Happy Christmas.
We hope you have a brilliant festive season.
A blog about our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. With a sprinkling of nostalgia and urban exploration for good measure.
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Merry Christmas!
Labels:
Christmas,
Happy Christmas,
Merry Christmas
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Monday, December 23, 2019
Arcade Club in Leeds
A visit to Arcade Club in Leeds.
We visited the new Arcade Club venue in Leeds yesterday. What a place!
Earlier this year we visited the original Arcade Club in Bury and were very impressed by the selection of games on offer to play.
Always nice to visit Pac-Land |
Once you've paid your entry fee (we paid £16 per adult) you get to play hundreds of games all set on free play.
Three floors of fun |
It's an amazing place to spend anything from a few hours to a whole day.
A very small selection of the hundreds of games available to play |
As someone who grew up going to arcades in the 80's and 90's it's superb to relive those memories by playing arcade classics like Pac-Land, The New Zealand Story and Bubble Bobble. But I also really like the fact there are games available that I'd only had a glimpse of back in the day, or those that were out of my price range to play.
Pac-Land |
One of those was The Last Bounty Hunter, a live-action on-rails LaserDisc light-gun game. Back in the day it would've been one of the expensive 50p or a pound a go games I could only dream of playing. Watching older players pumping the machine full of money while firing away at a selection of bad guys and then seeing the really cheesy cut scenes as the actors die is indelibly burned on my mind like screen burn on a CRT monitor.
The Last Bounty Hunter |
I easily got my money's worth by playing The Last Bounty Hunter and managed to get to the third stage. I could've spent more time on it but I had to wander and play other games.
The ground level is home to pinball tables, quirky Japanese import games, old racing and driving games and new arcade machines.
As a big fan of Resident Evil games there was one game I spotted and immediately wanted to play. After waiting for some other players to finish their go Emily and I jumped on the Taito game Elevator Action Death Parade. It was brilliant.
We arrived at 11.30am and there was a steady flow of people of all ages into the venue while we were there. Even though it was busy, there was a nice buzz and we never felt cramped in playing machines and there are plenty of games on offer we didn't have to wait long to play any games.
Tempest. I'd never played the arcade game before, but I love the Atari Jaguar version |
There were still plenty of games I could've had a go on there but there just wasn't time.
The Neo Geo section |
We're looking forward to our next visit to Arcade Club. There will also be a new Arcade Club venue opening in Blackpool next year. Wonderful news.
Bubble Bobble, a true classic |
You can find Arcade Club at the Abbey Retail Park in Kirkstall, Leeds.
Arcade Club - retail entertainment done right |
Check out the Arcade Club website for more information, opening times and prices.
Labels:
Amusement Arcades,
Arcade,
Arcade Club,
Arcades,
Leeds,
Retailtainment,
retro,
Shopping,
Shopping Centre,
Video Game,
videogame,
West Yorkshire
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Crazy Golf at the Horse & Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire
Thirteen years ago today we visited the 10th course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.
On a bitterly cold 23rd December 2006 Emily, Christopher and I headed along to the Horse & Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire to have a game on the beer garden Crazy Golf course there.
In all the years and hundreds upon hundreds of courses we've seen since, none have been anything quite like the 9-hole course.
Crazy |
Back in 2006 we never realised how BIG our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour would become. To date we've visited 942 courses!
We popped back to the pub for a look at the course in April 2011.
How the course looked five years later |
Looking online it doesn't look like the course is in the pub's beer garden anymore.
Labels:
Beer Garden,
Crazy Golf,
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour,
Didcot,
Horse & Harrow,
Lost Course,
Lost Courses,
Oxfordshire,
Pub,
Pub Games,
pub sports,
Pubs,
West Hagbourne
Location:
Didcot OX11 0NB, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
The Kitchen A-Team
If you need a new kitchen, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire - THE QUOTATION TEAM!
Aka Multi Kitchens Ltd.
The Waste Team in Leeds and The Natural Tile Company in Belfast have cool A-Team vans too.
We spotted this 'A-Team' van in Cheadle Heath yesterday |
Aka Multi Kitchens Ltd.
