nd of 19 players
Emily Gottfried - 11th of 19 players

MMGC Club Rankings (based on BMGA Season Only Rankings 2010)
Richard Gottfried - 2nd of 17 players
Emily Gottfried - 17th of 17 players
MMGC - 2nd of 6 Teams

Midlands Minigolf Club (MMGC) - Minigolf Rankings 2010

Following the conclusion of the 2010 British Minigolf Association Tour I have had a look at how the members of the Midlands Minigolf Club fared in the two Ranking Lists published by the BMGA.

Midlands Minigolf Club - Rankings by BMGA Order of Merit 2009-2010 and BMGA Season Only Rankings 2010



By the BMGA Order of Merit 2009-2010 I was ranked 2nd within the Midlands Minigolf Club (11th overall out of 98 ranked players). Emily was ranked 11th within the MMGC (41st overall)

In the BMGA Season Only Rankings 2010 I was ranked 2nd within the Midlands Minigolf Club (7th overall out of 160 ranked players). Emily was ranked 17th within the MMGC (100th/101st overall).

Blog Post - Midlands Minigolf Club (MMGC) - Minigolf Rankings 2009

Gottfried's in the BMGA Season Only Minigolf Rankings 2010

With the 2010 BMGA Tour Season completed, the British Minigolf Association has published the final end-of-season BMGA Season Only Minigolf Rankings List for 2010.

In the list I have achieved a new end-of-season career best finish of 7th place of 160 players.

BMGA Season Only Rankings 2010
Richard Gottfried - 7th of 160 players - new end-of-season career high
Emily Gottfried - 100th/101st (tied) of 160 players

In the list for 'Most Personal Best Rounds Scored' I was tied for 5th place, with 20 PBs across the season.

14 new course records were set by eight players across the BMGA minigolf season, and I was in tied 4th place in the 'Most Course Records' list.

In the list of minigolf clubs (by team members ranked within the list) the Midlands Minigolf Club (MMGC) finished as runners-up, to the KMGC, with six teams ranked.

BMGA Season Only Rankings - Top 10
Pos Name Total Club
1 Michael SMITH (novice) 8,845 KMGC
2 Sean HOMER 8,150 KMGC
3 Marc CHAPMAN 7,505 KMGC
4 Tony KELLY 6,010 KMGC
5 Chris HARDING 5,915 MMGC
6 Adam KELLY (junior) 5,905 KMGC
7 Richard GOTTFRIED 5,710 MMGC
8 Nick CHITTY 5,600 PHCGC
9 Scott LANCLEY 5,395 KMGC
10 Brad SHEPHERD 5,260 LMC

Full 2010 BMGA Season Only Rankings List.

End of 2010 Position in the Green Mini Golf Club Rankings List

As a member of the Green Mini Golf Club (GMGC) I have closed out 2010 ranked 16th of 37 players in the Club's Ranking List, having competed in four of the 18 weekly Club tournaments.

Each Thursday night from 7pm the Green Mini Golf Club holds GMGC Club Championship minigolf competitions, played out over two 18-hole rounds. In August I won the first-ever GMGC Club Championship.

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. The course is well worth a visit, and the Course/Club now have a presence on Facebook.

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

First Minigolf Match-up of 2011 at Tea Green Golf in Luton

Emily and I headed to Tea Green Golf in Luton today for a BIG Golf practice on the Driving Range, and our first minigolf match-up at Tea Green's 9-hole Crazy Golf course in 2011.

In the 18-hole match I came out the winner with a 35(-1) to 39(+3) victory.

Hole 9 has also had 'The Rabbit' Obstacle re-introduced.

Behold...the sports and games we've played so far

Minigolf* and Finger Jousting isn't all that he can do, behold the great Richard Gottfried - a gift from me to you...

