Saturday, February 27, 2016

World Minigolf rankings update

Latest minigolf rankings from the World Minigolf Sport Federation.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation, the international governing body for miniature golf, has published the latest edition of the General Class Rankings for the year ending 31st December 2015.

The Great Britain 3 Team of John Moore, Emily Gottfried, Richard Gottfried and Craig Patterson at the 2013 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters in Hastings. The team finished in 5th place
The GB 3 team of John Moore, Emily Gottfried, Richard Gottfried and Craig Patterson at the 2013 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters. The team finished in 5th place

In the Nations Rankings Great Britain is ranked 13th of 30 countries, up from 16th place. Fourteen GB players (13 men and 1 woman) have contributed to the nations ranking between 2013 and 2015. Germany, Sweden and the Czech Republic lead the rankings.

Once again Emily and I are both in the General Class Rankings.

Emily and Richard Gottfried on international minigolf duty
On international duty

In the Women's World Ranking List Emily is the sole British female player and is in tied 98th place (105 players) alongside Erika Benka (HUN), Anja Derks (NED), Asta Korpi (FIN), Ana Lopes (POR), Tänia Monteiro (POR), Amara Silva (POR) and Nathamon Tayutivuthikul (THA).

Emily on her way to a British Women's Record Round of 24(-12) on the Eternit format of Miniature Golf at the WMF Nations Cup in 2011

In the Men's World Ranking List I am in tied 387th place (404 players) together with Mislav Bjazic (CRO), Miguel Angel Hernandez (ESP), J. Hinojosa De Torres-Peralta (ESP), Erik Hjalmarsson (SWE), Marcel Korinek (SVK), Arton Krasniqi (KOS), Pawel Larus (POL), Hugo Madera (ESP), Sabri Maloku (KOS), Santiago Paramo (ESP), Jawaharlal Purohit (IND), Jose Maria Rivera Cadierno (ESP), Juan Pablo Ruano De Fruto (ESP), Petri Saukko (FIN), Craig Small (GBR), Georgij Srebren (CRO) and Lavdim Zylfiu (KOS).

Richard Gottfried plays Hole 17 on Concrete (Beton) at the Tantogårdens Minigolf Club in Stockholm
Playing hole 17 on Concrete (Beton) at the Tantogårdens Minigolf Club in Stockholm

Aside from the March 2011 list Emily and I have been in the sport's international rankings since November 2008 following our debut for the Great Britain team at that year's Nations Cup championships in Tampere, Finland.

The 2008 Great Britain team - Jouni Valkjarvi (coach), John 'Big Top Ted' McIver, Marion 'Mation' Homer, Sean 'Freebird' Homer, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies, Steve 'F1' Gow, Emily 'Lemony' Gottfried, Andy 'Sarge' Booth, 'Squire' Richard Gottfried
The 2008 GB team in Finland

It's nice to be listed alongside my friend Lavdim Zylfiu. He's a great ambassador of the sport and his country of Kosovo. I had the pleasure of competing against him in his international debut at the 2011 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters in Hastings. This year Lavdim is helping to organise the 2016 edition of the tournament on his home course in Prishtina.

At the 2011 WMF World Adventure Golf Masters in Hastings with Lavdim (right), Alan 'Stormin' Norman and Arben Alija (left). Alan and I took on Kosovo's first ever international minigolfers in a doubles match on the Pirate Golf course

Check out the WMF website where you can find out more about the sport, as well as the Junior and Senior Rankings - both lists feature GB players.

The Great Britain Minigolf Sport Team is sponsored by UrbanCrazy, suppliers of permanent and portable mini and crazy golf courses.

Great Britain 2 (from l-r Björn Dinau, Tony Kelly, Richard Gottfried, Emily Gottfried, Scott Lancley, Eirik Seljelid)
The 2011 GB 2 team and coaching staff in Stockholm

The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the umbrella organisation of Minigolf sports association's worldwide and continental associations in Asia, Europe and America.

The WMF has 55 member nations, with the sport played in Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Chinese Taipai, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Kenya, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, USA and Vietnam.

