Lost minigolf courses - Abingdon Crazy Golf

A look back at the old Crazy Golf course at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames.

One of the courses we've visited and played on our travels but has since become a 'lost' course was the 10-hole Crazy Golf layout at the Abbey Meadows in my home town of Abingdon.

The course was the first one I ever played way back in the early 1980's.

The course had been in the park since the 1950's but was removed at the end of the 2016 season as part of renovations to the area.

It's always sad to see an old miniature golf course removed. Especially so when it's not even replaced by a new one.

The last hole of the first course I ever played

In August 2007 the course became the 31st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Playing hole 5 in 2007

Playing hole 5 in 2012

Playing hole 5 for the very last time in 2016

We also revisited in June 2012 and December 2014.

The course was very mossy in 2014

What's wrong with this picture?

My sister-in-law Jo sent me this snap from a shopping trip to Waitrose. Can you see what's out of place?

Milk at Waitrose

A mini golf meme

The British High Street, November 2019

Spotting a dead brand on a high street.

On my travels I always keep my eye out for interesting sights and while Emily and I were driving through Longton in Stoke-on-Trent I spotted a Woolworths!

Woolworths in Longton

The last Woolworths shop in the UK closed in January 2009 so we were amazed to see the sign was still up.

The Woolworths on Market Street in Longton closed its doors for the final time on the 30th December 2008.

Looking online the former shop had an 'interesting' and 'alternative' use earlier this year!

On a related old retailer note I recently had a look at the old Blockbusters store in Fallowfield, Manchester.

World Toilet Day 2019

Today is World Toilet Day.

Today is a day to highlight the global sanitation crisis and ensure no one is left behind without sanitation.

Established by the World Toilet Organization in 2001, World Toilet Day was made an official UN day in 2013. UN-Water leads a taskforce of international agencies to campaign around a common theme.

World Toilet Day, celebrated on 19th November every year, is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which promises sanitation for all by 2030.

For more information visit the World Toilet Day website.

Extraordinary Golf at Alton Towers

A look back at our visit to the Extraordinary Golf course at Alton Towers.

We're long overdue a return visit to Alton Towers. We couldn't have had a rainier day when we were there back in June 2007.

One of the things we'd been really looking forward to was playing the Extraordinary Golf course.

That's a BIG minigolf windmill

In 2007 we were still less than a year into our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the excitement at playing a new course was tremendous. That's not to say I don't get super excited when I hear about or see a new minigolf course now!

Imagine our disappointment when we arrived to find the course had been closed for the day as the weather was so bad as to render the course unplayable.

Not your typical water ride

Looking on the Alton Towers website there are two 9-hole courses with miniature versions of the most famous rides and attractions at the theme park. It'll be brilliant to play them.

Even the free monorail ride couldn't cheer me up

We've now visited 933 courses since September 2006. Of those we've been able to play 535. Many of them multiple times.

We haven't been able to play 398 courses we've visited for a number of reasons. Some have been waterlogged like the Extraordinary Golf at Alton Towers, while others have been derelict, abandoned, out-of-season, under construction or completely removed!

Woman Yelling at Cat Meme - Minigolf

Savage Golf crazy golf pop-up in Norwich

A pop-up Crazy Golf course is opening in Norwich.

A new 9-hole Crazy Golf course and cocktail bar is popping-up in Norwich.

Savage Golf will be open from Thursday 28th November to Saturday 21st December and can be found on St Stephens Street in Norwich city centre.

Check out the Savage Golf website for more information.

Bun Throwing in Abingdon-on-Thames

It's been a year since Abingdon's last Bun Throwing event.

Last November my home town of Abingdon marked 100 years since the end of the First World War with a special Bun Throwing event in the market place.

Abingdon has a curious tradition of bun throwing

The Bun Throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

The first marked the Coronation of King George III. The last Bun Throwing held before the 2018 event was to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday in 2016.

I have attended each Bun Throwing in Abingdon in my lifetime, a total of 15 since 1981.

Related blog posts:
- A year since Abingdon's last Bun Throwing event
- Abingdon-on-Thames Bun Throwing timeline - 1761 to 2018

Golf Pong at Project B in Manchester

What rainy Saturdays in Manchester are all about.

Last Saturday afternoon we headed over to Manchester as Emily had seen there was Golf Pong at a brand new bar in a railway viaduct arch that used to be a car dealership.

It was the first time we'd played this variation of golf

As well as the bar, golf pong and beer pong Project B has a number of street food vendors and hosts live music. We enjoyed listening to Mike Dignam while we were there.

Check out Project B on Facebook for more info.

HM Adventure Golf at the NEC

While at the Family Attraction Expo and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show at the NEC I swung by the HM Adventure Golf stand.

I've played one of HM Adventure Golf's modular minigolf courses at the Palace Fun Centre in Rhyl. There's also an indoor Adventure Golf version of it at the Blackpool Tower that we've yet to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The first hole of the indoor minigolf course in Rhyl

Having a minigolf layout on an exhibition stand is a brilliant way to engage delegates and entertain visitors.

Art Attack FX and GlowGolf

It was great to chat to the Art Attack FX team at the Family Attraction Expo and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show in Birmingham.

I'm a big fan of UV / glow-in-the-dark minigolf and enjoy playing them on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

My brother and Charter Member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Christopher has played one of Art Attack FX's GlowGolf creations in Amsterdam.

