The remains of Blockbuster Video in Manchester

A return look at the remnants of the Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester.

I spotted the remains of a Blockbuster Video store while driving to Manchester last October. I returned for a look at the Fallowfield Retail Park location during my lockdown daily outdoor exercise time yesterday.

Some more of the inside of the store has become visible since my first visit. You can now see the remains of a computer system, a CRT TV on a desk and a larger CRT TV hanging from the ceiling.

How TV's should be

I wonder what the last film trailer to be shown on that telly was?

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013.

Oh how times have changed since then.

Social distancing

As with all of the other shops at Fallowfield Retail Park the pathways and walls have had Covid-19 social distancing signs and stickers added.

There's nobody around to observe social distancing from

It's quite something to see the remains of a defunct brand from 'the before times' alongside the signs-of-the-times during the coronavirus pandemic.

A Covid-19 social distancing sign on the exterior of the long since closed Blockbuster store

The tented bay you can see in the right of the photo is part of a drive-in Covid-19 test facility!

A look at the old store

Did you ever rent games from Blockbuster? I remember buying a few ex-rental PlayStation games from the Luton store in the early noughties

Frozen in time

I wonder what the last item to be dropped in here was?

Some old paperwork

Unfortunately in the coming months and years we are likely to see a number of other brands disappear.

The last Blockbuster

There is currently one independently owned franchise still operating as Blockbuster in the USA and you can find it in Bend, Oregon.

We were planning to visit Portland, Oregon later this year. The Blockbuster in Bend is 174 miles from Portland and a 3-hour journey by car.

There used to be a Carphone Warehouse in Fallowfield. That store was another casualty of the retail wars. They actually bought Tandy when that went out of business too. My first job was at a Tandy franchise in my home town back in the 1990s

Blockbuster Crazy Golf

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.

The Blockbuster Video hole at Ghetto Golf in Digbeth, Birmingham

Do you have a favourite defunct brand? Are the remains of an old brand still visible on a building where you live or work? Do let me know.

Mini Golf in Dovercourt, Essex

A look at the miniature golf courses in Dovercourt.

We visited Dovercourt in Essex way back in May 2009. There we found a 6-hole Swedish Felt Mini Golf course and a Putting Green on the seafront on Low Road.

We recently asked where this course was on our Facebook Page and had some interesting guesses and only one correct answer.

The Mini Golf course was the 92nd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've now been to 948 courses since September 2006.

Since our visit over a decade ago another Crazy Golf course has been added to the site. You can now play Crazy Golf, Putting, Croquet and Petanque there.

Our visit to Dovercourt was part of a Suffolk, Essex and Hertfordshire minigolfing roadtrip which saw us visit courses at Stonham Barns, Felixstowe, Clacton-on-Sea, Blake End near Braintree and Hemel Hempstead.

Related blog posts:
- Minigolf Course Visit No. 92 - Dovercourt
- Crazy Golf in Dovercourt, Essex
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Minigolf and Crazy Golf in Essex

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A minigolf blog from Lanzarote

A look at some minigolf courses in Lanzarote.

Emily should've been on holiday with her sister Jo in Lanzarote this week. Like many people's holidays this year the trip has been postponed until a later date when it's safe.

Luckily Jo and her husband Les have been to Lanzarote before and have sent us photos of the miniature golf courses they've played and visited there.

Minigolf San Antonio in Lanzarote

Minigolf San Antonio in Lanzarote. Photo by Les Tubby, July 2018

Mini Golf Aquarium in Lanzarote

Mini Golf Aquarium in Lanzarote. Photo by Les Tubby, July 2018

Mini Golf in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote

Mini Golf in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote. Photo by Jo Tubby, October 2014

We've also published guest blog posts from friends who've been to the island too.

Mini Golf in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote

Mini Golf in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote. Photo by Richard Rochester, January 2018

Rooftop Mini Golf in Puerto Del Carmen, Lanzarote

Rooftop Mini Golf in Puerto Del Carmen, Lanzarote. Photo by Brian Butterworth, January 2018

Guest blog posts

Over the years I've published guest blog posts about minigolf courses in 21 countries.