There are more than 38,000 competitive minigolf players registered with the WMF via the 55 member nations, with 900-plus clubs between them. Over 1,000 courses are approved for official competitions and around 1,500 minigolf tournaments held each year.

The WMF is a member of SportAccord - the union for both Olympic and non-Olympic international sports federations, and organisers of international sporting events. The WMF is also a member of AIMS, the Alliance of Independent Members of SportAccord.

Links:
World Minigolf Sport Federation
European Minigolf Sport Federation
British Minigolf Association
UrbanCrazy
SportAccord
Alliance of Independent Members of SportAccord (AIMS)

Related blog posts:
Updated WMF World Minigolf Rankings (March 2015)
World Minigolf Sport Rankings
- Minigolf Diary - 5 Days on International Minigolf Duty - WMF Nations Cup 2011 - Stockholm, Sweden

Player profiles
Miniature Golf Player Profile for Richard Gottfried
Miniature Golf Player Profile for Emily Gottfried

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

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Friday, February 26, 2016

New Swingers Crazy Golf course in London

The opening of the brand new Swingers Crazy Golf course is getting closer.


Swingers Indoor Crazy Golf in London

Swingers Crazy Golf is opening on the 27th May 2016 on a brand new site and will have two 9-hole courses - The Lighthouse and The Windmill.

You'll be able to find the new Swingers venue at Swingers – the crazy golf club, 8 Brown’s Buildings (Between Bury Street and St Mary Axe), London EC3A 8AL.

Swingers Indoor Mini Golf in London
We played the original Swingers Crazy Golf course in September 2014

In September 2014 we played a round on the Swingers Crazy Golf pop-up course in Shoreditch, East London. The course became the 581st miniature golf course visited and 347th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Check out our blog from the visit.

Emily in action at Swingers Crazy Golf
Emily in action at Swingers Crazy Golf

For more information check out the Swingers Crazy Golf website.

Related blog posts:
Swingers Crazy Golf in London
Swingers Crazy Golf in Shoreditch, London
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in and around London

Link:
https://swingers.club/uk

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.


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Thursday, February 25, 2016

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course is in Nottingham this summer

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course is heading to Nottingham this summer!

The course was first on display at the Venice Biennale last year and you'll soon be able to play the course when it's set up in the main gallery at the New Art Exchange in Nottingham from the 2nd April to the 19th June.

Doug Fishbone’s Leisure Land Golf in Venice by Gareth & Lhurlyn Holmes May 2015
Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf in Venice last May. Photo by Gareth and Lhurlyn Holmes

Our friends Gareth and Lhurlyn Holmes were lucky enough to visit the course in Venice. Check out their guest blog post for more pics.

We can't wait to give it a play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Links:
- New Art Exchange (NAE)
- Doug Fishbone

Related blog posts:
Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf
Art
Gareth Holmes
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Nottingham

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Mini Golf course opening in Saltburn-by-the-Sea

An update on Saltburn MiniGolf.

Saltburn MiniGolf course. Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy
Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy

The new minigolf course in Saltburn-by-the-Sea is nearing completion and it looks great.

A photo of the course - now with freshly laid carpet. Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy
A photo of the course - now with freshly laid carpet. Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy

The marvellous new attraction on the Lower Promenade in Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a 10-hole course built by the minigolf marvels at UrbanCrazy.

Saltburn MiniGolf course. Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy
Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy

We've played many many UrbanCrazy courses around the country and they're always very good fun and a nice test of putting skill.

Saltburn MiniGolf course. Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy
Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy

Saltburn MiniGolf opens to the public on Saturday 19th March, with a Grand Launch on Saturday 26th March.

Saltburn MiniGolf course. Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy
Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy

We can't wait to get along for a game.

Saltburn MiniGolf course. Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy
Photo by Jon Angel/UrbanCrazy

Check out Saltburn MiniGolf on Facebook for more photos and a video showing how the course has developed in the last few months.

Links:
- Saltburn MiniGolf on Facebook
UrbanCrazy

Related blog posts:
UrbanCrazy
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Crazy Golf course opening in Saltburn-by-the-Sea

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Hurrah for sensible price reductions

Spotting some gluten free bargains.

I've always had an eye for a bargain. This has been honed even more so in the eight years since I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease.