Adventure Golf

Air Hockey
Archery
Archery Tag

Arm Champs II Arm Wrestling
Bagatelle
Bar Billiards

Brussels Sprout Competitive Eating
Bun Throwing
Christmas Tree Throwing
Conga Dancing

Crazy Air Squash
Crazy Golf
Crazy Golf Pool

Dodgeball
Egg Throwing
FootGolf
FootPool
Football Pool

Guinness World Records
Laser Tag
London Skittles
Pétanque

Picnicking

(Ping) Pong
Pit-Pat
PongCrazy

Pirate Flyer Laser Monorails

Rock Paper Scissors
Shooting Shacks
Shuffleboard

'Tat' Challenges
Thumb Wrestling
World of Grip
Worm Charming

What's next?

Keep following The Ham & Egger Files to find out!

Richard Gottfried - Out Standing In His Field

* check out the post Types and Variants of Miniature Golf visited and played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour for details of other versions of the game

Minigolf Report, Results and Photos from the 2011 Luton Invitational Tournament - New Year's Day at Woodside Animal Farm

Results of the 2011 Luton Invitational Minigolf Tournament at Woodside Animal Farm, Slip End Village near Luton.

The first Irregular Mini Golf Competition to be held in 2011 was played at the 18-hole Crazy Golf Course at Woodside Animal Farm, Slip End Village, near Luton, Beds today.

The 2011 Luton Invitational Tournament featured four players, who took to the course despite heavy drizzle.

British Number 41 Emily 'Coach' Gottfried won the 18-hole tournament, with an 8-shot margin over fellow BMGA Tour member and British Number 11 'Squire' Richard Gottfried, and Luton Minigolfers Simon 'Practice' Hall and his mystery partner.

2011 Luton Invitational Results:
1. Emily Gottfried - 43 (+7)
2. Richard Gottfried - 51 (+15)
3. Simon Hall - 54 (+18)
4. Mystery Player - 57 (+21)

Photo: Emily 'Coach' Gottfried and the Irregular Mini Golf Tour LIMT Trophy for 2011.

Photos of the 2011 Minigolf Competition and our wander around the Farm.






























New IMGT Luton Invitational Champion Emily 'Coach' Gottfried.






Emily and the Prestigious Luton Invitational Minigolf Tournament Trophy for 2011.

The visit to Woodside Animal Farm was part of the Farm's New Year's Day Party that was raising money for the charities Grove House & Keech Cottage Children's Hospice.

Results and Report from the 2010 Luton Invitational Tournament and visit to Woodside Animal Farm.

2010 Luton Invitational Results:1. Richard Gottfried - 46 (+10)
2T. Emily Gottfried - 54 (+18)
2T. Mystery Player - 54 (+18)
4. Simon Hall - 57 (+21)

2007-2009 - Luton Invitational Tournament Not Played

2006 Luton Invitational Results*:1. Jo Tubby - 54 (par)
2. Emily Gottfried - 56 (+2)
3. Richard Gottfried - 62 (+8)
* Note: Par used was 'Course Par' of 3 shots per hole, rather than 'BMGA Par' of 2 shots per hole.

Happy New Year from the Ham & Egger Files

Happy New Year to all of our fans, followers and readers.

We wish you all the best in your future sporting endeavours in 2011.

2010 - Ham & Egger Files - The Year in Review

2010 has been a fun year for both me and Emily, with eleven top ten finishes on the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) Tour between us, stacks of crazy golf courses visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, plenty of competition on the Irregular Mini Golf Tour, and a few other wierd and wacky events played in too!

Below is a month by month run down of the highs (and lows) of 2010 as documented here on the Ham & Egger Files.

