Plonk Crazy Golf at Camden Market

I visited Camden Market while down in London earlier this week and noticed there was some work being done at the Plonk Crazy Golf course in the Stables Market.

I wonder what changes are being made...?

Check out the Plonk Golf website for more information.

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour update - January and February 2020

A look at our minigolf travels so far in 2020.

With two months of the year gone by, warmer weather will - hopefully - be on its way soon.

That means even more opportunities to play minigolf.

Already this year we've played minigolf at That Funky Golf Place at Becketts Farm in Wythall, Birmingham, had multiple rounds on Paradise Island Adventure Golf's two courses at the Trafford Centre in Manchester, Crazy Golf at Sunnybank Gardens & The Yorkshire Ice Cream Farm in Hatfield, Doncaster and the Club Golf pop-up crazy golf course at Coal Drops Yard in London.

The Club Golf pop-up crazy golf course at Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross, London was the most recent course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've visited the Putting course at Park Square in Cheadle Heath, Junkyard Golf's three courses at the Westgate shopping centre in Oxford, the Putting course and Crazy Golf at Vickersway Park in Northwich, the minigolf course at Elmfield Park in Doncaster, the minigolf layout at Hexthorpe Flatts Park in Doncaster, the Search for Atlantis and Curse of the Mummy in 4D Cosmic Golf courses at Xplore in the Xscape Centre in Castleford, the two Volcano Falls indoor Adventure Golf courses at the Xscape Centre in Castleford, the two Mr Mulligans Pirate Golf courses at the Junction 32 Outlet Village in Castleford, Peterborough Minigolf at Dobbies Garden Centre, the mini golf and adventure golf courses at Priory Golf & Activity Centre in Wimblington, Plonk Golf at Camden Market and the Crazy Golf course on the Clarence Way Estate in Camden, London.

At our 944th course visit - the Crazy Golf course at Hexthorpe Flatts Park in Hexthorpe, Doncaster

We're looking forward to the spring and summer so we can get out and play even more courses.

• Courses visited in 2020 - 24
• New courses visited in 2020 - 7
• Courses played in 2020 - 5
• New courses played in 2020 - 3

We've also heard about a lot of new courses opening this year in places including Crawley, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Harrow in London, Hull (two venues), King's Cross in London, Leeds (two venues), Maidenhead, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northampton, Norwich, Pembrey, Reading, Rochdale, Scarborough, Walsall and York.

Where are you looking forward to playing minigolf this year?

Last year we visited 82 miniature golf layouts. Of those we were able to play at 36 courses.

We've now been to 948 courses since September 2006.

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Clarence Way Crazy Golf in Camden

Revisiting the Crazy Golf course on the Clarence Way Estate in Camden, London.

I was down in London for the day earlier this week and while having a wander round Camden I swung by the Clarence Way Estate to have a look at the Crazy Golf course there.

We first visited the course was back in October 2009. Emily worked close to it nearby Kentish Town until 2016 but we only ever played the course once - in 2012 - and only saw one other group playing the course - in 2011.

You can see what the course looked like in better weather conditions last April in my last blog post about the layout.

Snowy minigolf

Is there any snow where you are?

The Eternit Miniature Golf course at Solna Bangolfklubb in Sweden

There's none in Stockport - we seem to have missed it so far.

Thankfully there are now plenty of indoor courses to get your minigolf fix while you wait for some sunny weather.

When our travels began in 2006 there were only two indoor minigolf courses in the UK. There are now around 100 indoor miniature golf courses.

In February 2018 we visited Sweden and managed to visit nine minigolf courses in 42 hours. A lot of those were covered in snow.

Bangolf Vasaparken in Vasastan, Stockholm

At Goflbaren Aspudden

Golfbaren Kristineberg

The NIFO Steel Minigolf course at Solna Bangolfklubb

Playing on 'ice' at the Sports World Mini Golf course at O'Leary's in the Mall of Scandinavia in Solna, Sweden

In the warm at Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm, Sweden

Happy National Retro Day

Today is National Retro Day.

What's your favourite throwback, retro or vintage thing?

I'm still a big fan of the 80's and 90's - the era's I grew up in.

