Monday, December 02, 2019

Playing Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington

A visit to the Putters Adventure Golf course at the Superbowl in Warrington.


Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington

We had a very nice day out in Warrington, Cheshire on Saturday and visited Superbowl Warrington in the Golden Square shopping centre.


Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington

The 12-hole indoor Adventure Golf course has a funfair and circus theme and looks amazing. We've played miniature golf courses at funfairs, theme parks and at Circus Circus in Las Vegas but the Putters Adventure Golf layout in Warrington was the first we've played that has gone full on with the theme.


When we arrived we had to go to the tenpin bowling reception desk to ask to play. The member of staff who came over to the minigolf reception was really good and explained the layout. It was also a nice touch to be able to store our big coats and bags for free in the lockers next to the course.


The first hole eases you in by playing the Tea Cups. You then move on to the Dodgems, before riding the Carousel.

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Hole 1

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Hole 2

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Dodging the bumper cars

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Riding one of the big horses

Next up are the Waltzers and The Wall of Death before you enter a Haunted House - including a graveyard!

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Hole 4

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Scream if you want to go faster!

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Hole 5

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Inside The Wall of Death

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
The green on hole 5

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Outside the Haunted House

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
The green of hole 6 and the tee of hole 7

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
A creeping terror

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
The artwork in the graveyard is amazing

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
A skellington making a grab for my equipment!

After surviving the terror inside you putt through a nicely done Hall of Mirrors before shooting your ball through a cannon.

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Outside the Haunted House

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Emily on hole 11

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Hole 11

The final hole is located inside the Big Top.

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
The final hole

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Hole 12

In our match-up I scored 27 to take the win against Emily who shot a 31.

Visit the Superbowl Warrington website for more information, opening times and prices.

Tenpin Bowling fun centres and shopping malls are both fast becoming popular locations for new indoor miniature golf courses.

We've previously been to Walton Hall & Gardens in Warrington, but Saturday was the first time we've visited the town centre. We were impressed and look forward to returning. The Geeky Christmas Market at Warrington Indoor Market was really good, with a nice Return of the Jedi photo opportunity. We also had a superb time at Retro Arcade.

Videos from our visit to Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington.







Putters Adventure Golf was the 938th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006. It was the 899th minigolf course we've been to in the British Isles.

Seeing in 2020...

What do you do to see in the New Year?


Do you stay in on New Year's Eve or do you see it as a great excuse to get out for the night?


Last New Year's we took advantage of the superb all-in deal at Roxy Ball Room in Manchester and saw in the New Year playing Crazy Golf and American Pool.


Crazy Golf at Roxy Ball Room in Manchester
Emily taking one of her last putts of 2018 at Roxy Ball Room in Manchester

The best deal I've seen so far for this year is at Caddies Crazy Golf in Southend-on-Sea. Check out the Caddies website for more info on the unlimited crazy golf party deal.

Caddies Crazy Golf in Southend-on-Sea. Photo by Claire Bayley
We haven't made it to Caddies yet. The venue opened up just after our last visit to the seaside town. My cousin's who live in Southend have played there and really enjoyed it

If I lived in Southend I'd be having a Putt there to see in 2020.

Retro Arcade in Warrington

A visit to the Retro Arcade in Warrington.


Retro Arcade in Warrington

We've been to quite a few arcades, retro bars and barcades over the last few years and Retro Arcade is easily one of the best.


Retro Arcade in Warrington

As I grew up playing in the amusement arcades of the 1980s and 90s I remember how brilliant it was back then.


I also remember how far I ever managed to get in games. Even though I played back in the days when a game was 10p a go I never had enough money - or patience - to play anything all the way through. I used to love having a go on as many games as I could with my pocket of change. A lot of the time my brothers and I spent in the arcades would be waiting our turn while watching older and better players on the machines. That and making out we were playing while watching the attract screens, the FBI Warning from William S. Sessions and demo modes.

Retro Arcade in Warrington
Just a small selection of the original arcade cabinets available to play

There's a marvellous range of original cabinets at Retro Arcade and when I first walked in it took a few seconds for me to take it all in. Some of the rare titles on offer include Tron and Video Pinball.

Retro Arcade in Warrington
As well as the quirky and rare Video Pinball cabinet Retro Arcade has a number of real pinball machines

For an £8 entry fee you receive unlimited play on stacks of arcade machines. There's also a SEGA Mega Drive, NES and PSone tucked away at the back near the bar area and I enjoyed playing Wardner on the Mega Drive. It's one of my all-time favourite arcade games.

Retro Arcade in Warrington
Retro Arcade has made very good use of the space in the old railway arch

When I got inside I had a quick play on RoboCop and died on level one. I then had a go on Hyper Sports and then had a wander.

