Putt18 World Pro League - Week 4

I'll be teeing-off in week 4 of the Putt18 World Pro League at 4.45pm this Friday, 21st August.

You can watch my four rounds live on Facebook.

----

More information on the Putt18 golf game mat can be found on the Putt18 website.

-----

Sign-up to receive the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour enewsletter

Hastings Adventure Golf - social distancing in numbers

A look at the work of Hastings Adventure Golf in the time of Coronavirus.

The three miniature golf courses at Hastings Adventure Golf reopened with social distancing measures in place in June.

The team at the south coast seaside venue have put together an informative film showing the stats from the work they've been doing.

Check out the Hastings Adventure Golf website for more information.

Hole 4 of the Crazy Golf course at Hastings Adventure Golf, one of my favourite courses

Competitive socialising

A look at the world of competitive socialising.

Before the coronavirus pandemic the phrase 'competitive socialising' had become a popular way to describe going out and having fun, with a number of new businesses catering to the demand of a public who wanted to compete at something while eating and drinking in a nice setting.

Whether it was table tennis, darts, shuffleboard, bingo, tenpin bowling, arcade games, or my personal favourite crazy golf, people were finding new ways to quench their thirst, have fun and compete without signing-up to a full sports league or taking things too seriously.

But we all know you have to take competitive socialising seriously – right?

'Competitive socialising' may, for the time being at least, have been replaced on a lot of people's lips by 'social distancing'. But when we're able to safely and fully emerge from isolation and lockdown there will be an appetite for playing games, having fun and doing new things.

Some of those experiences may not actually be totally new though, as people will want to experience the things they enjoyed, or were good at before lockdown.

Similarly, competitive socialising taps into nostalgia, retro experiences and halcyon days. Things that could feel even more important to people in the next few years as the world gets to grips with the effects of social distancing and the impact of the pandemic.

Competitive socialising wasn't a new thing. Instead it was a new way to describe something humans have done for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. While many of the sports and games we enjoy were codified in the last 150 years or so, people have been competing against one another – for honour, pride, money and bragging rights – for centuries.

Read more about keeping social and competitive in the new world of physical distancing in my blog post Competitive socialising in isolation.

I've also collated a number of blog posts about the pandemic as well as topics including Retailtainment, Artainment and Minigolf in the Time of Coronavirus at The Coronavirus (Ham & Egger) Files.

A postcard from Stockport

Dropping you a line from the Greater Manchester High Risk Coronavirus Protection Area Lockdown Zone.

Pop Putt pop-up minigolf on Walmer seafront

There's a new pop-up minigolf course on Walmer seafront in Kent.

The minigolf course is located next to the paddling pool on Walmer seafront and is open daily 9am-6pm.

Visit the Pop Putt Facebook Page for more information.

-------

Join our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour enewsletter mailing list

Kansas Fried Chicken in Handforth

Finding a 'KFC' in Handforth, Cheshire.

Another of the 'KFCs' we've seen on our travels is this Kansas Fried Chicken in Handforth.

There are other Kansas Fried Chicken shops in the Manchester and Cheshire area, including one in Didsbury Village.

Hidden in plain sight

It's funny what you see when you look back on your travels.

With my current, new found interest in seeking out old Blockbuster Video stores while there are still traces of them, I checked out if there used to be any in Suffolk ahead of our next visit to see family and friends in the area.

In a normal year we'd have been to Ipswich and Felixstowe a number of times already by now. Felixstowe is probably our most visited seaside of all time, with the minigolf courses in the town our most revisited.

Sadly we've been there a grand total of zero times in 2020.

Looking online Felixstowe was once home to a Blockbuster Video store on Crescent Road.

Strangely I inadvertently blogged about it in 2017! In a way.

When I saw the location of the former store I knew I'd seen it before.

Back in 2017 I was alerted to the fact there was a new American Diner in Felixstowe that served a 98% gluten free menu. Something that intrigued me as it's a strange thing to offer as everyone with Coeliac Disease needs 100% gluten free food!

Looking at that blog post I noticed a remnant of its time as a Blockbuster. Can you see what it is?

Look closely^

Yes, the original Blockbuster Video sign was still in place and the big torn ticket outline is clear to see!

Blockbuster!

It's always interesting to see shadows, ghosts and remnants from a bygone time. Here in Cheadle Hulme you can still see the outline of the old Blockbuster Video logo on what is now a Majestic Wine Warehouse.

National Rollercoaster Day

Happy National Rollercoaster Day.

The 240th course we played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was underneath TWO rollercoasters at Fantasy Island in Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire back in 2011.

