Thursday, January 30, 2020

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

Visiting the Crazy Golf course at Hexthorpe Flatts Park in Doncaster.


Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

We had a brilliant weekend in Doncaster earlier this month and while there visited the Crazy Golf courses at Elmfield Park and Hexthorpe Flatts Park in the town.


Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

The 9-hole Crazy Golf course at Hexthorpe Flatts Park in Hexthorpe, Doncaster was the 944th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.


Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

As it was out-of-season we didn't get a chance to have a game.

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

We're looking forward to a return visit to Doncaster.



Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 1

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 1

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 2

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 2

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 2

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 3

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 3

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 4

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 5

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 5

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 5

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 6

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 6
 
Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 7

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 7
Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 8


Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 8

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 8

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 9

Hexthorpe Flatts Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster
Hole 9

Bench at Hexthorpe Flatts Park in Doncaster
A bench at the course

Bench at Hexthorpe Flatts Park in Doncaster
Unfortunately the bench doesn't face the course itself

Related blog posts:
Doncaster
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

A Putting Green postcard from Denton Park in Worthing

A look at a Putting Green postcard from Denton Park in Worthing.


Earlier this week I found a very nice old postcard showing the Putting Green in Denton Park in Worthing. The card was never posted and is undated.


Putting Green, Denton Park, Worthing - postcard. Unposted. Undated
Putting Green, Denton Park, Worthing - postcard. Unposted. Undated

Minigolf was first played in Denton Gardens on Tuesday 1st July 1924. Since 2010 the area has been home to the excellent Splash Point Mini Golf course.


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

I've got a few other postcards showing the Putting Green in Denton Gardens, but this is the first one I've got showing this particular angle of the course.

Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

A visit to the Crazy Golf course at Elmfield Park in Bennetthorpe, Doncaster.


Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

We visited our 943rd miniature golf course while in Doncaster earlier this month.


Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

Unfortunately it was out-of-season so we couldn't game on the Crazy Golf course at Elmfield Park in Bennetthorpe.


Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

Elmfield Park Crazy Golf course in Doncaster

Check out videos from our visit to the course.

Elmfield Park in Doncaster
The Crazy Golf course is next to the bowls greens

We had a brilliant time in Doncaster. We've previously played minigolf courses on the outskirts of the town and nearby, but never been to the centre.

We were really impressed by the town's markets and enjoyed visiting a few different pubs. We stayed at the wonderful Earl of Doncaster hotel, a marvellous Art Deco hotel right next to Elmfield Park.

Earl of Doncaster hotel
The Earl of Doncaster is a fantastic Art Deco building

Earl of Doncaster hotel
The lobby

Earl of Doncaster hotel
The restaurant

Travelling around the UK visiting minigolf courses has taken us to so many interesting places, many of which wouldn't be considered a 'normal' tourist spot. We really enjoyed our time in Doncaster and look forward to going back again in the future.

When eating gluten-free isn’t a choice - This Is MedTech

When eating gluten-free isn’t a choice


Champion miniature golfer Richard Gottfried spent years feeling ill before he discovered that he had coeliac disease and gradually regained his health.


Believing he had a common digestive disorder called irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Richard took IBS medication to ease his symptoms, which included bloating, vomiting, diarrhoea and severe lethargy. However, he was unaware of the real cause: gluten-containing foods. When he continued to feel ill, he thought he just had to put up with it. “When I look back, I can’t believe I lived so long eating what I did,” remembers Richard, who would often avoid food altogether because he didn’t want to be sick.

“I was so thin but bloated, so I looked like I’d been eating all day long. Often I would only have a bowl of corn flakes for breakfast, be violently ill, and then not eat anything else for the rest of the day,” he tells This Is MedTech. After several years Richard’s condition became progressively worse until he felt so ill that he went back to the doctor.

“I had a thorough check, including a blood test, an endoscopy and a sigmoidoscopy,” he says. This led to a diagnosis of coeliac disease as well as a wheat allergy. “I was referred to a gastroenterologist and a dietician, and that’s when I finally began to understand the impact and implications of my diagnosis.”

I need to be gluten free, not a glutton (or any number of other misspellings of gluten)

According to Coeliac UK, coeliac (pronounced see-liac) disease affects at least 1 in 100 people in the UK and Europe, but only 30% of people with the condition are currently clinically diagnosed. It’s a genetic autoimmune disease that’s triggered by eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. It’s not a food allergy or intolerance, or IBS. For people with coeliac disease, eating gluten damages the lining of the gut, which prevents normal digestion and absorption of food. Serious health problems can be associated with coeliac disease including osteoporosis, cancer of the small bowel and increased risk of other autoimmune diseases.