If you live near a course and would like to write about it or contribute some of your photos of it please do get in touch.

Similarly, if you're a minigolf course owner or manager we'd love to hear from you.

A new minigolf course from Spain

While a lot of the world is in lockdown people have been 'Putting at Home', creating their own crazy golf layouts and playing minigolf board games.

The team at Plakks have also taken the time to launch the new Pitch & Plakks indoor minigolf game.

See the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour newsletter archive and sign-up to receive new editions

Putter Madness prep

The team at Putter Madness are getting prepped for when they are able to operate their portable minigolf courses at events in the future.

One of the new pieces of branded signage is this new ‘Please wash your hands’ strut card.

Twelve years gluten free

Today marks my twelve year Coeliac Anniversary - my Coeliacversary.

Twelve years ago today I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease and began my journey into the gluten free world.

What is Coeliac Disease?

Coeliac Disease is a lifelong autoimmune condition, where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. In Coeliac Disease the immune system mistakes substances found inside gluten as a threat to the body and attacks them. This can trigger a number of painful, horrible, stressful and uncomfortable symptoms.

In the UK it's estimated that 1 in 100 people have the condition.

Living a gluten free life

Having suffered from a range of symptoms for around ten years I finally received a positive diagnosis of Coeliac Disease following some 'interesting' and in-depth tests and procedures in 2008. It came as a relief to finally have a name for the mysterious cause of my illnesses and ailments, but at the time I was only given a brief summary and told that I'd have to "cut down on bread and beer". It was only later when I met with a Gastroenterologist and a dietitian that I found out that the only treatment for people with Coeliac Disease is a strict, life-long gluten free diet.

My life as a Coeliac in LEGO form

While having a life-long condition such as Coeliac Disease can be a pain - and horrible if I 'get glutened' - having the disease has had some positives. I've met great people since my diagnosis and have made some brilliant friends who I've met through Coeliac groups. I've also blogged a lot about living with the condition and the great free from food and drink I've found since 2008.


Thank you to everyone for their support, tips, help and recommendations over the years. It's been very much appreciated.

For more information on Coeliac Disease check out the NHS Choices and Coeliac UK websites.

Putt-In-Play - a 1930's minigolf toy

We love the look of this 1930's parlor golf putting game made by Gibbs Toys of Canton, Ohio, USA.

The wooden set originally consisted of the 9-holes, two wooden shafted 5 1/2" putters with metal heads, six steel golf balls, rules, blank score cards and a golf bag.

Do you have a favourite minigolf game or toy? Do let us know.

Foam Golf Set at Lidl

Look what's in the Middle of Lidl!

You can currently get a Foam Golf Set in the middle aisle of Lidl for £14.99.

My brother Christopher spotted this Foam Golf Set while doing his weekly shop in Lidl

A 2016 Carl Carmoni Mini-putt Trading Card

A look at a Carl Carmoni Mini-putt Trading Card from 2016.

Being stuck at home during lockdown I've had a bit more time to look back through my minigolf collection and the Crazy Golf Museum's vaults.

One of the nice items to share is this Carl Carmoni Mini-putt Trading Card from 2016.

Signed by the legend himself

Mini-putt courses are similar in appearance to Putt-Putt courses however they have distinct standardised hole designs and are particular to Canada.

"Mini-putt" is the Québécois term for the game of minigolf, thanks largely to the popularity of the Quebec cable sports show 'Défi Mini-putt' (Mini-putt Challenge) in the 1970s and 80s.

Check out a compilation of hole-in-ones Carl Carmoni scored on the Défi Mini-putt show.

We haven't played the Mini-putt format of the game yet. We're looking forward to a trip to Quebec in the future. It'd be ace to meet Carl and play in a tournament there.