----------

Join our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour enewsletter mailing list

Gator Adventure Golf in Chorley

A visit to play Gator Adventure Golf at Escape Entertainment in Chorley.

We played at the first new course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since February this year when we swung by Gator Adventure Golf at the Escape Entertainment venue in Chorley, Lancashire on Thursday 13th August.

The Floridian-themed Adventure Golf course at Escape Entertainment in Chorley's Market Walk shopping and entertainment centre is an 18-hole indoor layout. It looked superb and the overall venue was nicely set-up.

The entrance to the course

As our out-of-home putting adventures have largely been paused by the pandemic, Gator Adventure Golf was the first course either of us has played in the time of coronavirus.

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Gator Adventure Golf became the 955th course visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

The last round I played was back on the 9th March while our last round together was on the 19th January!

Before our visit to Gator Adventure Golf the last totally new course played on our tour was back on the 25th February.

Minigolf in the time of social distancing

How times have changed since then - and not just the difference between playing wearing big coats for those winter rounds and masks for indoor entertainment now!

We have understandably been apprehensive about going out. We've started travelling a little further afield than Stockport in recent weeks to get a change of scenery and shake up our exercise routine.

Chorley isn't too far to drive to and we'd planned to have a nice socially distanced evening walk round the town to get our steps in for the day. We knew the Gator Adventure Golf course had opened in the new Market Walk entertainment and shopping complex last year and would've likely checked it out earlier this year if it hadn't been for Covid-19 stalling the world.

There were a fair few sanitisation points around the venue

After parking up we headed to Escape Entertainment to have a look and see what it was like. After walking round the outside and seeing the open signs we popped inside, sanitised our hands and headed upstairs for a quick look.

Just Alligators and Coronavirus to contend with!

The venue is operating adjusted hours to normal at the moment so was closing at 8pm. We arrived at 7.30pm and luckily were able to have a quiet round with the course to ourselves. It was actually the perfect way to get back into the swing of minigolfing and nice to pick up a putter again after so long.

There was lots of social distancing signage. It was prominent but not too distracting

Teeing-off

Speaking of which, the process for getting us out on the course was straightforward and gave peace of mind. The three members of staff we spoke to - at a great distance - were all friendly and professional and our thanks go to them for helping us have a fun experience.

All set to tee-off

After giving our details for track and trace to one member of staff at the desk near the entrance another member of staff was getting our cleaned putters, golf balls, pencil and scorecard over by the course. We were told to leave our clubs and balls in the bucket at the exit.

Clean clubs

Heed the warnings during your round

At the end of the round

Playing again

After collecting our equipment we stepped onto the course and our first game of minigolf in the time of coronavirus got underway!

Hole 3 - the airboat - was my favourite

The theming of the holes, the surroundings and artwork on the walls really add to the experience, as do the nice touches such as the lighting and sound effects on some of the holes.

The course and surroundings look wonderful

There were some very tricky obstacles and hazards over the 18-holes including some volcanoes, plateaus and doglegs that were nigh on impossible to score a hole-in-one on.

Hole 3 was a dogleg with a plateau!

Hole 1 had a very tough green to putt up onto

Part of the back 9 had a sea theme

Hole 13 had an interesting obstacle on the green...

...a vibrating disc to put you off your putt!

In our minigolf match-up I took the win with a score of 43 to Emily's 53. Ever since we started competing against each other there's either one shot between us, or ten!

As well as the Gator Adventure Golf course Escape Entertainment in Chorley is home to tenpin bowling, a bar and restaurant.

For more information, opening times and prices visit the Gator Adventure Golf at Escape Entertainment website.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stats:

• 955 courses visited since September 2006
• 916 courses visited in the British Isles
• 543 courses played overall
• 14 new courses visited in 2020
• 7 new courses visited in the time of coronavirus
• 36 courses visited in 2020, including revisits

When the pandemic lockdown hit the UK on the 16th March 2020 we had been to 948 courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006. We've now been to 955 minigolf courses. We've got 40 of the original 600 we set out to visit left and a lot of new courses to play at too!

-------

Join our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour enewsletter mailing list

Luigi's Pizzaria in Little Hulton

Spotting a super takeaway in Little Hulton, Manchester.

Emily's eagle eyes spotted a brilliant sign on a takeaway in Little Hulton, Manchester as we were driving past en route to Chorley.

Seeing Mario and Luigi in other places...

We've also seen Mario Mini Markets in Levenshulme and Reddish, Mario and Luigi ice cream vans in Buxton and Hathersage, Mario movers in Newcastle, Mario's takeaway in Barnsley, and Mario, Luigi and Mario & Luigi takeaways in Blackpool!

