Invasion of Manchester

Searching out Invader street art in Manchester.

MAN_16 - 10 points - my favourite

As a fan of retro videogames, tickable lists and urban exploration it's been brilliant to go 'Invader Hunting' in Manchester over the last year.

A Super Mario Invader - MAN_17 - 30 points

French street artist Invader visited the city in 2004 and put up 47 pieces of mosaic tile art with a total points value of 970. They look superb.

Yesterday I managed to find the last of the Invaders currently in place in Manchester.

Invader Hunter

This was MAN_27 and a reactivation of a piece made by Invader in 2004. Unfortunately some of the Invaders have been destroyed or stolen, while some of the buildings the Invaders were on have been knocked down entirely!

The reactivated Invader MAN_27

To date I've managed to snap 37 Invaders on the Flash Invaders app - worth 770 points. I've also visited the locations of some of the destroyed / removed Invaders. Check out my Instagram profile to see more of them.

One of the large 50 pointers - MAN_45

I've seen some of the bootlegs / homages too.

Not an Invader. This is the work of _manic_

Looking for the Space Invaders has been brilliant fun. Along with Emily we've seen a lot of the city we wouldn't necessarily have explored if we weren't Invader Hunting. It's always nice to be on a leaderboard for something too.

I've got a way to go before I'll be troubling the top 100

The first Invader I spotted in Manchester that reminded me that they existed - and got me hooked on finding more - was MAN_08 on Withy Grove Stores on Dantzic Street.

A classic

We've also snapped a few Invaders down in London and recently saw most of the Invaders in Newcastle.

To date Invader has invaded 77 cities around the world, putting up 3692 pieces. We're hoping to visit Paris where he's put up 1371 Invaders!

Check out the Invader website for more information.

Alex Ellison's Flickr page, Invader-Spotter and a whole host of people on Instagram have been very helpful in finding some of the more out of the way and hidden Invaders

Forgotten Garden Adventure Golf at The Alnwick Garden

A look at the Forgotten Garden Adventure Golf course in The Alnwick Garden at Alnwick Castle.

The Fogotten Garden Adventure Golf course has some huge obstacles and decorations

Charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Christopher Gottfried has added another course visit to his list as he recently spotted the Forgotten Garden Adventure Golf course in The Alnwick Garden while on a trip to Alnwick Castle in Northumberland.

An oversized club, ball and spider at the miniature golf course

At least the signmaker didn't forget

A Tremor-sized worm!

Check out the Forgotten Garden Adventure Golf website for more details.

Some nice big toadstool obstacles on the course

We're looking forward to playing the Forgotten Garden Adventure Golf and a visit to The Alnwick Garden - they've got a Poison Garden there! Intriguing.

Alnwick Castle

Christopher Gottfried has now been to 24 minigolf courses on his part of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, including courses in Turkey, Spain, Italy, Holland, Luxembourg, Germany, France and Indonesia!

Link:
- The Alnwick Garden

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Fore Play Crazy Golf in Glasgow

There's a new indoor Crazy Golf course in Glasgow.

A new 9-hole indoor Crazy Golf course recently opened in Glasgow - Fore Play Crazy Golf.

Check out the Fore Play Crazy Golf website for more info.

It's another course we'll have to visit on our never-ending quest to visit every minigolf course in the UK. When we began in 2006 there were 600 courses. To date we've visited 853, including 38 courses overseas.

Glo Crazy in Harlow, Essex

We recently heard there's an indoor Crazy Golf course in Harlow, Essex.

The 12-hole UV glow in the dark Crazy Golf course is called Glo Crazy and can be found at the Q Entertainment centre in the town.

Check out the Glo Crazy website for more info.

It's another course we'll have to visit on our never-ending quest to visit every minigolf course in the UK. When we began in 2006 there were 600 courses. To date we've visited 853, including 38 courses overseas.

Teezers Crazy Golf in Coventry

There's a new indoor Crazy Golf course opening in Coventry this month, it's called Teezers.

Check out the Teezers Coventry Facebook page for more info.

