NO GOLF signs in Poynton

We saw a number of NO GOLF signs on our daily walk in Poynton yesterday.

NO GOLF in Poynton

NO GOLF ALLOWED in this Poynton Park

A closer look at the NO GOLF ALLOWED sign

  

A NO GOLF ALLOWED sign at the top of the steps leading from the Middlewood Way in Poynton

A faded NO GOLF ALLOWED sign next to the Macclesfield Canal in Poynton

Happy Olympic Day

Today is Olympic Day.

About Olympic Day

The first Olympic Day took place on the 23rd June 1948.

Olympic Day aims to unite the whole world behind the Olympic dream and the Olympic movement.

Putt at Home

Back in April the Olympic Channel suggested building a Crazy Golf course during isolation. It was nice to see the Olympic movement getting involved in the craze for Putting at Home during lockdown.

World Minigolf Sport Federation and the Olympic movement

The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the governing body for minigolf and has 63 member nations. There are currently a further three countries awaiting recognition as full members.

The WMF is a member of GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federations), AIMS (Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport) and TAFISA (The Association For International Sport for All).

On the 12th January 2020 it was announced that AIMS had become a fully recognised International Olympics Committee (IOC) umbrella group.

Olympic collecting

As well as playing, organising and promoting sports I am also an avid collector of sporting memorabilia and ephemera. As such I'm a member of both the Olympin Club and Sports Philatelists International.

I got to see a lot of Olympic Torches in 2012. I was also a Paralympic Flame Assistant in Luton that year

Miniature Golf and the Olympic Games

Did you know - Miniature Golf was once played during the Olympic Games!

While it was not officially part of the Games programme, the participants in the Golf tournament at the 1904 Olympic Games held in St Louis, USA also competed in a Putting Championship on a specially built miniature golf course.

The 9-hole Putting Course was specifically built at the Glen Echo Country Club for a Putting Championship and was constructed with electric lights surrounding the layout.

The Putting competition was won by Burt McKinnie of Normandie GC. McKinnie defeated Clement Smoot of the Exmoor Club in Chicago for the trophy after McKinnie scored a total of 21. Both players had been tied going into the last hole!

The 1904 Games were quite a wild affair - with a number of other sporting events taking place out of the scope of the 'official' sports. They also took place over several months and organised alongside the World's Fair, rather than as a standalone event.

Olympiapark München

On a related note, the Olympiapark München is home to a Miniature Golf course that was set-up in the athletes village for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Now open to the public you can find more information on the Olympiapark München and the Minigolf & Pit-Pat Olympiapark München websites.

We're hoping to visit and play the courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

The Oslympic Games

Back in the summer of 2012 we were proud to be a part of the Oswestry Games. The festival of sport in Shropshire saw the sport of minigolf included in a multi-sport games event in the UK for the first time. The Oslympics consisted of more than 50 sports and cultural events held over ten-days in July 2012.

Medals from the Oswestry Games

Related blog posts:
- Olympic
- Olympics

Links:
- The Olympics
- Olympic Day

Crazy Golf course at Wythenshawe Park, Manchester

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester.

Hole 4 of the 9-hole layout

We visited Wythenshawe Park over the border in Manchester for our daily outdoor exercise yesterday.

On the first course since before the Coronavirus pandemic hit

The 9-hole Crazy Golf course is the first previously played Crazy Golf location we've revisited during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 9-hole course

It was the first time we've been to Wythenshawe Park since we played the course on the 25th July 2009 when it became the 114th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Bizarre really as technically it's our most local course!

We had asked a number of people if the course was still there since we moved to Stockport in 2016 but nobody knew anything about it, or said it was long gone.

So it was a nice surprise to see it was still there.

The park is also home to a Pitch & Putt miniature golf course. That became the first new course we've been to during the pandemic and the 949th visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

A view of the Pitch & Putt course

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Adventure Golf in Windsor

A look back at the Adventure Golf course at Extreme Motion in Windsor, Berkshire.