January
- Teed-off in the first minigolf competition of the season on the 1st of January with the 'Luton Invitational Minigolf Tournament' at Woodside Animal Farm, Slip End Village near Luton
- Got to use my Sledge for the first time in 2010
- Tried (and failed) to play Crazy Golf in the snow at Tea Green
- Went to 'an Ireland'
- Lost the Scrap Iron Cup in a minigolf contest to Dudley's Owen 'Jackpot' Johnson
- 8th place finish in the BMGA National Open at Star City, Birmingham
- Set a new course record, and personal best on an 18-hole minigolf course, with my score of 28(-8) on the Lost Hut Trail course at the BMGA National Open
- Played the 159th course on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, at Sandwell Valley Park in West Bromwich

February
- Played the new 'seaside' Shooting Shack in Luton
- Helped out Tim 'Ace Man' Davies with the http://www.miniaturegolfer.com/ '2009 UK Crazy Golf Price Survey'
- 160th course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. The UK's first full-size Swedish Felt course in Hither Green, Lewisham
- The Irregular Mini Golf Tour announces The Race to Play Near Rye (East Sussex) parody minigolf tournament
- The Ham & Egger Files wins 'Best Blog' Award at the Miniature Golfer Awards for 2009
- 24th place finish in the BMGA English Open at the Jungle Rumble courses in Bristol

March- Runner-up in the Spring Classic minigolf competition at Hither Green
- Played a Swedish Felt Minigolf Course in Vienna, Austria
- Emily and I move up in the WMF World Ranking Lists

April
- We take a minigolfing tour around East (& West) Anglia
- Play 14 rounds of Minigolf at Tea Green Golf in Luton
- Runner-up in the St George's Day Classic minigolf competition
- 4th place finish in the Midland Open minigolf tournament in Stratford-upon-Avon
- Won the Aces Championship at the Midland Open
- 3rd place finish (with Kevin Moseley) at the BMGA British Doubles Championships, Emily (and Welsh Ladies Number One, Cindy Kuielka) finish 4th

May
- Run some Minigolf Coaching Sessions at the Tea Green Golf Fun Day
- A milestone of 220 Minigolf course visits on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour is hit
- Runner-up (with Leo Kukielka) in the Codonas Classic in Aberdeen
- 8th place finish in my 50th BMGA Tour Appearance at the BMGA Scottish Open in Aberdeen. Emily finishes in 21st place
- Three years and eight months update on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

June
- Win the SB Classic Minigolf Doubles Contest (with Christopher Gottfried) at Tea Green Golf, Luton
- Emily is third (with Doubles Partner Brad Shepherd) in the Lost World Classic in Hemsby. Richard and partner Owen Johnson finish in tied 8th place
- Tied for 11th place in the BMGA British Championships at Wroxham Barns, Norfolk
- Visit and play four minigolf courses while in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

July
- 9th place finish in the Splash Point Strokeplay Competition at the new Splash Point Mini Golf course in Worthing
- Runner-up in the BMGA British Championships in Worthing
- Tim 'Ace Man' Davies and I launch the Virtual Crazy Golf Museum
- Runner-up in the Midlands Invitational Minigolf Tournament in Dorridge
- Play the 183rd course on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, this one was in Ipswich
- Went to New England!?
- Move up to a new minigolf career best position of 7th in the BMGA Order of Merit Rankings

August
- The World Finger Jousting Federation celebrates its fifth Anniversary
- Emily and I visit Northern Ireland to face off against the Bangor MGC in the first-ever "Northern Ireland Belfast Bangor Antrim & Larne Invitational Tournament (NIBBAL-IT)". We lose to Mark Swain and Craig McCallister
- The trip to Northern Ireland means we have now played minigolf in each of the Home Nations
- I win the first-ever GMGC Club Tournament at Hither Green
- Emily and I help UrbanCrazy launch a brand new minigolf course in a garden in East Finchley, London
- We play a unique minigolf course in Hyde Park, London
- I finish 3rd and Emily is 6th in the 2010 Cwmbran Darts Classic
- I finish 5th and Emily is 6th in the 2010 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament)
- We spend 45 minutes on Barry Island, Wales
- We visit Huntingdon Races. Emily has a flutter and wins, we play a Crazy Golf course, and attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest Conga!