It's another course we'll have to visit on our seemingly never-ending quest to visit every minigolf course in the UK. When we began in 2006 there were 600 courses. To date we've visited 853, including 38 courses overseas.

Crazy Golf in Dunoon

A look at the Crazy Golf course in Dunoon, Scotland.

Many thanks to Martin Evans, head of the Telegraph Pole Appreciation Society, for sending over this snap of the Crazy Golf course in Dunoon. It's a course we're yet to visit!

By a strange coincidence Telegraph Pole Appreciation Day and Miniature Golf Day are both on the 21st of September each year. Who would've thought there'd be so much crossover between the two hobbies.

You can view a post about the telegraph poles Martin found on his trip on the Telegraph Pole Appreciation Society website.

88 years since the first National Tom Thumb Golf Championship took place

Celebrating 88 years since the first National Tom Thumb Championship was contested in Chattanooga.

Garnet Carter created the first artificial miniature golf course in the USA in 1926. The first of the 'Tom Thumb Golf' brand of miniature golf course was an 18-hole layout located near Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

By 1930 there were some 25,000 miniature golf courses in the USA, 3,000 of which were the now patented Tom Thumb course franchises.

The course and fantasy theming soon caught the imagination of visitors and on the 23rd October 1930 the final of the first-ever National Tom Thumb Championship took place.

Qualifying events had taken place in all of the then 48 states of the USA, with 200 players representing 30 states in the grand final. The event had a total cash fund of $10,000, with the champion winning $2,000!

We haven't played a Tom Thumb Golf course on our travels, but we do have some nice old postcards of Tom Thumb courses in our collection. This one is of a course at Westende Bains in Belgium

Today hundreds of tournaments take place around the world and the game is experiencing a real boom.

Check out the Crazy Golf Museum website for more details of minigolf history.

Mini Golf at Brodick, Isle of Arran

A view of the Crazy Golf course at Brodick, Isle of Arran.

Stockport-based artist Eamonn Murphy recently stumped us on Twitter when he challenged us to identify a Crazy Golf course he had visited.

What a location for a course

We had no idea it was the course at The Taste of Arran Shop & Mini Golf in Brodick, Isle of Arran.

It looks like a cracking layout with some wonderful views. We can't wait to play it.

Like buses, you don't see the Crazy Golf course in Brodick in twelve years of minigolfing and then two people tell you about the course! Check out Martin Evans photo of the course in this guest blog post.

Crazy Golf at Brodick, Isle of Arran

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Brodick, Isle of Arran.

A big thank you to Martin Evans, founder of the Telegraph Pole Appreciation Society, for sending over this photo of the Crazy Golf course at Brodick on the Isle of Arran. It's a course we're yet to visit and it looks marvellous!

What a colourful layout

You can find the course at The Taste of Arran Shop & Mini Golf.

By a strange coincidence Telegraph Pole Appreciation Day and Miniature Golf Day are both on the 21st of September each year. Who would've thought there'd be so much crossover between the two hobbies.

You can view a post about the telegraph poles Martin found on his trip on the society website.

Like buses, you don't see the Crazy Golf course in Brodick in twelve years of crazy golfing and then two people tell you about the course! Check out Eamonn Murphy's photo of the course in this guest blog post.

Guide to constructing a minigolf course from Mini Golf Ltd

Stan Stoyanov of Mini Golf Ltd. recently got in touch offering a free intro guide to constructing a minigolf course. Take a look at the PDF.

It's an interesting look into what goes into bringing a miniature golf course to life!

Stan Stoyanov and Mini Golf Ltd. are based in Sofia, Bulgaria and you can see a gallery of courses on the website.

38 of the 847 courses we've visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour have been overseas, but we haven't been to Bulgaria. Yet.

Links:
- Miniature Golf Plans
- Free Guide from Mini Golf Ltd

Southwold Putting in Suffolk

A visit to Southwold Putting and Cafe on the Green.

You get a splendid view of the art deco pier from the course

While on a trip to East Anglia in May we swung by the seaside town of Southwold and were pleasantly surprised to see the Putting course there was open. On our last visit to Southwold in May 2009 we were two days too early to play it!

