Games at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester

Minigolf and Pétanque at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester.

Since we moved up to Greater Manchester towards the end of last summer Emily and I have started playing pétanque ‏with the Woodstock Pétanque ‏Club based at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport.

Playing with the Woodstock Petanque Club at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport last August

There's a growing pétanque ‏scene in the area, with the Trafford Pétanque‏ Club doing a lot to promote the game and mixing it up in some friendly melee's with Mirfield Pétanque Club, Huddersfield Pétanque Club and Heckmondwike Pétanque Club.

Aly and Chris from Trafford Pétanque‏ Club recently recce'd Wythenshawe Park and found an abandoned boules terrain there. They asked me if I remembered it from when we visited a few years back. Off the top of my head I didn't.

Boules / Petanque was not listed on the sign at the Games Pavilion in Wythenshawe Park. It wasn't on the price list either

However, looking through our photo archive I found we had indeed visited the petanque piste while at Wythenshawe Park to play the minigolf course back in 2009!

The Petanque terrain at Wythenshawe Park - and a handy How to Play sign!

We'll have to head over to Wythenshawe Park to have a look at the Crazy Golf course considering it's now our most local layout! In the meantime here are a couple of snaps from our visit to the course on the 25th July 2009. We were in the area to compete in the Miniature Open tournament held at Playgolf Manchester - we'd finished first and second in the event earlier in the day.

The Crazy Golf course at Wythenshawe Park was an Eternit-style of Miniature Golf

Quite a zig zag of a hole!

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Petanque
- Minigolf Course Visit No. 114 - Wythenshawe Park

Links:
- Trafford Pétanque‏ Club
- Woodstock Pétanque ‏Club
- Northern Pétanque Clubs
- Northern Pétanque
- English Pétanque Association

Scorecards and record scores from Rainforest Adventure Golf

Record low scores shot at Rainforest Adventure Golf in Dublin.

Thanks to my friend, rival, sometimes team-mate and fellow minigolf traveller Paul 'Johnson Paul Johnson' Johnson for posting me a couple of the scorecards from Rainforest Adventure Golf in Dublin, Ireland.

Paul competed in the recent IMGA Irish Open minigolf tournament held on the Aztec Trail course at the indoor Rainforest Adventure Golf centre in Dundrum Town Centre and finished in tenth place.

During the tournament - the first held under the auspices of the Irish Mini Golf Association and the first Irish Open held in the Republic of Ireland - the world record low score for the 'Minigolf Open Standard' (MOS) classification of minigolf was broken as Pauli Kuikka of Sweden shot a round of 23(-13) during the tournament. That official score and record followed GB's Steve 'Sheila' Lovell's world record low round of 22(-14) which was shot the previous day.

The best ever score on an indoor minigolf course

The previous best score on an Adventure Golf course was 24 - at Hastings Adventure Golf - this score remains the record low for an outdoor 'MOS' course.

The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the umbrella organisation of 63 Minigolf sports associations worldwide and recognises four types of minigolf - MOS, Concrete, Miniaturegolf and Feltgolf.

The aim in any round of competition minigolf is to score as many holes-in-one as possible, with Par for each hole regarded as two shots. Many courses have their own Par system, with some holes being a Par-3, 4 or 5. The world record lowest score on a course is a perfect 18 - 18 consecutive holes-in-one!

Emily has shot a 24 in competition - at the 2011 WMF Nations Cup in Sweden - which is still a national women's record score on the Miniaturegolf format of the game. On our visit to the Crazy Golf course at Bainland Country Park in Woodhall Spa I scored a 'perfect' round of 9 holes-in-one in a row. However, there were five cups to putt into on each of the holes!

The only Crazy Golf course we've played with five cups to putt into

The 2017 IMGA Irish Open tournament was the third ever Irish Open and the first held in the Republic of Ireland. The first two Irish Opens were held in 2006 and 2007 at the Pirates Adventure Golf course in Dundonald, Belfast, Northern Ireland. For more information on the IMGA and WMF check out the links below.

Links:
- World Minigolf Sport Federation
- Irish Mini Golf Association
- Rainforest Adventure Golf

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. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Steam train at Davenport railway station in Stockport

Catching a glimpse of BR Standard 4 76084 Buxton Spa Express at Davenport railway station in Stockport.

Steam Engine 76084 aka the 'Lancashire Lazarus' (and 45690 Leander) passes through Davenport railway station in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport at 9.35am on Saturday 25th February 2017.



The BR Standard 4 2-6-0 locomotive and carriages formed 'The Buxton Spa Express' special charter mainline service.

76084 at Davenport railway station

The back of the last carriage forming the Buxton Spa Express

Just as 76084 passed through a two-coach Northern rail Class 150 Sprinter (150116) called at the station heading north to Manchester and Bolton.

If this Class 150 Sprinter had been 30 seconds faster it would've ruined the view for the trainspotters on the other platform!

For further information visit the 76084 Standard 4 website.

76084 was preceded by a Class 185 TransPennine Express and followed by a Northern Class 142 Pacer Railbus.





Related blog posts:
- Stockport
- Train Nerd
- Trains

Minigolf courses at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere

A visit to the minigolf courses at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere.

