The Metropole Hotel in Blackpool

A look at the Metropole Hotel in Blackpool.

We bought some superb old postcards at a collector's fair in Stockport yesterday. Among them was this card of the Metropole Hotel in Blackpool back when it was owned by Butlin's.

The Metropole Hotel in Blackpool is now operated by Britannia Hotels, the owners of Pontin's!

How the Metropole Hotel looked on my visit to Blackpool in May. Note the Pontin's flag to the right of the hotel

Originally built in 1776, the hotel was owned by Butlins from 1955 until 1998 when it was purchased by Grand Hotels. In 2004 the hotel was sold to Britannia Hotels.

I was recently at the seaside resort to visit the Crazy Golf course behind the hotel as part of the project to reopen the minigolf layout.

Mini Golf at Hotel Palma Nova, Mallorca

We found some old miniature golf postcards at a collector's fair in Stockport yesterday, including this very nice one showing the minigolf course at the Hotel Palma Nova in Mallorca.

Hotel Palma Nova, Mallorca. Postally used. Date unknown

Emily and I haven't been to Mallorca yet, but fellow Crazy World of Minigolf Tour member Christopher Gottfried has. He visited the minigolf course at Vista Alegre in Porto Cristo in 2015.

Looking at maps of the area it doesn't look like the hotel's course is still there. However, there is a large minigolf course at Golf Fantasia in Palma Nova.

Greetings from Pontin's Holiday Village, Camber Sands

We found this nice old Pontin's postcard at a collector's fair in Stockport yesterday.

Greetings from Pontin's Holiday Village, Camber Sands. Photo Precision Limited. Posted on 14 July 1975

The July 2019 issue of Picture Postcard Monthly magazine contains an article I wrote about Pontins postcards.

The Crazy Golf course at Pontin's Camber Sands is where the playground and grass is in the top left image of the postcard above

My family stayed at Pontin's Camber Sands in the 1990's and we swung by the holiday camp to play the Adventure Golf there in 2014.

The course was the 585th visited and 351st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Putting Green at the North Wales Crown Green Bowls Centre in Rhyl

A revisit to the Putting Green at the North Wales Crown Green Bowls Centre in Rhyl.

Llain bytio o 9 twll

Last week I swung by the Putting Green at the North Wales Crown Green Bowls Centre in Rhyl.

The bowls green next to the RNLI centre was the Putting Green when we first visited

Back in September 2014 the course became the 349th played and 583rd visited overall on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

How the course looked in 2014

We've now been to 911 courses.

The sign at the course said 9 Hole Putting Green / Llain bytio o 9 twll. There are a number of ways to say Miniature Golf in Welsh.

Related blog posts:
- Rhyl
- Wales
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Mini Golf Putting Green in Rhyl
- Minigolf etc. - English to Welsh translations

2019 Cardiff Open and Welsh Open minigolf tournaments

Minigolf tournament double-header in Cardiff this October.

The Cardiff Open minigolf competition is taking place at the Tee-Rex Adventure Golf course on Saturday 5th October.

The three-round tourney is organised by the Welsh Minigolf Club and carries points in the British Minigolf Association tour rankings. The event tees-off off at 2pm.

For more information about the 2019 Cardiff Open check out the event page, entry list and the Welsh Minigolf Club website.

The Cardiff Open is part of a tournament double-header weekend as the British Minigolf Association Welsh Open tournament takes place at Treetop Adventure Golf in Cardiff city centre on Sunday 6th October.

We haven't been to Cardiff for a while and so Tee-Rex Adventure Golf and Treetop Adventure Golf are new courses for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golfing in Prestatyn

Revisiting the Crazy Golf course in Prestatyn.

The 18-hole course just after closing time. It's such a nice course

Last week I replayed one of my favourite miniature golf courses, the Crazy Golf course on Bastion Road in Prestatyn, Wales.

Back in Prestatyn

The 18-hole layout was originally an Arnold Palmer Putting Course and still retains many of the original obstacles and design elements. It's one of the best courses in the UK.

Hole 7 - a nice ace opportunity, but it can be very tricky if you over hit your tee shot

The course was originally the 147th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2009. We've replayed it a number of times in the years since.

Hole 10 has a new obstacle. It used to be a lighthouse

This time I played four games on the course in excellent conditions and scored rounds of 34, 39, 35 and 37.

I didn't win a free game on the lucky last hole this time

Related blog posts:
- Prestatyn
- Wales
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

The 2019 Sussex Wasps Open minigolf tournament

The third edition of the Sussex Wasps Open minigolf competition is taking place at the Peterborough Minigolf course at Dobbies Garden Centre in Peterborough on Sunday 1st September.

