Then & Now - Minigolf at the East Point Family Adventure Golf in Lowestoft, Suffolk - #20 on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

On our first Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit to Lowestoft Suffolk in February 2007 we had found the Eastpoint Family Golf Adventure Golf course there to be closed (as well as every other one we visited in Great Yarmouth).

However, when we returned on the 9th of June 2007 we were able to play the course, which was nice. Review Here. In our Irregular Mini Golf Tour Match-up I defeated Emily 37-40.

On the 6th of August 2011 we were once again in Lowestoft and had a round on the course. This time Emily defeated me 32-34.

An interesting fact is that the course lies at the Easternmost point of the British Isles!

Photos from August 2011.

Photos from June 2007.









Photos when the course was closed/out-of-season in February 2007.













More courses visited and played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

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A Landmark On Our Travels - Photographing Our First Milestone

On a recent visit to Luton's Wardown Park Museum I picked up a leaflet about The Milestone Society and joined their Facebook group. Upon joining I was asked to keep my eye out and photograph any Milestones as they may be unknown to the society.

So, on our recent roadtrip to Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, by way of Sudbury and Ipswich, I took the landmark first photo of a Milestone on our travels. The Milestone is on Ipswich's Albion Road (the A1071) and gives distances to London, Yarmouth, Woodbridge, St Margaret and Colchester.

Upon joining The Milsetone Society's Facebook Group my minigolf rival Anthony Pope quipped "You were their 10,000th member but sadly they were unable to think of any suitable measurement to recognise it by."

Link to The Milestone Society

The North Suffolk & South Norfolk Invitational Challenge Minigolf Tournament 2011

Last weekend intrepid Crazy Minigolfers Richard & Emily Gottfried competed in the Quadrennial Irregular Mini Golf Tour Competition known as the Irregular Mini Golf Tour North Suffolk & South Norfolk Invitational Challenge.

Photo: Emily tees-off at the most easterly Adventure Golf course in the country

Last held on the 9th and 10th of June 2007 the 2011 Irregular Mini Golf Tour NS&SN IC event saw five rounds and a total of 63-holes of Minigolf, Crazy Golf, Putting and Adventure Golf played.

The winner of the marathon event was Emily 'Nine Lives' Gottfried who led from start to finish and ended with a an eight shot winning margin over the 2007 Irregular Mini Golf Tour NS&SN IC Champion 'Squire' Richard Gottfried.

Day 1 - 6th August 2011
In the 12-hole first round at the most easterly Adventure Golf course in the British Isles - East Point Family Golf in Lowestoft, Suffolk - Emily won 32-34.

On the 18-hole Links Putting Course at Kirkley Cliffs in Lowestoft, Emily was the round winner once again with a score of 43 to Richard's 45, acing the final hole, while Richard carded a poor four.

Day 2 - 7th August 2011
At the 9-hole Crazy Golf course at the Merrivale Model Village both players tied on scores of 22.

Emily was the winner once again on the (now) 12-hole Windmill Theatre Adventure Golf course, carding a score of 25, to Richard's 29.

The final round was played out on the Pleasure Beach Adventure Golf course and saw both Richard and Emily score rounds of 30 on the 12-hole course.

The final scores were:
Emily - 152
Richard - 160

Emily retained her Aces Champion title at the event, scoring five holes-in-one compared to Richard's two Aces.

Commenting on her big Minigolf win Emily 'Nine Lives' Gottfried said "As the ‘local’ in the tournament I knew I had the edge. The Lowestoft mini-golf course was fun and the putting green was excellent- a win with an Ace following a poor 4 by Squire was the highlight. The Great Yarmouth courses are always well kept, and great to play. Squire put up a good fight, but I always knew I would win this weekend.”

From the Archives:

Results of the 2007 North Suffolk & South Norfolk Invitational Challenge Minigolf Tournament

The mammoth two-day, 11 round, 134-hole Irregular Mini Golf Tour North Suffolk & South Norfolk Invitational Challenge tournament was played out over seven courses in Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth. It had been planned to include the Crazy Golf, Adventure Golf and Golf FX courses in Felixstowe, Suffolk, however these were closed on our visit.

The seven courses played were:

1. East Point Family Golf - Lowestoft
2. Pirates Cove Adventure Golf - Great Yarmouth
3. Arnold Palmer Putting Course 18-hole - Great Yarmouth
4. Arnold Palmer Putting Course 9-hole - Great Yarmouth
5. Pleasure Beach Adventure Golf - Great Yarmouth
6. Jungle Golf at the Gardens - Great Yarmouth
7. Hollywood Adventure Golf - Great Yarmouth

The final scores were as follows
Richard - 338
Emily - 361

Photo: Richard & the 2007 Irregular Mini Golf Tour North Suffolk & South Norfolk Invitational Challenge Trophy

Despite coming second in the main tournament Emily did win the 'Aces Championship' by scoring 10 holes-in-one over the weekend.


