Wednesday, December 04, 2019

Happy National Dice Day

Today is National Dice Day.


Crazy Golf at Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley, Southampton
Crazy Golf at Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley, Southampton

We've rolled through a few dicey obstacles on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.


All of them made by the team at DK Fibreglass.


Crazy Golf at the Vegas Amusements in Hunstanton
Crazy Golf at the Vegas Amusements in Hunstanton

Crazy Golf course at Ancaster Karting in Grantham
Crazy Golf course at Ancaster Karting in Grantham
  
Crazy Golf at Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley, Southampton
Crazy Golf at Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley, Southampton

Crazy Golf at the Victorian Pavilion in Hunstanton
Crazy Golf at the Victorian Pavilion in Hunstanton

Crazy Golf at the Merrivale in Great Yarmouth
Crazy Golf at the Merrivale in Great Yarmouth

Crazy Golf at Verulamium Park in St Albans
Crazy Golf at Verulamium Park in St Albans

Check out the National Day Calendar website for more information on National Dice Day.

600th blog post of the year

What a year of blogging and minigolf it's been.


This year has been my biggest year of blogging.


This is my 600th blog post of 2019.


October was also my bloggiest month of all-time as I published 101 posts on the site.

Earlier this month the Ham and Egger Files hit 1.6 million page views too!

Thank you to everyone for reading the blog and contributing with photos of courses, tips about where to play and news on new courses opening.

600 is a significant number for us.


When our minigolfing adventures began in 2006 there were 600 miniature golf courses in the UK. There are now around 1,200 places to play the game.


We visited our 600th course overall at the Santa Fe Fun Park in Swanage, Dorset in the summer of 2015.

Jurassic Adventure Golf in Swanage
Jurassic Adventure Golf in Swanage

We visited our 600th course in the UK on that same two-week road-trip when we played Mini Golf at Goodrington Sands in Paignton, Devon.

Mini Golf in Goodrington Sands
Mini Golf in Goodrington Sands

We've now been to 899 courses in the British Isles and 938 courses overall.

It's very very very likely that we'll visit our 900th miniature golf course in the British Isles this week!

enewsletter minigolf round-up

Even though winter has well and truly hit us here in Stockport we've still been busy getting out and about visiting and playing miniature golf courses.


Last weekend we went to Warrington for the first time and played the funfair and circus themed indoor adventure golf course at the Superbowl tenpin bowling fun centre. That was the 899th course we've been to in the British Isles!


Putters Adventure Golf in Warrington
On the Dodgems hole at Putters Adventure Golf in Warrington

Overall we've now visited 938 courses including the 39 overseas courses.


When you factor in the courses in the UK and nine overseas countries that Christopher Gottfried has been to on his own branch of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour we've visited 961 courses overall.

When our travels began back in September 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK. That number has grown massively in the last eight years and there are now 1,200 or so places to play minigolf. When we first set out to visit all the courses in the country there were only two indoor courses. They have been joined by around 100 other indoor minigolf venues so there are a lot of places you can play minigolf year round.

Check out our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list of courses for links to the courses we've been to.

You can read the latest issue of our newsletter, subscribe and see past editions online.

Junkyard Golf's new London location is now open

Junkyard Golf is now open on Worship Street in London.


The team at Junkyard Golf have now moved locations in London with four new indoor Crazy Golf courses now set-up at a new site on Worship Street.


Junkyard Golf is now open on Worship Street in London

You can find Junkyard Golf courses in Manchester, London, Oxford, Leeds and Liverpool.


I played the courses at Junkyard Golf's former London location on Brick Lane in 2017.

Find out more on the Junkyard Golf website.

Related blog posts:
- Junkyard Golf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

A Christmas Frog in Stockport

Stockport's Giant Leap continues...

We were in town yesterday evening to attend a wonderful performance of A Christmas Carol at the Garrick Theatre. On our wander from Redrock to the theatre we spotted there's a new Stockport Frog outside the Merseyway shopping centre!

Christmas frog in Stockport town centre
The new Christmas frog in Stockport town centre

Totally Stockport, the team behind Stockport's Business Improvement District (BID), organised Stockport's Giant Leap art trail consisting of 22 decorated giant frog sculptures dotted around the town centre during the summer.

It was a nice surprise to see the Christmas frog in town.

Christmas Jumper Day

Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day is on Friday 13th December.


Which Christmas Jumper shall I wear for it - Snowman or Pac-Man?


In my snowman Christmas jumper for the Chrizy Golf Masters
In my snowman Christmas jumper for the Chrizy Golf Masters

My Pac-Man Christmas jumper
My Pac-Man Christmas jumper

Visit Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day website for more information and details on how to donate.

Tuesday, December 03, 2019

Ludicrous Christmas trees in Stockport

What a pair!

Christmas tree in Stockport
Festive street furniture
 
Christmas tree in Stockport
So Christmassy

Christmas tree in Stockport
How the second tree looked in 2016

Related blog posts:
- Christmas
- Christmas Trees

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