Hole 12 of the Peterborough Minigolf course

More information on the tournament can be found on the competition's Facebook Event.

Playing hole 7

We visited the Peterborough Minigolf course at Dobbies Garden Centre just after it opened in July 2015. The course was the 382nd played and 662nd visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Time has flown by since then - we're now up to 911 course visits!

Emily playing hole 8

The superb 12-hole Peterborough Minigolf course was designed and built by the team at UrbanCrazy and it's a real test of putting skill.

Hole 11 of the Peterborough Minigolf course

If you're playing along with our Summer Mini Golf Checklist a visit to Peterborough Minigolf and playing in the Sussex Wasps tourney could tick off a few of the activities on the list.

The Peterborough Minigolf course has a lucky last hole where you can try to win a free game too

Drift Park Crazy Golf in Rhyl

Revisiting the Crazy Golf course at Drift Park in Rhyl.

Last week I swung by the Drift Park Crazy Golf course in Rhyl, Wales.

We first played the course on our trip around the coast of Wales in the summer of 2009. Back then it became the 145th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We also visited the course in September 2014, September 2017, September 2018, January 2018, December 2018 and March 2019.

 

Related blog posts:
- Rhyl
- Drift Park
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Happy third birthday to Holeymolies Miniature Golf in Skelton-in-Cleveland

The indoor minigolf course opened on the 4th July 2016.

Last year it became the 500th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, the 845th visited overall and the 807th we've been to in the British Isles.

Getting a hole-in-one on hole 17

The indoor minigolf course at Holeymolies Leisure Complex boasts the 'World's Longest Mini Golf Hole' - measuring in at a whopping 264 feet!

Hole 1 - the longest minigolf hole in the world. You have to start off upstairs, teeing-off up a ramp and then the ball is carried along the long viaduct before being deposited on the green

Next week the Holeymolies course will be closing for a major refurbishment. We look forward to seeing what it'll look like after.

Check out the Holeymolies website and Facebook Page for more information.

The 2019 Worthing Open minigolf tournament

The Worthing Open miniature golf competition is taking place on Saturday 6th July.

This Saturday evening the Splash Point Mini Golf course in Denton Gardens, Worthing is hosting the 2019 Worthing Open minigolf competition.

The three round strokeplay format event presented by the Worthing Mini Golf Club tees-off at 5pm.

Entry is open to all. Sign-up is required by 3pm on the day.

Email clubhouse@splashpointminigolf.co.uk for more info.

A view of hole 16 at Splash Point

Minigolf was first played in Denton Gardens on Tuesday 1st July 1924!

95 years later and the relatively new course there is going strong and is popular with locals, tourists, enthusiasts and the characters of the British Minigolf Association tour.

You can see photos of the 18-hole Splash Point Mini Golf course from our visit in April this year.

Stockport's Giant Leap

There's a new Frog Art Trail to follow around Stockport town centre.

Edgeleap, the Stockport County frog

Totally Stockport, the team behind Stockport's Business Improvement District (BID), rolled out a new art trail at the weekend, with Stockport's Giant Leap consisting of 19 decorated giant frog sculptures dotted around the town centre.

A frog decorated by Girlguiding Stockport

Each of the frogs has a different Stopfordian theme and have been designed by local artists, schools, businesses and community groups.

Stagecoach's 192 bus frog

I've managed to find 15 of the frogs in my two most recent wanders around town.

Sir Norman Frogster at the bottom of the infamous and historic Mealhouse Brow

Frog's were chosen as the 'things' to follow as they highlight the £1bn programme of investment and development that is regenerating Stockport, a giant leap forward for the town.

Strawberry Fields the frog, celebrating Strawberry Studios home in Stockport

The froggy art trail ends on the 28th September. Check out Stockport's Giant Leap website for more information.

Sir Hopsalot

  

Cornelius, the pyjamas wearing Holiday Inn frog

We're big fans of tickable lists and also followed the Totally Stockport Ice Trail last December. We're also ticking off the Invader pixel mosaic tile art in Manchester (and in London and Newcastle), as well as the Stockport green space list and the railway stations in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport (two left to visit) and Greater Manchester (lots to go). There is one Stockport tickable list we won't be attempting to complete though!

This froggy character by Totally Stockport was part of the Ice Trail last December

Our main tickable list challenge is our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - where we've now visited 911 courses. When we began there were around 600 in the UK!

Links:
- Totally Stockport
- Marketing Stockport

Welsh Dragon Adventure Golf in Rhyl

Revisiting the Welsh Dragon Adventure Golf course in Rhyl.