I first played the course on the 21st June 2014.

We returned to Windsor for a game in May 2015.

The 18-hole Adventure Golf course is notable for the castle tower, a nod to Windsor Castle itself.

It was the 562nd visited and 338th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

On our first visit to the town in May 2009 we played the Eternit-style Miniature Golf courses in the park.

Check out Extreme Motion Windsor for more information.

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How to play minigolf - in three languages

Whereabouts on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour did we find this sign?

How to play minigolf

So wird bahnengolf gespielt

Jouer au minigolf

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Today is Summerween!

Happy Summerween.

Summerween is celebrated annually on the 22nd June.

Will you be carving a Summerween Jack-o-Melon today?

The quirky holiday is also on the second to last Friday of the month of June. That was last Friday.

So you get two bites of the cherry (or should that be watermelon) to celebrate the made up event.

Crazy Golf at Wythenshawe Park, Manchester

A visit to the Crazy Golf course at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester.

We revisited the Crazy Golf course at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester while on our daily outdoor exercised today.

At the Wythenshawe Park Crazy Golf course

It's the first previously played course we've revisited during the coronavirus pandemic.

We first visited the course back on the 25th July 2009 when it became the 114th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

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Woolworths Pick n' Mix Crazy Golf

A look at the Woolworths Pick n' Mix Crazy Golf hole at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry.

The last Woolworths shop in the UK closed in January 2009 so we were amazed to see there was a sign still up at the old Stoke-on-Trent store last year.

There's a Woolworths-themed miniature golf hole at Teezers Retro Golf course in Coventry, we played that course in April 2019.

We also saw the remains of the Woolworths store in Brunstane, Edinburgh in 2011.

Putt-Putt items from Cape Town, South Africa

A look at some ephemera from the Putt-Putt Golf centre at Moullie Point in South Africa.

It was marvellous to receive these Putt-Putt Golf items from Cape Town, South Africa!

A scorecard, discount card, free game card (two free games remaining) and a Putt-Putt Golf ball from South Africa

Many thanks to my friend, supporter of The Crazy Golf Museum and international jetsetter PJ Goedhals for sending them to me. They are from his local course at Moullie Point in South Africa.

The Putt-Putt miniature golf course in Three Anchor Bay in Moullie Point / Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa. Photo by PJ Goedhals

Some of my cousins have visited the course too.

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Putt-Putt's birthday

Today marks 66 years since the world's first Putt-Putt miniature golf course opened.

The first Putt-Putt Golf course was set-up by Don Clayton in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA back in 1954.

Putt-Putt miniature golf is 66 years old today

Today marks 66 years since the world's first Putt-Putt course opened.

The very first Putt-Putt Golf course was created by Don Clayton in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA back in 1954.

Putt-Putt is the only patented game of miniature golf and began in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1954. In the 1960's Putt-Putt franchises began opening outside of the US, in locations such as South Africa, Australia and Japan. There were also courses in the UK, the first of which opened in Sunderland in 1968. Others followed at Flamingo Land in Yorkshire and in Buxton, Derbyshire. However, information on these UK courses is limited.

You can read the Putt-Putt story on the Putt-Putt Fun Centres website.

Tournament Putt-Putt

On the competitive side of the game, official Putt-Putt tournaments have been played since 1959. The first local competition took place in 1955. You can read about the history of the PPA and APA on the Professional Putters Association website.

Televised events

The game has been televised quite a bit over the years, with ESPN in the USA carrying tournaments. Every year they air repeats of Putt-Putt tournaments as part of ESPN 8: The Ocho's programming.

You can watch a number of events from the 1970s to the 2000s on the Putt-Putt Funhouse YouTube Channel.

Playing Putt-Putt

The closest Emily and I have got to being at a Putt-Putt course are some postcards, game tokens, a jigsaw puzzle and a photo one of my family took at a course while in South Africa.