The Future of Minigolf...

The next Irregular Mini Golf Tour North Suffolk & South Norfolk Invitational Challenge tournament is scheduled to take place in June or August 2015.

Blog link:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

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

2011 UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships in London on Saturday 22nd October

The team at Wacky Nation have announced the date for the 2011 UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships. The 5th Edition of the Tournament will take place in London on Saturday 22nd October at the Knights Templar pub on Chancery Lane.

You can find all the details of the 2011 UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships at the dedicated website here.

Report from the 2010 UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships (including photos and videos from a selection of matches). Last year Emily reached the third round and finished with a record of Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1. I crashed out in round two and ended with a record of Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1.

The 2011 tournament will also feature a Team Event, one that the Guild of Rock Paper Scissors (GoRPS) will surely be entering!

Links:
Wacky Nation Website
UK RPS Official Website
The Rules of Rock Paper Scissors
GoRPS Rock Paper Scissors Championships in Birmingham
Rock Paper Scissors Tournament at The Crown in Bristol
RPS-101

Ipswich Building Society Crazy Golf Course - In Sudbury, Suffolk - Course Played 263 and a Third!

On our way to Lowestoft for the 2011 UK Thumb Wrestling Championships we made a stop off in Sudbury, Suffolk as I had heard via twitter that the local branch of the Ipswich Building Society had one of their Crazy Golf holes there for the week!

The 'Tax Man' Hole is one-third of a set that are touring the Ipswich Building Society Branches over the summer. The Tax Man is Hole 1 (Par 3), Hole 2 is a Par 5 called 'Uphill Struggle, with a Par 4 third hole called 'Steering clear of the rocks of risk' which features a lighthouse and a hole on an island.

The Crazy Golf Challenge sees visitors to their branches and other events the Ipswich Building Society has a stand at, Putting their way around the holes and "making use of rainy day savings, avoiding the tax man and steering clear of the rocks of risk along the way."

From a promotional point of view it's an interesting way to engage with customers and potential customers, as players are also asked to complete a short survey and/or answer questions about a particular financial topic/concern.

I managed to score a hole-in-one with my one 'go'!

The UrbanCrazy built 'course' was the 263rd (& a third) visited and played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Richard & Emily Gottfried Compete in the 2011 UK Thumb Wrestling Championships

Last Friday Luton Thumb Wrestlers Richard & Emily Gottfried travelled to Lowestoft, Suffolk to compete in the 2011 UK Thumb Wrestling Championships.

The 3rd Annual UK Thumb Wrestling Championships took place at The Triangle Tavern in Lowestoft on Saturday 6th of August with a Bell-Time of 3pm.

16 Men and four Ladies stepped up to be crowned as UK Thumb Wrestling Champion and Thumb Wrestlers had travelled from East Anglia, London, Exeter, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Northern Ireland to compete in the contest!

Richard competed as 'Snack Ryder', a tribute to WWE Superstar Zack Ryder, while Emily Thumb Wrestled under her gimmick of 'Nine Lives'.

Richard's pre-match Promo video 1 - an entry to become Zack Ryder's next 'Broski of the Week'

Richard's pre-match Promo video 2

In the first-round of matches Snack Ryder was drawn to face Birmingham's 'Just Colin'. In a long bout the two grapplers gave it their all, but it was Just Colin who picked up the win, with one pin and a draw in the three-fall match-up.

Video: Snack Ryder versus Just Colin


In the Ladies UK Thumb Wrestling Championships Emily lost two falls to one against the eventual UK Ladies Thumb Wrestling Champion, Suffolk's 'Fancy-a-Thumble'.

Video: Nine-Lives versus Fancy-a-Thumble


In the Men's Final The Cobra defeated The Flash two falls to one to win the prestigious title. Video of the Match.

In the Ladies Final Fancy-a-Thumble bested the 2010 Champion Thumberlina by two falls to one to become the new Womens Champion. Video of the Match.

Photos from the 2011 UK Thumb Wrestling Championships

The venue - The Triangle Tavern in Lowestoft

An advert for the event above the bar

The Official Rules of the UK Thumb Wrestling Championships

The UK Thumb Wrestling Championships Arena

The Prizes - supplied by tournament sponsors The Random Shop

The Bracket for the Mens Championship

The Bracket for the Ladies Championship

Richard's thumb ahead of its debut in the World of Thumb Wrestling - WWWYKI

Richard nurses his injured thumb alongside the victorious Just Colin

The 2012 UK Thumb Wrestling Championships will once again be staged at The Triangle Tavern in Lowestoft and will take place on Saturday 5th of August. Entry details can be found on the UK Thumb Wrestling Federation website.