September
- We embark on an almost fruitless minigolfing roadtrip
- 12th place finish in the Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Club Open
- 9th place finish in the GMGC Club Tournament in Hither Green
- We visit and play the landmark 199th and 200th courses on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, at Castleford's Xscape Centre
- 3rd place finish for me, and 6th spot for Emily in the Newcastle Open minigolf competition
- The north-east minigolf tour proves more fruitful than the tour to the south-east earlier in the month
- Tied for 11th place in the BMGA Players Championships in Hastings
- Finished 28th in the BMGA British Open
- Emily and I compete in the first-ever "Undisputed International Worlds Crazy Air Squash Championships"
- The "Minigolf Welly Boot Swamp Ball Incident in Hastings" occurs
- I tie for 6th place in the GMGC Club Tournament in Hither Green
- The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour turns four years old!

October
- We re-visit Poole Park in Dorset and play the new 12-hole Crazy Golf course (#203)
- I finish 7th in the Weymouth Open minigolf tournament at Lodmoor Country Park, Weymouth
- I finish 4th in the London Invitational Minigolf Tournament in East Finchley, London
- Emily and I are invited to compete in the “www.miniaturegolfer.com ‘Ten Best' Crazy Golf Championship” in Hastings. I finish in tied 4th place, Emily is tied for 10th
- I finish in 17th place in the Castle Golf World Crazy Golf Championships - for the third year running!
- I am now ranked 26th of 260 players in the Castle Golf World Crazy Golf Rankings for 2003-2010, Emily is 55th

November
- Blogged 68 Times in November 2010!
- Emily and I compete in the 4th UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships in Fulham. Emily gets to Round 3, while I crash out in Round 2
- 8th place finish in the Kent Open minigolf tournament in Sidcup
- I win the Kent Open Team Competition alongside Michael Smith and James Davies, at World of Golf Sidcup
- WMF World Minigolf Rankings Update (Nov 10):
-- Richard - 413th of 413 places / 431 players
-- Emily - 138th of 138 places / 158 players

December
- Played in the 'World Series of Pong' Ping Pong Tournament in Tooting, London alongside Brad 'The Fist' Shepherd
- Played in the Minigolfers BIG Sim Golf Challenge Christmas 'Do' event at Urban Golf in London. Me and Brad 'The Fist' Shepherd are runners-up in the Doubles Event
- Finish in tied 5th place in the Christmas Minigolf 9-Hole Putting Green Sudden Death Challenge
- Completed my fourth year on the BMGA Tour, with a 12th place finish in the inaugural Green Open at Hither Green, Lewisham
- End of Season BMGA Tour Rankings:
-- Richard - 11th of 98 players in the BMGA Order of Merit Rankings for 2009-2010 - a new career high end-of-season ranking
-- Emily - 41st of 98 players in the BMGA Order of Merit Rankings for 2009-2010
--- Richard - 7th of 160 players in the BMGA Season Only Rankings for 2010 - a new career high end-of-season ranking
--- Emily - 100th/101st (tied) of 160 players in the BMGA Season Only Rankings for 2010
- Visited Eastrop Park in Basingstoke, the Crazy Golf course there has been removed and replaced by and Adventure Playground
- Visited an unplayable Swedish Felt B-Run Minigolf course on a Pier in Southsea
- Re-visited the first course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Portsmouth's Treasure Island Adventure Golf - it was closed
- Played the 210th minigolf course on our tour at the O2 in London on the 30th December 2010 - Emily and I contest the Irregular Mini Golf Tour Millennium Classic - it's a draw!
- End of Year Green Mini Golf Club Rankings:
-- Richard - 16th of 37 players having played four of the 18 weekly club tournaments

In 2010 we played a total of 52 courses on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We also visited a further 44 courses that we couldn't play for a variety of reasons, and re-visited and played many previously played courses!

A peek ahead at 2011?
Who knows what will happen, or where we'll be going on our various minigolf, crazy golf and other strange sporting adventures in 2011 - what is known is that a lot of fun will be had on the way!

2009 - A Year in Review