Retro Arcade in Warrington
What a game

Retro Arcade in Warrington
What a cool menu

We went to the bar and then I went back to the Data East RoboCop cabinet. As the machines are all set to free play mode I knew this was my opportunity to finally complete the game. And I did. If I had been spending 10p or 20p a go on it I'm certain I would've spent all my pocket money for the month playing the game the way I went through continues.

RoboCop Arcade game at Retro Arcade in Warrington
It's taken me three decades to see this screen

RoboCop Arcade game at Retro Arcade in Warrington
It was worth the wait

After accomplishing a feat 31 years in the making I had a bit of a break before stepping up to play Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Another coin eating beast and certainly a machine to play to get your money's worth at Retro Arcade. I managed to get further than I ever had before but had to give up after quite a while as my trigger finger was getting worn out.

Retro Arcade in Warrington

What really made the experience perfect for me was that you could actually hear the games you were playing. Quite a feat considering all of the sounds coming from dozens of arcade cabinets. There's also a free play jukebox and that was kicking out some superb tunes from the 80's and 90's.

Part of the fun of playing a game is hearing the sound and music of it. So often I've been to an arcade bar only to find that the music at the venue is far too loud and so therefore drowns out the music and sound effects from the game.

The staff on our visit were great and it was fantastic to see a real mix of people enjoying the experience.

Retro Arcade is a must visit venue.

Retro Arcade in Warrington
I'll be back

Check out the Retro Arcade website for more info, opening times and prices.

Retro Arcade in Warrington

Hastings Adventure Golf wants you to get naked this Christmas and ditch the wrapping

Results of a Christmas survey by Hastings Adventure Golf.


The team at Hastings Adventure Golf in East Sussex love the festive season and recently carried out a survey which revealed that the majority of adults in Sussex would prefer to receive ‘help’ rather than a gift this Christmas.


Father Christmas at Hastings Adventure Golf
What do you want for Christmas?

The survey revealed that 75% of those polled said help with dog walking, gardening, babysitting or cleaning is the gift they would prefer to receive this Christmas.


Despite this, 51% said that they generally gift in excess of 20 presents at Christmas, with a further 14% gifting in excess of 40 presents. 45% of respondents said they have no intention of cutting back on the number of presents they buy this year, with almost 9 in ten people (87%) intending to give wrapped gifts, in paper with sellotape. 

As a result, Sussex residents will bin up to 136,000 rolls of wrapping paper over the holiday season and around four black bags of gift packaging per household. Nationally that’s 108 million rolls of wrapping paper going to landfill. 

Given this, its unsurprising that half of those surveyed agreed that their household generated more waste last Christmas than could fit in their bins.

Hastings Adventure Golf has now launched its Naked Christmas campaign to encourage the reduction of  wrapping. The Naked Christmas campaign is hoping to persuade people to give unwrapped gifts this Christmas and help make the festive season less waste producing.

Hastings Adventure Golf mascot Caddie Bear wants you to go naked this Christmas
Hastings Adventure Golf mascot Caddie Bear wants you to go naked this Christmas

Simon Tompkins of Hastings Adventure Golf said: “The figures associated with Christmas gift wrapping are astounding. By running this campaign we are hoping to highlight the astounding levels of needless waste and associated landfill costs of using wrapping paper, while outlining ways of solving the situation by giving ‘naked’ or unwrapped gifts. This one small effort alone can make a massive difference. Gift vouchers for experiences or home made vouchers that gift your help make a great alternative.”

Tips on cutting back on the use of packaging and wrapping this Christmas, include:

  1. Don’t wrap gifts - you can explain to the recipient why
  2. If you need to wrap - choose your wrapping paper carefully. Not all paper is recyclable and before recycling remove any sticky tape and decorations such as ribbons and bows as these cannot be recycled.
  3. Gift someone your time instead of a present – make your own gift vouchers for babysitting, dog walking, gardening, cleaning.
  4. Think about vouchers for an experience - these create fun memories - plus the bonus of no waste, no packaging.


For more helpful tips on having a Naked Christmas visit the Hastings Adventure Golf website.

Survey conducted by Hastings Adventure Golf among residents of Sussex in October and November 2019. There were 496 respondents.

Related blog posts:
- Christmas
- Hastings Adventure Golf

Sunday, December 01, 2019

Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington

A visit to Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington.


We played the 12-hole funfair and circus themed indoor Adventure Golf course at Superbowl Warrington yesterday afternoon. It was the 899th minigolf course we've visited in the British Isles!


Putters Adventure Golf at Superbowl Warrington
Putters Adventure Golf in Warrington

The layout was the 938th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.


More photos and info from our visit to follow soon.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Chrizy Golf

A look back at the Chrizy Golf Masters in Manchester.


Chrizy Golf Christmas-themed Crazy Golf in Manchester

Seven years ago this evening I won the first and to-date only Chrizy Golf Masters crazy golf tournament.


Chrizy Golf Christmas-themed Crazy Golf in Manchester
The Chrizy Golf Master

The event took place on the pop-up Chrizy Golf course set up at Piccadilly Place in Manchester on Friday 30th November 2012.