During our minigolf roadtrip in April 2012 we visited the three miniature golf courses at The Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere.

A view of Lake Windermere from the Pitch and Putt course

Unfortunately none were yet open for the season. The Crazy Golf, Putting course and Pitch & Putt became the 458, 459 and 460th courses visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

This way to the Mini Golf

Or that way

   

Related blog posts:
- Visiting a further 49 Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in England and Scotland
- Unplayed Minigolf Courses on our Roadtrip to Scotland & Back
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

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. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Miniature Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

Playing Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside, Cumbria.

Back on the 5th April 2012 we visited White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside, Cumbria where we found Crazy Golf, Putting and Pitch & Putt courses. And a French Boules Terrain.

The Crazy Golf course became the 287th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 463rd visited overall.

Plenty to do at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

In our minigolf match-up on the White Platts Crazy Golf course I picked up the win 26 to Emily's 30 on the 9-hole layout.

Unfortunately we didn't have time to play the Putting course or the Pitch & Putt, but they both looked in great condition. 

Check out the White Platts website for more information, opening times and prices.

The 2012 price list

On the Boules Piste at White Platts. We'll definitely give it a play on our return visit

Related blog posts:
- Visiting a further 49 Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in England and Scotland
- Unplayed Minigolf Courses on our Roadtrip to Scotland & Back
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
- White Platts Recreation Ground 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. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Old Crazy Golf course at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport

Spotting an old and long gone Crazy Golf course at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport. 

Last year Emily and I joined the Woodstock Petanque Club which plays at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport. We're also members of the Friends of Alexandra Park group which was recently set-up to maintain and improve the large park.

The Friends group has been asking members to contribute photos and memories of the park and it was great to see Allen Gleave's photo of the old Alexandra Park Crazy Golf course on the Park Friends Group Facebook Page.

Photo of the Alexandra Park Crazy Golf course courtesy of Allen Gleave

We didn't know the park once had a Crazy Golf course until we spotted what looked like the outline of a minigolf layout while looking up a Google Satellite view of the park last week - it must be a very old image of the park! On Google Street View you can see the course next to the fence on Edgeley Fold in October 2008.

Speaking with members of the Friends group it appears the course had been a popular feature in the 1980's but was barely used in the 90's and was eventually removed. Comparing the Street View images from 2008 and 2015 you can see the area where the course once was is next to the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area). How times change.

It's funny to think there used to be a Crazy Golf course just a stone's throw from where we play Petanque now! If only we'd moved to Stockport, or at least visited on our tour, ten years ago!

Join the Friends of Alexandra Park to find out more about the park, its history and future activities. The latest addition to the park is a new BMX and Skate Park.

How the area looks now

Related blog posts:
- Alexandra Park
- Stockport
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Links:
- The Friends of Alexandra Park
- Woodstock Petanque Club
- Alexandra Skatepark Association
- Alexandra Park

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. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

American Golf Adventure Golf Championship 2017

New Adventure Golf Championship launched by American Golf.

American Golf has launched a new Adventure Golf Championship tournament series, with the finals taking place at The Belfry.

Last year American Golf launched a number of free to enter American Golf Championships including the Pairs Championship, Junior Championship, Long Drive Championship, Senior Championship and Ladies Championship. This year the company is increasing the range of events and American Golf Championship titles will be contested in the American Golf Family, Par 3, Adventure Golf, Scratch and 9 Hole Individual Championships.

Playing at Pirate's Landing Adventure Golf at Trent Lock Golf Centre in Long Eaton in 2014. The course will be hosting American Golf Adventure Golf Championship Regional Qualifiers this year

The American Golf Adventure Golf Championship will see Regional Qualifying competitions held at various American Golf centres in England, Scotland and Wales, with the winners of each moving on to the American Golf Adventure Golf Championship Final to be played on the new Ryder Legends miniature golf course at The Belfry in September.

The competition is a pairs format and is open to all golfers and non-golfers and will take place on selected dates in March and April at the venues below:

• Great Western Golf Clydebank
• World of Golf Croydon
• Top Golf Watford
• Bristol Golf Centre
• Trent Lock, Long Eaton
• Clays Farm Golf Centre, Wrexham

For more details, tournament schedules and entry information check out the American Golf Adventure Golf Championship website.

Playing the Dragon Quest Adventure Golf course at World of Golf Croydon in 2013

We haven't played the Adventure Golf courses at the American Golf centres in Clydebank, Bristol or Wrexham, but have played at Croydon, Watford and Trent Lock on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The 18th hole at Top Golf Watford

The 18-hole course at Watford's Top Golf centre was one of the first we played way back in 2006.

Playing the Adventure Golf course at Top Golf in Watford on one of our many trips there when it was our local course

Back in 2009 I won the the Mini Masters and Miniature Open tournaments held on the Miniature Golf course which used to be at the Trafford Golf Centre. Part of my prize included American Golf vouchers, which I spent at Top Golf in Watford.

Minigolf winnings

Links:
- American Golf Adventure Golf Championship 2017
- American Golf Free Tournaments
- American Golf

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

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. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.