The course was the 478th played on our tour

The Southwold Putting & Cafe on the Green site has new operators and it looks a lot different to 2009.

A lovely spot for a nice sit down, or a game of minigolf. Or both

The Southwold Putting course was the 478th played and 811th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We're now up to 847 courses visited since September 2006.

The course was a good test of putting skill

I managed to score aces on the 7th and 11th holes. It's always nice to score holes-in-one on grass Putting courses

It was really nice to have a round on the Putting course at Southwold. I managed to shoot the low round of the week and qualify for the course's end-of-season tournament too! What a nice bonus.

The previous best had been a 45

The end-of-season competition is taking place on Sunday 28th October. Unfortunately I won't be able to compete in the two-round tournament this time. I'd love to give the course another go though. Fingers crossed the competitors get some unseasonably nice weather for the event next weekend.

Check out Southwold Putting & Cafe on the Green on Facebook for more info.

Related blog posts:
- Southwold
- Southwold Putting Green (2009)
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
- Southwold Putting & Cafe on the Green

Crazy Golf in Leysdown-on-Sea, Isle of Sheppey

A look at the Crazy Golf course in Leysdown-on-Sea, Isle of Sheppey.

Many thanks to our friend Simon Martin for sending over these snaps of the Crazy Golf in Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey. It's a new one for us to see!

The only miniature golf course we found on our visit to the Isle of Sheppey in 2014 was the Pitch & Putt at Barton's Point Coastal Park.

We'll have to swing by next time we're down that way.

Check out Simon's website, including the Mini Golf photography project he did a few years ago.

Related blog posts:
- Mini Golf by Simon Martin
- Simon Martin
- Isle of Sheppey
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Dragon's Lair Mini Golf in North Wildwood, New Jersey

A look at the Dragon's Lair Mini Golf course in North Wildwood, New Jersey, USA.

Many thanks to Adam Lueb for sending over these great photos from his visit to the Dragon's Lair Mini Golf course in North Wildwood New Jersey. Another course we'd love to visit!

It's interesting to see a glow in the dark medieval themed course. I bet my brother, and charter member of the Crazy World Minigolf Tour, Christopher would love to play the course too. He's really into knights and castles.

Check out the guest blog posts from Adam's visits to minigolf course at Funspot New Hampshire and Bermuda Fun Golf.

On Adam's trip to Bermuda he had to follow some green feet to another course!

Many thanks again to Adam for the snaps from Dragon's Lair. Do give him a follow on Instagram.

Check out the Dragon's Lair Mini Golf website for more information.

Bali Mini Golf in Indonesia

Photos from a course visit to Bali Mini Golf in Indonesia.

Charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Christopher Gottfried was recently on holiday in Bali, Indonesia and while there he swung by Bali Mini Golf and Luwak Coffee Garden!

Christopher at Bali Mini Golf

You can find minigolf courses - and interesting business combinations - around the world!

  

Since 2011 Christopher has now visited 23 courses on his own mini-Crazy World of Minigolf Tour! Details below:

1. Brighton - Crazy Golf
2. Paignton Pier - Crazy Golf
3. Herne Bay - Mini Golf
4. Great Yarmouth - Windmill Theatre Indoor Crazy Golf
5. Margate (Cliftonville) - Little Oasis Crazy Golf
6. Newquay - Mini Golf
7. Letoonia Golf Resort, Belek, Turkey - Minigolf
8. Mundesley - Adventure Island Golf
9. Ladram Bay - Crazy Golf
10. Majorca (Vista Alegre, Porto Cristo, Mallorca) - Minigolf
11. Sirmione, Lake Garda, Italy - Minigolf
12. Gorleston-on-Sea (Pop's Meadow) - Crazy Golf
13. Amsterdam - GlowGolf
14. Remich, Luxembourg - Eternit Miniature Golf
15. Nittel, Germany - Minigolf
16. Zeltingen-Rachtig, Germany - Beton Minigolf
17. Traben-Trarbach, Germany - Eternit Miniature Golf
18. Kobern-Gondorf, Germany - Abenteuergolf
19. Kobern-Gondorf, Germany - Eternit Miniature Golf
20. Bernkastel-Kues, Germany - Minigolf
21. Ville de Sète, France - Mini Golf - now a skatepark
22. Lac de la Cavayère, Carcassonne, France - Mini Golf - only open in July and August
23. Bali Mini Golf and Luwak Coffee Garden, Indonesia - Mini Golf

