Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Crazy Golf course at Berryfields Holiday Park in Cornwall

While driving from Mawgan Porth towards Padstow on our South West roadtrip last summer we spotted a sign for Berryfields Holiday Park - a sign that said 'Crazy Golf' on it!

The sign next to the road to Padstow - if it wasn't for this we'd never have known there was a Crazy Golf course in Porthcothan Bay

A quick bit of manoeuvring and we were on the lane down towards the holiday park located at Porthcothan Bay. And what a minigolf sight we were about to behold.

We love finding interesting and unique miniature golf courses. On our travels since 2006 we've seen some very different courses, and the Berryfields Crazy Golf course was certainly a minigolf mystery. Even the question mark was in reverse!?

The Crazy Golf course at Berryfields Holiday Park was the 50th we visited on our roadtrip and the 649th visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. It was also unique!

Some theming

Something blue

Is it a boat or a castle?

The view from the mystery hole

A zig-zag hole

With a truly terrifying middle bit

It'd take a very lucky shot to get an ace on this hole

A view of the Berryfields Crazy Golf course

The other side of the two holes

A circle of pencils!

And a volcano in the middle!

Crazy Golf at its very maddest!

Not believing what he's seeing

There's also a Pitch and Putt course at the Holiday Park, that looked to be a nice layout.

Related blog posts:
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Mini Golf in the South West of England

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Monday, January 18, 2016

Crazy Golf course in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall

After our two days in Newquay in June 2015 we set off on the next leg of our roadtrip around the South West of England. The next planned stop was Padstow, but we found a few bonus minigolf courses en route!


In Mawgan Porth we spotted a pair of Crazy Golf and Pitch and Putt courses. The Crazy Golf looked vintage and must've been there for many years.

The Crazy Golf course in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall. The Pitch and Putt course is on the hill

Unfortunately the parking in the seaside spot wasn't brilliant so we were unable to give the courses a play on that trip.

Some interesting looking holes on the old concrete Crazy Golf course

The courses were the 48th and 49th visited on our trip around the South West of England and the 647th and 648th visited overall on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

It looked like a nice spot for a few rounds of miniature golf

Related blog posts:
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Mini Golf in the South West of England

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Sunday, January 17, 2016

Mini Golf course at Vivary Park in Taunton

Playing the Mini Golf course in Taunton's Vivary Park.

The Mini Golf course in Vivary Park, Taunton

The 380th course we played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the 18-hole Mini Golf course at Vivary Park in Taunton, Somerset.

The last stop on our tour around the South West of England last summer

It's a brilliant course that rewards well aimed shots. It's similar to the great miniature golf courses you can find in Dorridge, near Solihull, and Stratford-upon-Avon. Like those two courses Vivary Park has also been the host venue for a tournament - the 2006 British Minigolf Championship, won by Wallsend's John 'Thighs' Moore.



The layout was the 62nd visited and 17th played on our tour of the South West of England in the summer of 2015. It became the 640th we visited in the UK, and the 661st overall.






In our minigolf match at Vivary Park on the 12th June 2015 Emily scored 45 and I shot a par round of 36. We'd definitely play there again. Check out the photos below to see the 18-holes.

























For more information, opening times and prices visit the Tone Leisure website. There's also a regular golf course in the park, as well as a Footgolf layout. As you can see from the photos of the course there's a high ropes centre there too.

Related blog posts:
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Mini Golf in the South West of England

Link:
Tone Leisure website

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Saturday, January 16, 2016

A miniature golf postcard from Helensburgh in Scotland

We recently added another great old minigolf postcard to our collection.

While at the Charing Cross Collector's Market in London we found a postcard showing the Putting Green and West Clyde Street in Helensburgh.

The real photograph postcard showing the Putting Green and West Clyde Street in Helensburgh. Published by Valentine's. Number 217052.J.V. Postally unused and undated, but believed to date from the early 1930's

We visited Helensburgh during a Crazy World of Minigolf Tour roadtrip in April 2012. Unfortunately it was a bit too early in the season for a game on the links Putting course.

A view of the (out of season) Putting Green in Helensburgh as it was when we visited in 2012

We love playing on grass miniature golf courses and the Putting Green in Helensburgh looked like a nice place for a game. There's been a course on the same spot since the 1920's so it's a very historic location.

You can find out more about Postcard Collecting in Picture Postcard Monthly magazine and the Picture Postcard Annual. Two publications which I contribute to and write for.

Related blog posts:
- Putting Green
- Putting Course
Postcards
- Unplayed Minigolf Courses on our Roadtrip to Scotland & Back

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Thursday, January 14, 2016

Captain's Bay Adventure Golf course in Barnet, London

There's a new Adventure Golf course under construction in London!

We've heard there's a brand new 9-hole miniature golf course being built at the Metro Golf Centre in Barnet, London.

The new course should be open in April this year. Check out the Captain's Bay Adventure Golf Facebook page for photos of the new build and designs of the layout. They've got a great looking logo too. I do like seeing minigolf sharks!

It's always great to hear about new courses opening and there have been quite a few new Crazy Golf, Mini Golf and Adventure Golf courses opening in London in recent years.

We visited the Metro Golf Centre in April 2010 when the minigolf course that was there became the 170th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We remember it being a very good and unique course.