Time Machine GlowGolf in Amsterdam

As well as miniature golf courses Art Attack FX also create laser tag arenas, mini bowling alleys, play systems and more.

Exhibition minigolf at the NEC

Playing the Marsh Industries hole-in-one challenge minigolf course.

I've been down in Birmingham attending the Family Attraction Expo and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show at the NEC today. On my way out of the exhibition I was surprised and pleased to find a very nice 3-hole minigolf layout on the Marsh Industries stand.

I had so much fun playing the course and chatting to the Marsh Industries team on the stand I almost missed my train home!

I didn't manage to get an ace with my first three goes to enter the prize draw. But I did get a hole-in-one on my fourth go.

Having a miniature golf layout on a trade or exhibition stand is a brilliant way to engage delegates and entertain visitors.

Check out the Marsh Industries website for more info on what they do.

The second and final day of the shows is tomorrow, Thursday 7th November. Find out more on the Family Attraction Expo and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show websites.

A visit to The Floodgate in Digbeth, Birmingham

Checking out The Floodgate, a new experiential entertainment venue in Digbeth.

Last Wednesday I headed down to Birmingham to check out the new indoor entertainment venue at the Custard Factory in Digbeth.

The Floodgate is home to three activities - indoor baseball batting cages, curling and Pit-Pat table golf.

As a BIG fan of all things minigolf-related my main interest was the Pit-Pat table golf.

Pit-Pat is similar to crazy golf in that you have to play over, up, through and around different obstacles on each of the tables. The main difference though is that you use a cue rather than a club.

After checking out the baseball cages in the main bar area I walked through a corridor to find the curling rink.

The baseball batting cage

Curling

A little further down the corridor was a sign for Pit-Pat and then to the left was a doorway into the Pit-Pat course.

The Pit-Pat layout is split into three, with most of the tables in one large retro graffiti art covered room. The tables have been UV painted and so there's a nice glow-in-the dark look to it.

Table 12 can be found all on its own in a very cool black & white room. The mono look is a very nice contrast to the UV sections.

Tables 13 to 18 then follow, with more graffiti art on the walls and some tricky obstacles including a bridge, ramp & net, pipes and a loop-di-loop to tackle.

It was brilliant to be the first person to play the UK's first and only indoor UV Pit-Pat Table Golf course. I had five rounds at The Floodgate, scoring 47, 51, 37, 34 and 36. I was very happy with my rounds in the 30s and the 34 was very sweet as I shot four aces.

I'd previously played Pit-Pat at the UK's only previous course back in 2014. Sadly that course in Littlehampton became a lost course a couple of years ago.

As I was leaving to catch my train back home the Pit-Pat area began to fill up with more players taking to the tables.

This is a nice obstacle and hole to play into

It was nice to see people enjoying the batting cages and curling too, along with the street food and well stocked bar.

Table 18

Check out The Floodgate website for more information, opening times and prices.

The Floodgate is housed in this old building built in 1938

Laser Tag in Birmingham

Spotting a Laser Tag centre in Birmingham.

On my recent trip to Birmingham I stumbled upon the Laser Tag centre at Teamworks Karting in Digbeth.

Great to know there's one there. I really need to have another game of laser tag soon.

Check out the Teamworks Karting website for more information.

Along with my sixth sense in finding minigolf courses I seem to also be able to sniff out a laser tag arena wherever I go.

Putting Course at the Macdonald Elmers Court Hotel and Resort in Lymington

A look at the Putting Course at the Macdonald Elmers Court Hotel in Lymington, Hampshire.

While we were down in Lymington to play the New Forest Adventure Golf course at Lymington Golf Centre in May we popped over the road to the Macdonald Elmers Court Hotel and Resort as our friend and minigolf rival Ollie Florence had told us there was a Putting Course there.

A nice view

Adventure Golf at Lion Farm, Oldbury

A new Adventure Golf course is one of the activities planned for the new Lion Farm, Oldbury development.

There are plans for a new retail and entertainment complex at Lion Farm, Oldbury in the West Midlands.

The site will be home to an 18-hole prehistoric-themed Adventure Golf course. Other activities include indoor climbing, VR paragliding, an aerial adventure high rope course, soft play, laser tag arena, escape rooms and a SEGA game zone.

More information can be found on the Lion Farm, Oldbury website.

Crazy Golf at The Olde Watermill Shopping Village in Barton-Le-Clay

A look at the Crazy Golf course at The Olde Watermill Shopping Village in Barton-Le-Clay, Bedfordshire.

My friend and sometimes minigolf opponent Simon 'Practice' Hall was recently at The Olde Watermill Shopping Village in Barton-Le-Clay, Bedfordshire and spotted a poster for a Crazy Golf course there.

He sent over this snap of the layout.

We used to visit The Olde Watermill Shopping Village when we lived in nearby Luton. Typical that there's a course there now we've moved away.

Visit The Olde Watermill Shopping Village website for more information.

Pitch and Putt at Ravenmeadow Golf Centre in Worcester

We visited the Ravenmeadow Golf Centre in Worcester last May to play the Jungle Safari Adventure Golf course there.

There's also a nice looking Pitch and Putt course at the venue.

We didn't have time for a game on the Pitch and Putt as well as we were en route to Southampton.