There is no cure for the condition and the only treatment is a strict gluten-free diet for life. “It can be a real drain both mentally and physically, but you have to stay as positive as possible,” comments Richard, who hasn’t wavered from his gluten-free regime in the decade since his diagnosis. “Once you’re on a gluten-free diet, it can take years for your body to recover. I’ve only just started putting on weight again in the past couple of years. Still, there’s always a risk that you’ll be ‘glutened’ which can set you back days or weeks.”

Richard says Coeliac UK and his local coeliac group were extremely helpful, especially in the beginning. “Back then, there weren’t really gluten-free options in supermarkets. The coeliac groups gave me tips on gluten-free food, cooking, storage, places to shop, etc. They also held dinners and other events, and I made some good friends. We still go out together.”

There are only a handful of 100% gluten-free restaurants in the UK, so one of Richard’s aims is to increase that number by talking about it on his blog. “We recently went out to a 100% gluten-free pub in Cambridgeshire, and it was so nice to be able to go out and feel normal.”

Having a superb 100% gluten free meal at The Oxford Place in Leeds
Having a superb 100% gluten free meal at The Oxford Place in Leeds

He also believes it’s important to raise awareness about coeliac disease by talking openly about it, as people can be embarrassed to discuss their symptoms. “You’ll never get well if you don’t go to the doctor,” he points out. “Diagnosis is the first step. Once you know what’s wrong, you can start tackling it.”

Interview by Karen Finn for This Is MedTech, January 2019.

Link:
- This Is MedTech

Related blog posts:
- Coeliac Disease
- Gluten Free

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Putt Club opening in Hull

A new indoor Crazy Golf course is opening in Hull this week.


Putt Club, a new 9-hole motorsport-themed indoor Crazy Golf course is opening in Hull this Friday, 31st January.


Putt Club, a new 9-hole motorsport-themed indoor Crazy Golf course is opening in Hull on Friday 31st January

Visit the Putt Club website for more information.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Mr Mulligans Adventure Golf in Castleford

A look at Mr Mulligans Adventure Golf at the Junction 32 Outlet Shopping Centre in Castleford.


Mr Mulligans Adventure Golf in Castleford

Last weekend we visited the leisure, entertainment and shopping area at Junction 32 of the M62 in Castleford, West Yorkshire.


Mr Mulligans Adventure Golf in Castleford

You can find two 18-hole outdoor adventure golf courses at the Junction 32 Outlet Shopping Centre.


Mr Mulligans Adventure Golf in Castleford

Mr Mulligans Adventure Golf in Castleford

When we last visited Castleford in 2015 the courses were known as Pirate Island Adventure Golf.

Mr Mulligans Adventure Golf in Castleford

The courses were the 592nd and 593rd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've now been to 945 courses in total.

Mr Mulligans Adventure Golf in Castleford

You can find Mr Mulligans courses in Basildon, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Castleford, Cheltenham, Milton Keynes - outdoors and indoors, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Sidcup, Stevenage, Tonbridge and Woking.

Visit the Mr Mulligan website for more information.

There are six courses in Castleford. They were among the 20 minigolf layouts we visited in the first 20 days of 2020.

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Volcano Falls indoor Adventure Golf at Xscape Yorkshire

A look at Volcano Falls Adventure Golf at the Xscape Centre in Castleford.


Volcano Falls Adventure Golf at the Xscape Centre in Castleford, West Yorkshire is home to two 18-hole indoor adventure golf courses - Volcano Valley and the T Rex Trail.


Volcano Falls Adventure Golf at Xscape Yorkshire

The Volcano Falls Adventure Golf courses were the 594th and 595th visited on our travels back in 2015.


Volcano Falls Adventure Golf at Xscape Yorkshire

We revisited Castleford on our way back from a weekend away in Doncaster last week.

Visit the Volcano Falls Adventure Golf website for more information, opening times and prices.

Volcano Falls Adventure Golf at Xscape Yorkshire

The entertainment and retail area at Junction 32 of the M62 in Castleford is a real minigolf hotbed.

There are six miniature golf courses with a total of 87-holes to play. They were among the 20 courses we visited in the first 20 days of 2020.

There's a Volcano Falls Adventure Golf centre at Fountain Park in Edinburgh that we've got to visit too.