Free to play minigolf at Canary Wharf

There's a free to play minigolf course at Bank Street Park in Canary Wharf, London.

The 9-hole minigolf course is open from Thursday to Sunday each week. For more info and opening times visit the Canary Wharf website.

Looking at the photos of the course it is of the Swedish Felt variety.

---

Join our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour enewsletter mailing list

What a 'Steals' in Chorley

A look at a Steals store in Chorley.

We had a nice walk around Chorley town centre yesterday evening and one of the interesting shops we spotted was Steals. It's got some superb signage.

What a shop front - that orange and black colour scheme has a really retro look to it

I hadn't heard of Steals before but looking online it's a bargain clothes shop with branches in Blackpool, Preston, Accrington, Poulton-le-Fylde and Chorley.

The Steals store in Chorley opened on the site of a former Littlewoods Clearance store last year.

What a sign

Check out the Steals Facebook Page for more information.

Artwork on the old British Home Stores in Stockport

A look at the mural artwork on the old BHS in Stockport's Merseyway shopping centre.

The mural on the side of the old BHS in Stockport

BHS became defunct in August 2016, but there are still traces of the brand if you know where to look.

Made in 1978

The building is now home to a Poundland store, however there are two small signs bearing the BHS logo and they are visible at the front of the shop.

One of the last visible signs of the old BHS branding

The side of the building on Deanery Way contains a wonderful mural made up of concrete panels and mosaic tiles and depicts the history of the town over seven hundred years.

Working up Deanery Way from 1239 to 1978

The artwork was designed by Henry Collins and Joyce Pallet and created in 1978.

Here's a look at the five panels, starting with the most recent era (the seventies!) and working back to the year 1239...

Panel 5

Panel 4

Panel 3

Panel 2

Panel 1

Stockport, Cheshire - whether this is, or isn't the case (it isn't), remains a matter of conjecture in the town. It was certainly a big talking point given the location of the recent Greater Manchester Coronavirus Pandemic Lockdown Zone!

New Crazy Golf planned for Fulwood Central in Preston

There are plans for a new Crazy Golf course to be created at the Fulwood Central retail park in Preston.

It'll be another relatively local minigolf course for us to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Retail parks, malls and shopping centres have become a popular location for minigolf courses and other activities as part of retailtainment offerings. This shoppertainment offers customers something extra to shopping and dining, as well as increasing footfall and dwell time at a venue.

Read more in my blog post - Shopping mall minigolf: The growth of shopping centre crazy golf and retailtainment.

--------

Join our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour enewsletter mailing list

Minigolf at Over Farm's new Countryside Adventure

There are plans for a minigolf course to be created as part of the proposed new Countryside Adventure attraction at Over Farm in Gloucester.

Visit the Over Farm website and Facebook Page for more information.

-----

Join our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour enewsletter mailing list

Minigolfing in Oxford's Parks

A look back at three minigolf courses in Oxford's Parks.

On this day in 2009 we played three Swedish Felt Mini Golf courses in Oxford.

We first visited the three Swedish Felt type minigolf courses in my home city on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in December 2008. We got to play them on the 13th August 2009 at the start of a nine-day road-trip that took us around the coast of Wales. Back then you could find layouts in Bury Knowle Park in Headington, Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park and Florence Park in Cowley.

Mini Golf in Bury Knowle Park, Headington.

Emily playing the first of many crazy golf holes we played on the holiday

This Swedish Felt Mini Golf was called Crazy Golf...

...and Putting!

A lesser spotted type of rules sign

Spectating

Swedish Felt Mini Golf courses contain some tricky optical illusion obstacles

Here's another lane that requires precision

Mini Golf at Florence Park in Cowley.

Teeing-off on the second of three courses in Oxford

Emily playing a very tricky obstacle

A nice line

Mini Golf at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park in Oxford.

At the third Swedish Felt Mini Golf course in the third park

Another long, straight shot required

And another!

An uphill dog-leg lane

Mini Golf in Oxford

Sadly the Florence Park Minigolf course was removed in March this year.

The course at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park is now Crazy Croc's Mini Golf.

As far as I'm aware the course at Bury Knowle Park in Headington is still there.

Other places to play minigolf in Oxford include Gravitee Adventure Golf at the Ozone Leisure Park and Junkyard Golf venue in the Westgate Centre.

Earlier this year I found out there's also a minigolf course at the Fulbrook Centre at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

---

Join our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour enewsletter mailing list