Official Results of the 2011 UK Thumb Wrestling Championships.

Official Round-Up Report from the 2011 UK Thumb Wrestling Championships.

The Rules of Thumb Wrestling - interestingly, if a win cannot be gained within two separate 60 second rounds then the tie will be settled with a game of sudden death “scissors, paper, stone”!

Previous (semi-related) Blog Posts:
Richard Gottfried - Next 'Broski of the Week' Woo Woo Woo, You Know It!

Finger Jousting for Four Years

Report from the UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships 2010

Earlswood (Earlswood Lakes) - Farmer Steve's Golf Mini Course - Under (re)construction

On Friday 29th July 2011 we headed to Earlswood Lakes to check out the Crazy Golf course that we had seen advertised last year.

Our fellow Minigolf course explorers - Paul and Owen Johnson - played the course last year and reported back that it was of a concrete construction. However, looking around we found a number of obstacles and painted hole markers on a grass surfaced 'course'.

The course also looked to be under (re)construction, and the layout looked very different to the photos I had seen from last year.

Photos from our visit (July 2011)

Photo: The Rules of Play

Photo: Richard attempts to contact fellow Minigolf tourist Paul Johnson to inform him of the course changes

A leaflet we picked up at Earlswood Lakes also described the Miniature Golf course as "Farmer Steve's Golf Mini Course".

While we were at Earlswood Lakes Emily put me in the Stocks for the second time in two weeks, having spent a spell in the Stocks at the Adventure Golf course at Andover!

This year there is no Maize Maze at Earlswood Lakes. However, there are still a number of shops and a tearoom and on our short visit it seemed a nice place to wile away some time.

Earlswood Maize Maze Website

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Mini Golf Putting Course in Shirley Park, Solihull - Visited But Not Played

Staying in Shirley, Solihull over the tournament double-header weekend in Dorridge I went for a wander around and in Shirley Park I found a Mini Golf Putting Course!

It wasn't 'open', although the gate was.

Looking for more information about it online I found out, via the Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council website, that "The Shirley Park Putting is open as usual however we are no longer providing services for renting putters and balls, so please remember to bring you own."

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Dorridge Putting Courses - Visited But Not Played

While at the Four Ashes Golf Centre in Dorridge, Solihull for the Midlands Open and BMGA British Doubles Championships tournaments at the weekend I noticed that since my last visit to the course last July, for the Midlands Invitational Tournament, they have added two new Putting areas. One is a small synthetic Putting surface, while the other is a Grass surface.

The 12-hole Minigolf Course at the Four Ashes Golf Centre was the 72nd course visited and played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on a very soggy 1st of September back in 2008. Emily's first visit to play the Minigolf course was in late September 2008.

The Sqonkey Classic minigolf competition in Dorridge

Following the 2011 BMGA British Doubles Championships on Sunday 31st July, team mates ‘Squire’ Richard Gottfried and Scott ‘Donkey Gringo’ Lancley faced-off in a 12-hole match for the Sqonkey Classic minigolf title at the Four Ashes Golf Centre in Dorridge, Solihull.

In an exciting tussle the ‘Sq’ (but no ‘u’) portion of the team defeated the ‘onkey’ 24-26.

Photo: From l-r, Sq and onkey

Minigolf Report - BMGA British Doubles Championships 2011

3rd August 2011
Press Information
For Immediate Release

Minigolf Report - BMGA British Doubles Championships - Gottfried & Lancley 7th, Gottfried & Shepherd 10th

The 2011 BMGA British Doubles Championships were held at the Four Ashes Golf Centre in Dorridge, Solihull on Sunday 31st July, with both Richard and Emily Gottfried competing.

Photo: Team Sqonkey - 'Squire' Richard Gottfried and Scott 'Donkey Gringo' Lancley

In the tournament Richard teamed with Margate’s Scott Lancley for the first time, while Emily reformed her team with London’s Brad Shepherd. Richard’s team achieved seventh place overall; with Emily’s team finishing in tenth spot in the 14-team competition.

Each of the competing 14 teams played in a round robin group qualifying stage, before moving on to a knockout stage to determine the final rankings.

Richard and Scott won their group with two wins and a loss, to qualify for the play-offs for positions 1-8, only to be defeated in their next match against the defending champions Chris Harding and Marc Chapman, who went on to win the event for the second time.

The Gottfried/Lancley team (playing as 'Team Sqonkey) had a win/loss record of three wins, and three defeats.

Photo: Team Sqonkey look on as Richard 'Gentle Touch' Skeggs plays the seventh hole at Dorridge as his Team Wilson team mate Oliver 'The Machine' Florence watches

The Gottfried/Shepherd duo (playing as 'Fist N Lemony') had a win/loss record of two wins, one draw and three losses.

Ends