Playing minigolf at the Metro Golf Centre in 2010

Emily playing the incredibly short hole 7 at the Metro Golf Centre in Barnet

It's planned that the new Adventure Golf course will be open in time for Easter this year. Visit the links below for more info.

Links:
- Captain's Bay Adventure Golf on Facebook
- Showcase Greens website
- Metro Golf Centre website

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Visit #170 - Barnet (Copthall/Metro Golf Centre) - Mini Golf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in and around London
- Mini Golf Sharks

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Sunday, January 10, 2016

A postcard from Ham and Egg Parade in New Brighton

While on a recent day out in London we popped into one of the antique and collectibles shops on Cecil Court to shelter from the rain. Luckily there were a few old postcards to have a look through and the first one we found is a perfect addition to our collection.

The very prominent New Brighton Tower isn't there any more. After neglect during the First World War dismantling of the tower began in 1919.

The card was posted from a 'Harry' to a 'Nurse Drower' at the Woolwich Infirmary on July 19th 1906.

The message is still clear with Harry telling the Nurse that the area is "One of the most notorious places in the kingdom."

Consulting the excellent Postcardese book by Guy Atkins the stamp has been affixed with a secret message - the angle suggest the message is 'Forget me not'. The trend of secret messages via stamps reached its height in the Edwardian era

New Brighton's Ham and Egg Parade was 'famed' for serving Ham and Eggs to customers in its Tea Rooms. However, the area gained a very bad reputation for immoral 'goings-on' in these "Tea Rooms", and the situation got so bad that in 1907 the area was demolished and replaced by Victoria Gardens!

A ham and egger on Ham and Egg Parade

We visited New Brighton in March 2011. There weren't any immoral goings-on that we could see. There was an abandoned Crazy Golf course there though.

The old Crazy Golf course on King's Parade. Much like Ham and Egg Parade it no longer exists, having been replaced by a more salubrious new minigolf layout

We're looking forward to a return trip to New Brighton later this year. There's a pair of new Miniature Golf courses there that we're yet to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

It's brilliant how much social history and amusement you can get from an old postcard. You can find out more about Postcard Collecting in Picture Postcard Monthly magazine and the Picture Postcard Annual. Two publications which I contribute to and write for.

Related blog posts:
- Ham & Egg Parade in New Brighton!
- New Brighton
- Postcards
- The Ham & Egger Files – An Introduction

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Saturday, January 09, 2016

New Plonk! Crazy Golf course open in Brixton, London

The capital gets a new minigolf course.

The team at Plonk! Golf have opened a new Crazy Golf location in London. The minigolf course that had been at the Winterville Festival has been installed at the Duke of Edinburgh pub in Brixton.

Playing the Plonk! Golf crazy golf course at Efes Snooker Club in Dalston last year
Playing the Plonk! Golf crazy golf course at Efes Snooker Club in Dalston last year

Plonk Golf now have miniature golf courses in Dalston/Stoke Newington, Hoxton and Brixton.

A round of Crazy Golf at Plonk! Golf in the Duke of Edinburgh's beer garden in Brixton costs £5 per player. For more information visit the Plonk! Golf website.

We're looking forward to giving the courses a play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

It's always nice to hear about new mini and crazy golf courses opening in London. There is still a bit of a dearth of permanent Crazy Golf courses in Central London, but Plonk! Golf are helping meet the demand from fans of the miniature game.

Links:
Plonk! Golf website
Plonk! Golf on Facebook
Plonk! Golf on Twitter
- Duke of Edinburgh pub website
- Duke of Edinburgh pub on Facebook
- Duke of Edinburgh pub on Twitter
- The House of Revelry website

Related blog posts:
Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in and around London
Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in Pub Beer Gardens
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Indoor Minigolf, Crazy Golf and Adventure Golf courses
- Plonk! Golf
Plonk! Golf Crazy Golf at Efes Snooker Hall in London
Plonk! Golf in Dalston, London

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow Richard and Emily on Twitter. You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Crazy Golf course at The Belfry Hotel and Resort

New miniature golf course at The Belfry Hotel and Resort in Wishaw, Sutton Coldfield.

The 'Ryder Legends Mini Golf' is a 12-hole course consisting of holes designed with inspiration from famous Ryder Cup venues. It's open daily from 10am to 6pm with a game for an adult costing £7 and £5 for children.

The Ryder Legends Mini Golf course at The Belfry Hotel and Resort
We played the course in September 2017 when competing in the American Golf National Adventure Golf Championships

You can find more information, opening times and photos of the new minigolf layout on The Belfry Hotel and Resort website and Ryder Legends Mini Golf web page.

We're looking forward to playing the course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour as we move towards our 700th course visit!

We've played a few courses on our tour where the layout has been based on famous holes from big golf courses, including the Miniature Golf course at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales.

Since we began playing LOTS of minigolf in 2006 we've visited a number of courses in the Midlands, while the Midlands Minigolf Club are the current national team minigolf champions.

Links:
- The Belfry Hotel and Resort website
Ryder Legends Mini Golf web page
- The Belfry on Twitter
- The Belfry on Facebook

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Midlands
- West Midlands
Playing the Ryder Legends Mini Golf at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow Richard and Emily on Twitter. You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.