Last week I swung by the Welsh Dragon Adventure Golf course in Rhyl, Wales.

We first played the course on our trip around the coast of Wales in the summer of 2009. Back then it became the 146th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We revisited the course in September 2014, September 2017 and January 2018.

Related blog posts:
- Rhyl
- Welsh Dragon
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Mini Golf at the Haven Wild Duck Holiday Park

A look at the Mini Golf course at Haven's Wild Duck Holiday Park in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Many thanks to our friends Karl and Sophia Moles for sending over some snaps of the Mini Golf course they spotted while on holiday at Haven's Wild Duck Holiday Park in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

A view of the course

The rules

A train obstacle - the course was made by DK Fibreglass, I guess this obstacle dates from 1985

A look at the course

Karl and Sophia have been to quite a few different holiday camps with their children Fiorella and Arabella and have sent over minigolf snaps from trips to Haven's Caister-on-Sea Holiday Park, Pontins Pakefield, Allhallows Leisure Holiday Park, as well as the Crazy Golf course at Suffolk Leisure Park in Ipswich and Minigolf Sport Club Sanremo in Arma, Italy.

Links:
- Haven Wild Duck Holiday Park
- DK Fibreglass

Related blog posts:
- Haven
- Great Yarmouth
- Norfolk
- Holiday Camp
- Karl Moles
- Sophia Moles
- Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf at Haven's Caister-on-Sea Holiday Park
- Adventure Golf at Pontins Pakefield
- Mini Golf at Allhallows Leisure Holiday Park
- Crazy Golf at the Haven Golden Sands Caravan Holiday Park in Mablethorpe
- Haven's Thorpe Park Adventure Golf course in Cleethorpes

95 years of Mini Golf in Worthing's Denton Gardens

A look at the history of miniature golf in Worthing's Denton Gardens.

Minigolf was first played in Denton Gardens on Tuesday 1st July 1924!

Almost a century later and the relatively new Splash Point Mini Golf course there is going strong and is popular with locals, tourists, enthusiasts and the characters of the British Minigolf Association tour.

Playing hole 7 - the hardest hole on the course

The first miniature golf courses in Denton Gardens were of the grass Putting variety, when both sides of the lawn in the gardens were given over to minigolf Putting courses.

Worthing, Denton Gardens, Putting Green. The Photochrom Co Ltd. Posted to Birchington, Kent on 30 July 1928

Putting Green, Denton Gardens, Worthing. Photogravure by S. & E. Ltd., Hastings. Postally unused. Undated

The Putting Green, Denton Gardens, Worthing. Picture Post Card by Wardell's. Postally unused. Undated

In 2010 our friends Anthony Pope and Peter Emmerson created the 18-hole Splash Point Mini Golf course. It was the 181st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Interestingly the same kiosk that can be seen in the postcards above is still in use today.

Playing hole 13 on the 3rd July 2010. The course has a lot more foliage now!

We've returned on many occasions to compete in tournaments and to play for fun. You can see what the course looked like on our return to the course in April this year.

Emily playing hole 12

Check out the Splash Point Mini Golf course website and give the course a follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Related blog posts:
- Worthing
- Splash Point Mini Golf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Splash Point Mini Golf in Denton Gardens, Worthing
- A look at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing's Denton Gardens

Summer Mini Golf Checklist 2019

The Summer Mini Golf Checklist 2019.

Download and complete the Summer Mini Golf Checklist.

We're BIG fans of minigolf and the summer, so we've created a Summer Mini Golf Checklist containing 18 minigolf 'things to do', plus a 19th hole activity.

Summer in the Northern Hemisphere began on the 21st June and ends on the 23rd September. Fingers crossed we get some more nice weather into October too.

We hope you enjoy ticking off the activities on the Summer Mini Golf Checklist wherever you are in the world.

The first three people to complete the Summer Mini Golf Checklist 2019 will win a free game with us, either at their local course (if we're in the area), or at one of our local courses (if they're in the area).

Do post on social media about how you're progressing using the hashtags #summerminigolf19 and #minigolf.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Summer

Mario & Luigi Ice Cream Vans

Spotting some Mario & Luigi Ice Cream Vans on our travels.

We spotted a couple of Mario & Luigi ice cream vans on our weekend away in the Peak District.

Mario and Luigi in Buxton. Along with a Micky Mouse Robin Hood!

Luigi and Mario on an ice cream van in Hathersage 

We've seen Mario in quite a few interesting places in the last couple of years.

Related blog posts:
- Bootlegs
- Mario
- Luigi
- Ice Cream Van