Thursday, July 25, 2019

Putting course at the Boating Lake in Perranporth, Cornwall

A look back at our visit to the Putting course at the Boating Lake in Perranporth, Cornwall.


Putting course at the Boating Lake in Perranporth, Cornwall

During our summer holiday around the South West of England back in 2015 we visited 62 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.


Putting course at the Boating Lake in Perranporth, Cornwall
Perranporth was one of the nicest seasides we've visited on our travels

One of those courses was the Putting Green at the Boating Lake in Perranporth Gardens, Cornwall.


Putting course at the Boating Lake in Perranporth, Cornwall
What a setting for a game of miniature golf

The course was the 638th visited on our tour.

Putting course at the Boating Lake in Perranporth, Cornwall

Putting course at the Boating Lake in Perranporth, Cornwall

Putting course at the Boating Lake in Perranporth, Cornwall

Putting course at the Boating Lake in Perranporth, Cornwall
A sign for the Putting course

Putting course at the Boating Lake in Perranporth, Cornwall
A pair of signs for the boating and putting in Perranporth 

Putting course at the Boating Lake in Perranporth, Cornwall
The prices for the Putting course

Fitting 62 course visits into two-weeks was a BIG task and it wasn't possible to stop at, or play all of the Mini, Crazy and Adventure Golf courses, or all the Putting Greens and Pitch & Putts we saw on the trip, or those we'd heard about beforehand.

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

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Emily wins the 2019 Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Championship

Emily Gottfried wins the Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Championship at the Trafford Centre in Manchester.


The 2019 Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Champion - Emily Gottfried
The 2019 Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Champion - Emily Gottfried

Emily is the 2019 Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Champion after winning the tournament held last weekend.


Emily scored a course record of 30 on the Temple Ruins layout - the course par is 42 - which was enough to fend off the challenge of thousands of other players who competed over the four-day event. Her round included seven holes-in-one on the 18-hole course.


The 2019 Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Champion - Emily Gottfried
The PIAG champ

As well as the nice trophy Emily received a 6-month free game pass so we enjoyed another round yesterday evening. We're looking forward to our next minigolf match-ups at Paradise Island Adventure Golf.

Emily Gottfried playing at Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Manchester
Emily playing hole 11 of the Temple Ruins course at Paradise Island Adventure Golf

The annual PIAG Open competition takes place across the brand's seven venues and is the largest Open tournament in the UK with thousands of players competing across three age categories at each venue. The 2020 tournament will see players also compete at the new Paradise Island Adventure Golf site in Plymouth.

More details on the PIAG courses in Manchester, Cheshire Oaks, Glasgow, Livingston, Sheffield, Derby, Rushden Lakes and Plymouth can be found on the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website.

Related blog posts:
- Emily Gottfried - Player Profile
- Paradise Island Adventure Golf
- Playing the Paradise Island Adventure Golf courses at the Trafford Centre in Manchester

Monday, July 22, 2019

Update on the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool

The Princess Parade Crazy Golf course project in Blackpool is moving forward.


Hole 1 of the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool
The project to reopen the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course is underway

The teams at Blackpool Fulfilling Lives and Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels have joined forces to refresh and reopen the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore. Work has recently started down on the site with initial clean ups and litter picking having taken place.


Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool 2019. Photo by Blackpool Fulfilling Lives
How the course looked before the project started

The minigolf project is helping homeless people in Blackpool by giving them the chance to work on the Crazy Golf course so it is playable and then staffing it for the season. It's a wonderful plan to give people the opportunity to receive work experience, while also bringing an historic, but disused, miniature golf course back to life.


Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool 2019. Photo by Blackpool Fulfilling Lives
How the course looked after the initial clean-up

It was brilliant visiting the course in May where I joined representatives from a number of agencies, including Blackpool Fulfilling Lives and Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels, Blackpool Council and the Blackpool Civic Trust for a tour of the site. We also had a round to play-test the holes as they were and to look at ways to refurbish, repair and update the damaged holes and obstacles.

Blackpool Princess Parade Crazy Golf course - project team 20 May 2019 Photo by Blackpool Fulfilling Lives
At the course in May 2019

We've been to the course a number of times over the years, but have never been able to play it. We're looking forward to playing on the course when it reopens. You can see photos of the course from my visit in May in my North Shore Crazy Golf course in Blackpool blog post.

The North Shore Crazy Golf course in Blackpool, August 2018
How the course looked in August last year

The North Shore Crazy Golf course in Blackpool, September 2009
This was how the course looked on our first Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit in September 2009

More information on the project can be found on the Blackpool Princess Parade Crazy Golf Facebook Group and via Blackpool Fulfilling Lives and Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels.

It'll be superb once the course is up and running again. We've got 21 postcards showing the North Shore Crazy Golf course with ten different views. Some of the cards have been postally used, while others are unused. It's lovely to see the photos of it in its heyday.