As today is the 'official' day to celebrate all things retro then I recommend a visit to Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry, Joe Joe Jim's Crazy Crazy Golf course at Fletcher's Arcade in Cofton Hackett, Birmingham, Arcade Club in Bury and/or Leeds and Retro Arcade in Warrington.

Playing Mousetrap at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry

Fletcher's retro arcade is home to a crazy Crazy Golf course

In Pole Position at Arcade Club in Bury

I enjoyed a trip to Pac-Land at Arcade Club in Leeds just before Christmas

There is a wonderful array of retro arcade cabinets in this old railway arch in Warrington

Playing Crazy Golf at Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross, London

A visit to the pop-up Crazy Golf course at Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross, London.

I called in to Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross to play the CLUB GOLF crazy golf pop-up in the shopping and dining area yesterday.

At the 948th course visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Hole 1 by night

Artists Baker & Borowski created the 9-hole themed Crazy Golf layout inspired by the rave culture in the King's Cross area back in the 1980's and 90's.

There are a lot of signs for the course directing people all the way from King's Cross station

Players can tee-off on the course midday to 8pm Monday to Saturday, with games costing £5 (under 12s play for free). The layout opened on the 19th February and will close on the 29th March.

Hole 3's loop-di-loop

The course was the 948th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Holes 7 and 9

In my round I shot a 23 - the scorecard noted that the maximum score allowed was 63! A seven on each hole.

Hole 1

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 6 begins on the balcony

The pipe then flows down to ground level

And onto the 'green'

The putting area of hole 6

Hole 7

Hole 8

Hole 8

Hole 9

Visit the Coal Drops Yard website for more information.

The Club House

The Rules

New Adventure Golf course in Scarborough

Pop-up Adventure Golf course opening on Scarborough seafront.

Scarborough's south bay seafront will be home to a new Adventure Golf course. The layout will be set up next to the observation wheel on the vacant site next to the Coney Island amusement arcade.

The summer pop-up Adventure Golf course will be located where the Futurist Theatre once stood.

On our travels we see minigolf courses everywhere - even where there aren't any. Last June I took this photo of the empty plot of land and we thought it'd be an ideal location for a course

Last summer we revisited Scarborough and had a brilliant long weekend playing minigolf on the seaside resort's courses.

The North Bay Crazy Golf course was the 900th course we've visited overall and the 861st in the British Isles.

Jurassic Putt Crazy Golf at Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure in Lenwade, Norwich

A look at the Jurassic Putt Crazy Golf course at Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure in Lenwade, Norwich, Norfolk.

My brother Christopher and his family recently visited Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure in Lenwade, Norwich and while there spotted the Jurassic Putt Crazy Golf course.

It's an 8-hole layout and play on the course is included with entry to the park.

Check out the Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure website for more information.

With Christopher's visit to Lenwade the combined total of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour is now at 971 courses visited!

An old postcard from Bournemouth's Lower Gardens minigolf course

A look at an old postcard showing Bournemouth's Lower Gardens minigolf course.

After writing about the old J. Arthur Dixon postcard showing the Mini-Golf course at the Lower Gardens in Bournemouth, Dorset I had a look through our collection to find the earliest posting date we had on a card of the course.

It was this one, posted 40 years ago this year!

The 'Miniature Golf in Central Gardens, Bournemouth' postcard by The Photographic Greetings Cards Co Ltd, London was posted from Bournemouth to Cleveleys in Lancashire on the 24th July 1970

You can see what the Lower Gardens Mini Golf course looks like now on the course's Facebook Page.

We're looking forward to replaying the course later this year.

New minigolf courses in the UK

Details of new miniature golf courses opening in the UK.

Do you want to have a guess where the next new minigolf course will be opening in the UK?

So far this year new miniature golf courses have been announced to be opening / have opened in Walsall, Pembrey, Crawley, Northampton, Edinburgh, Newcastle upon Tyne, Norwich, Hull (two venues), Rochdale, York, Leeds (two venues), King's Cross London, Harrow in London, Reading, Milton Keynes and Glasgow.

There's also going to be a new adventure golf course at Les Mielles Golf & Country Club in Jersey.

If you know of a new minigolf course opening do let us know in the comments.

If you are interested in installing or building a minigolf course and would like to receive specialist help, Richard Gottfried is able to provide experience, knowledge and support for all aspects of minigolf business, at any stage of the process. Get in touch to find out more.