Shopping for gluten and wheat free food is a hassle at the best of times - not to mention the trouble with gluten free prescriptions - and one of my bugbears is the fact that most supermarkets reduce the price of their free from food incrementally, rather than sensibly! This means that the best you can often hope for is to pay about £1.50 for an item near its sell by / use by date, rather than £2 to £3. It's a rare thing indeed to find gluten and wheat free goodies for mere pence.

That was until I found this great haul in Morrisons this evening.

Over ten quids worth of gluten and wheat free food - for just £1.16. Lovely stuff

There were also some bagels and another loaf of artisan bread in the reduced section, but I'm not greedy so left them for some other poor Coeliac to pick up.

Related blog posts:
Gluten Free
Coeliac
Funny things about being a Coeliac

Link:
Coeliac UK

World of Bun Throwing: Abingdon Bun Throwing Championships announced

World of Bun Throwing: Abingdon Bun Throwing Championships announced: Bun Throwing Championships to find town's best thrower to be held on the 30th of May.

The crowd looks on as I throw a currant bun at the first-ever Abingdon World Bun Throwing Championship back in 2012
The crowd looks on as I throw a currant bun at the first-ever Abingdon World Bun Throwing Championship back in 2012

Ahead of the Royal Bun Throwing to celebrate the Queen's 90th Birthday, Abingdon-on-Thames will be hosting the second-ever World Bun Throwing Championships to find the town's best bun thrower.

Read more over on the World of Bun Throwing blog.

Monday, February 22, 2016

Crazy Golf in Swanpool Park, Falmouth, Cornwall

Playing the Crazy Golf course in Swanpool, Falmouth.


The 631st course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the Crazy Golf course at Swanpool Park in Swanpool, Falmouth, Cornwall.


The 18-hole Crazy Golf layout was the 32nd played on our tour of the South West of England and the 373rd played overall on our tour.


It's certainly a unique course. The colour of the concrete was very different to the norm. And the hole configurations weren't particularly normal. It was a real test and good fun too.


Its in an excellent location and we had brilliant weather on our visit.


In our match on the 18-hole course on the 7th June 2015 Emily scored 52 to take the win as I scored a 56.
















The course is open all year round. For more information, opening times and prices visit the Swanpool Beach website.

Swanpool is a really nice spot to spend some time. As well as the Crazy Golf we did a bit of rock pooling, had a walk on the beach and relaxed at a seafront bar with some cold drinks and oysters. Bliss

We couldn't visit Swanpool Park and not see some swans!

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

Link:
Swanpool Beach website

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

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Saturday, February 20, 2016

Putting at Looe Bowling Club in Cornwall

Playing the Putting Greens at Looe Bowling Club.

Another marvellous putting green visited and played on our tour

While holidaying in Cornwall last year we made a surprise discovery of two grass Putting Greens at Looe Bowling Club at the very end of Marine Drive.

It was nice to spot the town centre sign for the Putting Green

Putting at the top of the lower course. The island in the background is known as Looe Island aka St George's Island aka St Michael's Island!

The pair of grass putting courses were the 29th and 30th visited on our tour of the South West of England and the 628th and 629th visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Follow the signs to the end of Marine Drive and you'll arrive at Looe Bowling Club and the two excellent putting courses

The Putting Greens at Looe Bowling Club are open from April to October

It was brilliant to find the courses and they were fun to play. They became the 371st and 372nd we've played since 2006.

What a course and what a view

A looooooong putt. Note the petanque piste behind Emily

The windy layout is great fun

They were certainly a unique couple of layouts, with plenty of twists & turns, dips & hills. And to top it off there was a magnificent view from the course.

Down on the lower course

Hole 3 on the lower layout

There's a wooden board/fence on the corner of the dog-leg third hole - something we've never seen on a grass putting course before

A view of the lower course

In our match on the upper course on the 6th June 2015 Emily scored 49, while I scored 48 to take the win. On the lower course I shot a 56, with Emily hitting a 61.

Emily with an uphill shot

For more information, opening times and prices visit Looe Bowling Club on Facebook.

Visitors to Looe Bowling Club are made very welcome

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

Link:
- Looe Bowling Club on Facebook

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.