Blackpool Crazy Golf course, North Shore. PT18819 by Photo Precision Limited. Unused
Blackpool Crazy Golf course, North Shore. PT18819 by Photo Precision Limited. Unused

The card below is the earliest posted example we have of the course. It was sent to Manchester on the 4th June 1969.

Crazy Golf Course and North Pier, Blackpool postcard. The Photographic Greeting Card Co Ltd. London. Posted to Manchester
Crazy Golf Course and North Pier, Blackpool postcard. The Photographic Greeting Card Co Ltd. London. Posted to Manchester

Putting Course on Plymouth Hoe

A look back at our visit to the Putting course on Plymouth Hoe, Devon.


Putters On The Hoe miniature golf course on Plymouth Hoe

During our summer holiday around the South West of England back in 2015 we visited 62 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.


Putters On The Hoe miniature golf course on Plymouth Hoe

One of those courses was the Putting Green on the Hoe in Plymouth, Devon.


Putters On The Hoe miniature golf course on Plymouth Hoe

The course was the 625th visited on our travels.

Putters On The Hoe miniature golf course on Plymouth Hoe
 
Putters On The Hoe miniature golf course on Plymouth Hoe

Squeezing 62 course visits into two-weeks was a BIG task and it wasn't possible to stop at, or play all of the Mini, Crazy and Adventure Golf courses, or all the Putting Greens and Pitch & Putts we saw on the trip, or those we'd heard about beforehand.

Related blog posts:

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Mini Golf in the South West of England

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Friday, July 19, 2019

City Golf Europe Adventure Golf photo competition

City Golf Europe are running an Adventure Golf course photo competition.


The Adventure Golf course at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
The Adventure Golf course at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

City Golf Europe has built over 300 adventure golf courses in European countries and are now looking to find out which Adventure Golf holes minigolf fans think are the most beautiful.


Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Ufford Park Hotel in Woodbridge, Suffolk
Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Ufford Park Hotel in Woodbridge, Suffolk

Jiggers Miniature Golf course at the Thorpeness Golf Club & Hotel in Suffolk
Jiggers Miniature Golf course at the Thorpeness Golf Club & Hotel in Suffolk

We've played a number of City Golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, ranging from permanent Adventure Golf and Mini Golf courses, to their more traditional Swedish Felt types of course.


Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Norwich Family Golf Centre
Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Norwich Family Golf Centre

The Adventure Golf course at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
The Blackpool Pleasure Beach course - scene of my Pleasure Beach Open tournament victory in 2009

The Adventure Golf course at Hoebridge Golf Centre in Old Woking
The Adventure Golf course at Hoebridge Golf Centre in Old Woking

Sports World Mini Golf at O'Leary's in the Mall of Scandinavia, Sweden
Sports World Mini Golf at O'Leary's in the Mall of Scandinavia, Sweden

The Swedish Felt Crazy Golf course at Malkins Bank Golf Club in Betchton, Sandbach
The Swedish Felt Crazy Golf course at Malkins Bank Golf Club in Betchton, Sandbach

The Swedish Felt Crazy Golf course on Southend Pier
The Swedish Felt Crazy Golf course on Southend Pier

The deadline for submission of photos is 30th September 2019.

Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Ufford Park Hotel near Woodbridge, Suffolk
Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Ufford Park Hotel in Suffolk

More info on the Adventure Golf photo competition can be found on the City Golf Europe website.

Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Norwich Family Golf Centre
Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Norwich Family Golf Centre

Number 13 on the Summer Mini Golf Checklist

Happy Friday from a very rainy Cheadle Hulme.


My latest guest blog post on Minigolfnews is about the Summer Mini Golf Checklist.


Number 13 - 'Play at an indoor course' is perfect on a day like today.

Summer Mini Golf Checklist
The Summer Mini Golf Checklist has 19 activities to complete

Related blog posts:
- The Summer Mini Golf Checklist
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Indoor Adventure Golf
- Indoor Crazy Golf
- Indoor Mini Golf

Adventure Golf at Wookey Hole

A look back at our visit to the Adventure Golf course at Wookey Hole.


Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Wookey Hole

On our holiday in Somerset back in November 2012 we had a round on the Pirate Island Adventure Golf course at Wookey Hole.


Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Wookey Hole

Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Wookey Hole

The 9-hole course was the 310th played and 514th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.


Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Wookey Hole

Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Wookey Hole

Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Wookey Hole

Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Wookey Hole

Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Wookey Hole

Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Wookey Hole

Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Wookey Hole

Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Wookey Hole

Visit the Wookey Hole website for more information.

Related blog posts:
Minigolfing in Bath, Wookey Hole, Cheddar and Brean (but not Bristol)
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Somerset