The Waste Team in Leeds and The Natural Tile Company in Belfast have cool A-Team vans too.
Labels:
Advertising,
bootleg,
bootlegs,
Cheadle,
Cheadle Heath,
Fun,
funny,
kitchen,
Marketing,
Parody,
Stockport,
The A Team,
The A-Team,
van
Location:
Cheadle Heath, Stockport, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
The Chase is on. Again. Possibly
It's possible my episode of The Chase will be on Pick at 5pm this Saturday, 28th December.
Facing The Beast |
That's if the episode number hasn't been changed again.
The episode scheduled is listed as Series 5, Episode 16.
My episode has been listed as that before. As well as Series 5, Episode 39.
Shambles |
Labels:
Quiz,
Richard Gottfried,
The Chase,
TV,
TV Quiz Show
Location:
London, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Blogiversary of the Ham and Egger Files
Today marks thirteen years since the Ham and Egger Files began.
Thirteen years ago today I began blogging - where has the time gone!
People often ask me how a blog that is mostly about minigolf has the name the 'Ham and Egger Files'? The answer is that it didn't initially start out life as a minigolf blog.
On the 21st December 2006 I published my first post about how I planned to participate in as many obscure and minority sports as I could and see what would happen with the limited sporting ability I have!
The term 'ham and egger' has connotations ranging from that of 'ordinary person' to that of 'loser'. The origin of the term comes from prize fighters whose modest skills wouldn’t let them win large purses. Therefore, the fighter or their manager - who received a percentage of purses won - were never able to afford to eat better than ham and eggs.
Since that first post I have gone on to publish more than 3,500 posts! Admittedly most of them have been about minigolf.
At our 900th minigolf course - the North Bay Crazy Golf course in Scarborough |
Our interest in minigolf and what would soon become our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour had actually begun on the 30th September 2006, but I didn't publish a post about the sport until the 29th January 2007 when I announced that I had joined the British Minigolf Association - a tournament circuit I made my actual debut on in Southend-on-Sea on the 28th April 2007.
Since my first year of blogging Emily and I have now visited 940 miniature golf courses, played in hundreds of tournaments and competed in lots of different sports and games. I've won quite a few titles along the way too, not too bad for a Ham n' Egger.
Back in 2006 we were still playing dodgeball and we ran leagues into 2007. I've dipped (dodged and dived) back into the sport intermittently over the years and just recently have got back into playing the ultimate underdog sport.
Dodgeballing at the Cheadle & Gatley Griffins Dodgeball Club |
A massive thank you goes out to everyone who has ever read one of my posts, commented, shared, or guest blogged on the site, it's very much appreciated.
Emily and I are always happy to hear about new minigolf courses, new sports and games, new places to visit and interesting things to write about. Please do get in touch if you have any ideas or suggestions for future blog posts.
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.
Labels:
Blog,
Blogday,
blogger,
bloggers,
Blogging,
Blogiversary,
Blogs,
Crazy Golf,
Gluten Free,
guest blog,
Ham and Egger Files,
Minigolf,
Richard Gottfried,
Sports,
Sports and Games,
The Ham & Egger Files
Location:
Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Friday, December 20, 2019
Happy Underdog Day
Happy Underdog Day 2019.
Today is Underdog Day.
Happy National Underdog Day to ham and eggers, journeymen, jobbers, local competitors, enhancement talent, jabronis, wildcards, second placers, also-rans, palookas, runners-up, Mr Nobodies, silver medalists, and Average Joes everywhere.
The third Friday in December is the day to celebrate and honour unsung heroes, the second best among us and life’s runners-up. Not to forget those people that have made a name for themselves against the odds.
Related blog posts:
- Underdog Day
- National Underdog Day
- Dull Men's Club
- Day
Labels:
Day,
Dull Men's Club,
Event,
ham and egger,
National Day Calendar,
National Underdog Day,
underdog,
underdogs
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Guinness World Record Attempt for the 'Most Brussels Sprouts Eaten in a Minute'
A look back at the 2009 Guinness World Record Attempt for the 'Most Brussels Sprouts Eaten in a Minute'.