The 9-hole indoor minigolf course was open for six weeks in the run-up to Christmas 2012.

Chrizy Golf Christmas-themed Crazy Golf in Manchester

The Chrizy Golf course was the 313th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Do you know of any Christmas-themed Crazy Golf courses popping-up this festive season?

Thursday, November 28, 2019

New miniature golf courses in the UK

There are lots of new miniature golf courses opening in the UK!


We hear about new courses opening all the time

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the country.


That number has grown massively in recent years and the game is booming. We estimate there are now 1,200 courses.


When we first set out to visit all the courses in the country there were only two indoor locations. Both are still open and have been joined by 100 other indoor minigolf venues.

We've now been to 898 miniature golf courses in the British Isles and 937 courses overall.

About the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Happy Bedfordshire Day

Today is Bedfordshire Day.


Bedfordshire county flag

The 28th November is Bedfordshire Day.


I lived in Luton, Bedfordshire for 16 years before moving north to Stockport in 2016.


I've got some great memories of exploring the county.

I might make myself a Bedfordshire Clanger later to celebrate the day.

Visit the Friends of Bedfordshire Society's website to find out more about Bedfordshire Day.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Volcano Adventure Golf at the Trafford Golf Centre

The new Volcano Adventure Golf course at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester opens next month.


The new Volcano Adventure Golf course at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester opens on Tuesday 17th December 2019

Work is almost complete on the new 18-hole Adventure Golf course at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester.


The Volcano Adventure Golf layout opens on Tuesday 17th December and joins the Dino Falls Adventure Golf course at the centre.


Adventure Golf at the Trafford Golf Centre

We're looking forward to checking out the new Volcano Adventure Golf course when it opens in December.

Visit the Dino Falls Adventure Golf website for more information.

The existing 18-hole dinosaur-themed course opened at the Trafford Golf Centre in November 2017 and has proved to be incredibly popular.

It was the 476th course played and 792nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Last April 2018 I won the first-ever Dino Falls Masters Adventure Golf competition at the Trafford Golf Centre.

Plonk Golf's Christmas pop-up in London

The team at Plonk Golf are creating a festive-themed pop-up Crazy Golf course in London this Christmas.


There's a Plonk Golf Christmas pop-up minigolf course in London

The Plonk Golf pop-up minigolf course will launch on Sunday 1st December and is open all the way through to Christmas Eve.


You'll be able to find the Plonk Golf Winter Wonderland Miniature Golf course at their Hoxton Clubhouse near Old Street.


For more information visit the Plonk Golf website.

Plonk Golf in Shoreditch
Plonk Golf in Shoreditch, one of a number of Plonk Golf courses we've visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

A dull evening in Manchester

We had an enjoyable evening of mild excitement at the Dull Men's Club Anorak of the Year Award event in Manchester yesterday evening.


The Dull Men's Club celebrates the ordinary

It was good to catch-up with our fellow dullsters and see presentations on topics including roundabouts, boredom and drains.


The evening was topped off with the presentation of the 2019 Anorak of the Year Award which this year went to Archie Workman for his outstanding work in celebrating the ordinary in his passionate pursuit of drainspotting.


Dull Men's Club Anorak of the Year Award

Archie was presented with his certificate and a hi-vis waistcoat, rather than an actual anorak, by Leland Carlson Assistant Vice President of the Dull Men's Club and Kevin Beresford of the UK Roundabout Appreciation Society who was also the outgoing Anorak of the Year from last year.

I was delighted to be able to give a presentation to the group about the crazy world of minigolf, the history of the game, the sporting side and tournaments, equipment used and the wide-range of ephemera and collectibles related to miniature golf.



For more information visit the Dull Men's Club website.

Adventure Golf at the New York Thunderbowl in Kettering

There's a new indoor Adventure Golf course at the New York Thunderbowl in Kettering, Northamptonshire.


There's a new indoor Adventure Golf course at the New York Thunderbowl in Kettering, Northamptonshire

While planning a route to Ipswich we checked out some potential stop-off points and saw there was a tenpin bowling centre in Kettering that is also home to a recently opened indoor Adventure Golf course.


The Pirates Cove themed Crazy Golf course is a 9-hole layout.


We're looking forward to checking it out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the New York Thunderbowl website for more information, opening times and prices.

Putters Adventure Golf now open at Superbowl Merthyr

The new Galactic Putting Adventure Golf course is now open at the Superbowl UK fun centre in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.


Putters Adventure Golf now open at Superbowl Merthyr

There's a new adventure golf course now open at Superbowl in Merthyr Tydfil.


The 12-hole indoor adventure golf course has a space-theme.


We're looking forward to playing the course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the Superbowl UK website for more information, opening times and prices.

The layout at Superbowl Merthyr is the second from Superbowl following the circus-themed course at Superbowl Warrington.