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Christopher Gottfried
- Guest Blog Posts

Link:
- Bali Mini Golf

Hitting another milestone on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've recently had a cracking weekend away and visited seven new minigolf courses, playing six of them as one had closed down.

Our mini-roadtrip took us to Newcastle Upon Tyne, Hartlepool, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Skelton-in-Cleveland and Seaton Carew.

We've now been to 846 courses overall, 808 in the British Isles and played 500 of them.

At Saltburn Minigolf course

The latest additions to our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visited list are:

• 495 (840) Newcastle (Lane7) - Mini Golf
• 496 (841) Newcastle (Mr Mulligan's Space Golf) - Inventors Hangar
• 497 (842) Newcastle (Mr Mulligan's Space Golf) - Lunar Crash
• 498 (843) Newcastle (Mr Mulligan's Space Golf) - Cosmic Storm
• 499 (844) Saltburn-by-the-Sea - Saltburn Minigolf
• 500 course played (845th visited overall and the 807th we've been to in the British Isles) Skelton-in-Cleveland - Holey Molies Miniature Golf
• 846 Seaton Carew (The Golf Dome) - Golf Trail Mini Golf - closed down

More photos and videos to follow here on the blog and on our social media accounts.

Mario mini market in Levenshulme

Spotting Super Mario at a European food store in Levenshulme, Manchester.

While having a wander along the Stockport Road in Levenshulme we spotted Super Mario on the sign for a mini market!

In August we spotted Mario's takeway in Blackpool. That place also had Luigi on the window.

Related blog posts:
- Bootleg
- Mario
- Super Mario

12 years of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

This Sunday marks 12 years since we began our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour down on the south coast of England at Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea, Hampshire.

At Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea on the tenth anniversary of our tour

At the end of the round on the Victory Trail Adventure Golf course I fired the cannon on the Lucky Last Hole to win a FREE GAME and our minigolf travels have rolled on since then. How different would our lives have been if I'd missed my shot on the final hole?

Adding another FREE GAME card to my collection

We last played the course on the 30th September 2016 and I won another FREE GAME. I also won a FREE GAME when we revisited the course on the fifth anniversary of our tour on the 30th September 2011. Incredibly I won again on the 7th August 2015!

Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea

I've never used the prize vouchers - instead they are safely deposited in the Crazy Golf Museum.

The infamous FREE GAME PASS!

Since 2006 we've visited a total of 846 miniature golf courses in the UK and overseas. 38 of the courses have been overseas, with 808 of them in the British Isles.

We've certainly logged some miles and spent some dough on our pursuit!

While we've been able to play a lot of the courses multiple times, some of those locations we've visited have been closed, derelict or abandoned. As of last weekend we've played a total of 500 different courses, with number 500 being the unique indoor miniature golf course at Holey Molies in Skelton-in-Cleveland.

Playing at Holey Molies Miniature Golf

When our travels began on the 30th September 2006 there were approximately 600 courses in the UK. That number has skyrocketed and the figure is now closer to the 1,000 mark. A phenomenal number, especially when you consider how many courses have closed in the last decade too.

The game is experiencing a real boom, with a range of unique and interesting minigolf layouts opening up. From Crazy Golf bars, to jungle-themed Adventure Golf courses, to traditional seaside courses and classic putting greens there is a rich variety of courses to play.

Earlier this year we had a crazy 42-hours in Sweden where we were able to visit nine courses, including our 800th overall - at Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm.

At Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm

Since that trip in February it's amazing to think we've reached the 846 mark!

We're looking forward to the next 12 years and beyond. It won't be long until we hit the magical 1,000 courses visited milestone either.

Check out our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list of courses for links to the places we've been.