I can't believe it's been ten years since I attempted to break the Guinness World Record for the 'Most Brussels Sprouts Eaten in a Minute' at Luton Indoor Market!
A star studded line-up of talent assembled to take part in the charity record attempt |
What an event that was.
Check out the other Guinness World Records I've attempted over the years.
Me and Brad Shepherd with our certificates from the event |
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
New underground Crazy Golf venue opening in Cardiff
A new indoor minigolf venue is heading to Cardiff.
Cardiff will soon be home to another new miniature golf course as Par 59 opens in the city.
The Par 59 venue will be home to two indoor, adults only Crazy Golf layouts along with bars and dining.
Par 59 is planned to open up in the basement level of the Capitol Shopping Centre in Cardiff in April next year.
The Par 59 concept is from the team at Depot.
Shopping centres are becoming a popular place to set-up a minigolf course with retailtainment enhancing the shopping experience.
Cardiff is set to be a real minigolf hot-spot with new courses opening in the city on a regular basis.
Visit the Par 59 website for more information.
Labels:
Capitol Shopping Centre,
Cardiff,
competitive socialising,
Crazy Golf,
Indoor Crazy Golf,
New course,
Par 59,
Retailtainment,
Shopping,
Shopping Centre,
Wales
Location:
Queen St, Cardiff CF10 2HQ, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
New course at Maidenhead Mini Golf
A new 18-hole Adventure Golf course is being built at Maidenhead Mini Golf.
The 9-hole Maidenhead Mini Golf course has now closed until the Spring of next year when it will re-open as a new 18-hole Dinosaur Adventure Golf course.
The new layout at is being created by the team at HM Adventure Golf.
We played the Maidenhead Mini Golf course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2011.
Labels:
Adventure Golf,
Berkshire,
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour,
Dinosaur,
HM Adventure Golf,
Lost Course,
Lost Courses,
Maidenhead,
Mini Golf,
New course
Location:
Maidenhead SL6, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Did you play minigolf in 2019?
I'm running a poll on Twitter and the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Facebook Page asking whether people have played minigolf this year.
If you have, please reply in the comments with how many times.
Did you play minigolf in 2019?— Richard Gottfried (@putting_gott) December 18, 2019
If yes, please reply with how many times.#minigolf #crazygolf #adventuregolf #miniaturegolf #puttinggreen #golf #puttingcourse
If you have, please reply in the comments with how many times.
Labels:
Adventure Golf,
Crazy Golf,
facebook,
Marketing,
Mini Golf,
Mini-Golf,
Miniature Golf,
Minigolf,
Poll,
Research,
twitter
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Happy Gluten Free Baking Week
The week before Christmas is Gluten Free Baking Week.
I found out via the National Day Calendar that the week before Christmas is Gluten Free Baking Week!
Since I attended the Cheshire Coeliac Meeting in October I've got into baking gluten free snacks, savouries and cakes.
Gluten free sausage rolls |
What shall I bake for Gluten Free Baking Week?
Labels:
Baking,
Coeliac,
cooking,
Day,
Gluten Free,
National Day Calendar,
Week
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Christmas Crazy Golf in Coventry
A look at the festive hole at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry.
Back in April we played a Christmas-themed minigolf hole when we visited Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry.
Check out the full blog post from our visit.
Have you played any Christmas-themed minigolf this year, or do you know of any festive crazy golf layouts?
Location:
2 Hertford Pl, Coventry CV1 3JZ, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Dino Falls Adventure Golf Volcano course
Playing the new Dino Falls Adventure Golf Volcano course at the Trafford Golf Centre.
Last night we played the brand new Dino Falls Adventure Golf Volcano course at the Trafford Golf Centre.
Emily playing hole 13 |
On a very cold but dry night we played a round on the new 18-hole adventure golf course that has been built around the existing and very popular Dino Falls Adventure Golf course at the golf centre in Manchester's Trafford City area.
The original layout has now been named the Rapids course.
Playing hole 16 |
In our round I managed to grab the win with a score of 43 while Emily hit a 46. We both hit a hole-in-one during our game. The best score of the day and course record was a 42.