With the great Mini-putt merch in 2016

Emily wearing a Mini-putt t-shirt

Carl Carmoni is a player after my own heart as he reacts with a triumphant shout of "BIRDIE!" every time he hits an ace. I'm known to shout "YEE-HA!" when I score a hole-in-one in competition play.

Check out Carl Carmoni's website and Mini-putt for more information.

My friend, minigolf team-mate and rival Jon Drexler also has a trading card. You can see that card in my blog post from 2013.

Links:
- Carl Carmoni
- Mini-putt
- Richard & Emily Gottfrid at Mini-putt

Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby

Social distancing measures in place at Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby.

Our friends over at Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby, Norfolk have put cleaning and social distancing measures in place and the course is now open to players.

The 9-hole adventure golf course is one of my favourites. The layout has some excellent theming and tricky obstacles. I also love the fact they sell minigolf merchandise and I've added key-rings, mugs and trophies to my collection and the Crazy Golf Museum's vault on my visits.

Playing the course on our first visit in 2009

Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby was the 88th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in May 2009. We've been to a total of 948 courses since September 2006.

What a view. Such a nice spot for a game on a lovely sunny day

An easy 2...

We've also competed in tournaments at the Lost World course. Emily's team was third in the 2010 Lost World Adventure Golf Pro-Am, while my pairing were runners-up in 2011.

Brad Shepherd and Emily at the 2010 tournament. The course provides the perfect setting for a competition

Check out the Lost World Adventure Golf website and Facebook Page for more details, opening times and prices.

We're looking forward to our next visit to Hemsby and the Norfolk coast.

Check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions

International minigolf on the Dull Men's Club blog

Check out the latest blog post on the Dull Men's Club website, it's about us and how we're coping in lockdown.

Minigolfers competing internationally from living room during lockdown — Richard and Emily Gottfried

At the North Bay Crazy Golf course in Scarborough last June. It was our 900th course visit. What a difference a year makes

Pitch & Plakks indoor minigolf game

A look at the new Pitch & Plakks indoor minigolf game.

Post contains affiliate links.

As a BIG fan of everything to do with minigolf I was excited to hear about a new game being launched by the Plakks team in Spain.

The creation of the Pitch & Plakks mini golf game has teed-off on Kickstarter and the campaign runs until Sunday 19th July.

If you are interested in finding out more about Pitch & Plakks and supporting a growing business with a great product please use this link. Any pledges made through it will also support us to continue bringing you brilliant minigolf content.

Pitch & Plakks is the second game from the team at Plakks after they successfully launched the Plakks football game last year.

Competitive leisure

Emily and I are looking forward to creating interesting layouts and playing some Battle Games on the Pitch & Plakks course to continue our competitive isolation fun!

We love playing minigolf - whether it's a full size course, a video game or a board game we're super competitive! 

We've got a number of minigolf toys, games and board games in the Crazy Golf Museum and recently looked at some examples of Parlor Golf games from the 1930's.

The new Kickstarter campaign for the Pitch & Plakks mini golf board game launched yesterday, 9th June, and has already received 330 backers and more than doubled the original pledge goal! It’s superb to see so many people interested in playing the new minigolf game.

More information, FAQs, photos and videos can be found on the Pitch & Plakks Mini Golf game Kickstarter campaign page.

NO BALL GAMES - at a miniature golf course

While playing on the Putting Green at Knaresborough's Castle Yard in 2015 we noticed an interesting sign on the course!

NO BALL GAMES

We're looking forward to going back to Knaresborough, it's one of our favourite places.

Related blog posts:
- NO GOLF
- Knaresborough

Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club in Bristol

Information about the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club in Knowle West, Bristol.

A new home-based minigolf club has been created ahead of the building of a brand new minigolf course in Bristol.

Many thanks to our friend, minigolf rival and Midlands Minigolf Club team-mate Kevin Moseley for letting us know about the new minigolf club and course near him in Bristol.

The Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club has been set-up by artist Megan Clark-Bagnall to introduce fun and creativity during lockdown.

Members of the online Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club are putting together ideas and obstacles in the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club's Facebook Group. The new minigolf course will be opening at Filwood Community Centre later in the year.