Saying that however, I did win a free round at Putt-Putt of Warren in Ohio last month. I'm looking forward to playing there in the future.

A Putt-Putt postcard from South Africa

I do have some Putt-Putt tokens in my collection. I'm always on the lookout for more though

A look at Putt-Putt courses in the USA and South Africa

Luckily some of our fellow miniature golf enthusiasts, bloggers, minigolf rivals and friends have shared photos of some of their favourite Putt-Putt courses with us.

Putt Putt in Richmond, Indiana. Photo by Tom and Robin at A Couple of Putts

The Putt-Putt Fun Center course in Hickory, North Carolina photographed by Pat Sheridan of The Putting Penguin minigolf website

Pro Putter Matt Bellner playing the Putt-Putt course in Arlington, Texas

  

The Putt-Putt miniature golf course in Three Anchor Bay in Moullie Point / Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa. Photo by PJ Goedhals

Find out more

Check out the Putt-Putt Golf website for more information on Putt-Putt brand minigolf. You can find out more information about Putt-Putt tournaments on the Professional Putters Association (PPA) website.

NO GOLF in Hawk Green, Marple

We saw this NO GOLF sign on our daily walk on The Green in Hawk Green, Marple, Stockport.

Petanque at the Memorial Park in Marple

A look at the Petanque piste at Memorial Park in Marple, Stockport.

We found another Petanque piste while out on our daily walk on Friday. It's at Memorial Park in Marple, Stockport.

It's in a nice setting

We're looking forward to playing Petanque on the piste in the future. We haven't had a game in a while

Last month we saw a sign for a Boules area at Bramhall Park. But couldn't find any trace of the terrain itself.

We play for the Woodstock Petanque Club at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport.

Blockbuster Crazy Golf

A look at the Blockbuster Video minigolf hole at Ghetto Golf in Birmingham.

I revisited the site of the last Blockbuster Video store in Manchester last Sunday. I'd first seen the old shop at Fallowfield Retail Park last October.

Interestingly there is still another 'Blockbuster' store in the UK. It's part of the Ghetto Golf indoor crazy golf course at The Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham.

Jaws Crazy Golf

Jaws is 45 years old today.

Playing the Jaws hole at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry

It's one of my all-time favourite films.

Jaws Crazy Golf

I always enjoy seeing shark obstacles at minigolf courses we visit.

Adventure Golf at Fairhaven Lake in Lytham St Annes

A new Adventure Golf course is being built at Fairhaven Lake in Lytham St Annes on the Fylde coast.

The course is being created by the team at Greenspan Projects.

The new Adventure Golf layout replaces the Crazy Golf course at Fairhaven Lake.

In June 2017 that course became the 436th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

A view of the Crazy Golf course in August 2018

Stonehenge Big Mini Golf

Happy Summer Solstice.

Did you know there's a Stonehenge-themed minigolf course in Hemsby, Norfolk?

We played there in June 2010.

Picture Postcard Magic - Abingdon-on-Thames

Check out my latest guest post on the Picture Postcard Magic blog from Reflections of a Bygone Age. It's about my home town of Abingdon.

Jaws 45

Jaws was released on this day in 1975.

It's one of my favourite films.

I always enjoy seeing shark obstacles at minigolf courses we visit.

Minigolf quiz - Where in the world did we see this Crazy Golf sign?

Where in the world did we see this Crazy Golf course sign on our travels? (country and town)

For a bonus point do you know what "giamocs" means? It's not as obvious as you think!

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Putt18 - World Pro League

New World Pro League announced for the Putt18 game.

The team at Putt18 have announced a new World Pro League for the indoor putting game.

The season tees-off on Wednesday 8th July and players will compete every two weeks for a total of seven events.

More information available via Putt18.

I'm looking forward to competing in the Putt18 World Pro League. It's a tricky and fun putting game to play.

Last month we played in the inaugural Putt18 4 Nations Cup international miniature golf putting competition.