Emily on hole 14 |
Check out the Dino Falls Adventure Golf website for more information, opening times and prices.
The safest place to stand is under an erupting volcano right? |
We've been playing minigolf at the Trafford Golf Centre since 2009. Back then we used to travel up to the venue for tournaments I won on the old 9-hole Championship Miniature Golf course. Last year I won the Dino Falls Masters competition on the Rapids course.
Inside the volcano |
The new Dino Falls Adventure Golf Volcano course at the Trafford Golf Centre was the 901st course we've been to in the British Isles and the 940th we've visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006.
Playing hole 3 |
Labels:
Adventure Golf,
Dino Falls,
Dino Falls Adventure Golf,
Greater Manchester,
Manchester,
New course,
Trafford,
Trafford Golf Centre,
volcano
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Short Game Area at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester
A look at the Putting Green in the Short Game Area at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester.
The Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester has a nice looking Putting area.
It's next to the two 18-hole Adventure Golf courses.
Labels:
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour,
Greater Manchester,
Manchester,
Not Played,
Putting,
Putting Green,
Trafford,
Trafford Golf Centre
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Ghetto Golf course planned for Burley, Leeds
A new Ghetto Golf course could be heading to Leeds.
Plans have been submitted for a new Ghetto Golf indoor minigolf venue to open in the Burley area of Leeds, West Yorkshire.
There are currently Ghetto Golf courses in Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle upon Tyne.
Ghetto Golf at Hoults Yard in Byker, Newcastle |
We love visiting Leeds and a new course will give us another great reason to go back.
Related blog posts:
- Ghetto Golf
- Leeds
Labels:
Burley,
ghetto,
Ghetto Golf,
Indoor Crazy Golf,
Indoor Minigolf,
Leeds,
New course,
West Yorkshire
Location:
Burley, Leeds, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Happy Monkey Day
Today is Monkey Day.
A monkey on a hole at Congo Rapids Adventure Golf at Norwich Family Golf Centre |
The unofficial holiday of Monkey Day is celebrated around the world every year on the 14th December.
Labels:
Day,
Monkey,
Monkey Day,
Monkeys,
National Day Calendar
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Friday, December 13, 2019
Pirate Cove Adventure Golf at the New York Thunderbowl in Kettering
Playing the indoor Pirate Adventure Golf course at the New York Thunderbowl tenpin bowling centre in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
Last Thursday we visited our 900th minigolf course in the British Isles.
The location of our milestone game of miniature golf was the indoor Pirate Cove Crazy Golf course at the New York Thunderbowl tenpin bowling centre in Kettering.
The 9-hole minigolf course is on a mezzanine above the arcade games in the tenpin bowling centre and has been very well made.
A pirate's eye view of the course |
Playing hole 2 |
We really enjoyed our game and a drink in the bar afterwards. Chilling out in the pirate themed bar was well earned after a very long drive down to Kettering from Stockport. If the journey had taken any longer we might have arrived after the course had closed!
Emily playing hole 7 |
In trouble on the course |
The result of our minigolf match-up was a tie as we both shot rounds of 23.
Hole 1 |
Visit the New York Thunderbowl website for more information, opening times and prices for all of the activities at the centre.
Playing hole 6 |
We've found that minigolf courses are becoming popular additions to tenpin bowling centres.
A view of the course |
The very first course we played was a pirate-themed adventure golf layout. We wonder whether the 1,000th course will be too?
Hole 4 - I fired a cannon to win a free game on the very first course we played |
When our adventures began in 2006 there were 600 miniature golf courses in the UK. There are now around 1,200 places to play the game.
The entrance to hole 7 |
Hole 7 |
Hole 7 |
The pirate theming was very well done throughout the venue |
Sharks AND an alligator! |
Sharked! |
Labels:
Adventure Golf,
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour,
Indoor Adventure Golf,
Kettering,
New York Thunderbowl,
Northamptonshire,
Pirate Adventure Golf,
Pirate Cove,
Pirate Cove Adventure Golf
Location:
Rockingham Rd, Kettering NN16 9AW, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
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