It's brilliant to see another example of competitive isolation during the pandemic. We've loved seeing all of the different Putt At Home activities taking place around the world while people haven't been able to get out to play.

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

Check out the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club's Facebook Group and the Filwood Community Centre website for more information.

TT Putting Crazy Golf course in Ramsey on the Isle of Man

A look at the TT Putting Crazy Golf course on the Isle of Man.

In 2018 we had a holiday on the Isle of Man and clocked up five more course visits on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. One of which was the TT-themed Crazy Golf course at Mooragh Park in Ramsey.

The 18-hole TT Putting Crazy Golf course was the 827th visited and 487th played on our travels.

Check out our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions

Crazy Golf at The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre in Preston

A look at the social distancing measures in place on the Crazy Golf course at The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre in Preston.

The 18-hole Secret Garden Crazy Golf course is one of the new minigolf courses we had planned to play before the coronavirus pandemic hit. The course is part of The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre in Preston, Lancashire.

We've heard great things from everyone who has had a chance to play there so far and the photos we've seen of the course have been amazing.

The team at The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre have kindly sent over photos of The Secret Garden Crazy Golf course and details of the measures they've put in place to make it as safe as possible for players and to be COVID-19 Secure in 2020.

The Crazy Golf course is open, however booking is compulsory.

Visit The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre's website for more information, opening times and prices.

In addition to the Crazy Golf course the centre is home to a wide-range of activities that will be reopening in the coming weeks and months.

The impact of coronavirus

It'll be interesting to see the changes to how minigolf is played as lockdown restrictions ease and it becomes safer to get out and about a bit more.

I've been writing about social distancing and the impact of coronavirus on minigolf and competitive socialising venues. You can see more of my posts at 'The Coronavirus (Ham & Egger) Files'.

Social distancing Pitch & Putt

We don't have any adventure, crazy or mini golf courses in Stockport, but we do have a Pitch & Putt miniature golf course at Bruntwood Park in Cheadle Hulme. We saw the social distancing measures in place there while out on our daily exercise recently.

Restarting the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We're looking forward to restarting our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. It's currently paused at 948 course visits. We were on quite a roll this year as we visited 20 courses in the first 20 days of 2020.

We were also closing in on visiting the final 40 courses that were on our original list of 600 when our travels began in 2006.

Links:
- The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre website
- Staying 'COVID-19 Secure' in 2020 video

Related blog posts:
- Preston
- Social distancing
- A look at minigolf and competitive socialising in the time of coronavirus and social distancing

Check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions

2016 - what a year

A look at a minigolf calendar from 2016.

During lockdown I've been looking through the archives and vaults of the Crazy Golf Museum and one of the things I found was this signed Matt "Mattie 5" Bellner calendar from 2016.

What an item!

What a year!

Matt is a professional Putt-Putt player and a member of the US national minigolf team. Check out the Mattie 5 website for more information.

If you had a time machine would you go back in time or forwards into the future?

Putt'n Score minigolf game

A look at the Putt'n Score minigolf game by Hilco Corporation, 2001.

One of a number of minigolf games in the Crazy Golf Museum.

Do you have a favourite miniature golf game, board game or toy?

Social Distancing Minigolf

Seeing new signs at miniature golf courses.

While we're still in lockdown some outdoor minigolf courses have been allowed to reopen as long as they have put in place social distancing measures.

We've seen examples of these measures at our local Pitch & Putt course at Bruntwood Park in Cheadle Hulme.

While out on our daily outdoor exercise we've been photographing social media signs, posters and messages and logging them on Instagram as a record of the times we're living through.

We'd be interested to see the different Covid-19 / social distancing posters and signs at minigolf courses in the UK and around the world.

Take a look at the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Newsletter archive and sign-up to receive future editions

New minigolf postcards?

We love seeing, sending and receiving minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf postcards.

One of two postcard designs you can find at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing

Do you know of any new/contemporary ones?

Does your course produce them?

Please do get in touch.