New glow-in-the-dark minigolf course opening in Eastbourne

Eastbourne will soon be home to a new glow-in-the-dark minigolf course.

A new glow-in-the-dark minigolf course called Planet Golf is opening in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

The indoor minigolf venue will be called Planet Golf and is set to be home to 12-holes.

Check out the Planet Golf Eastbourne Facebook Page for more information.

We've played minigolf in Eastbourne on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour before. But not for a few years. And not indoors. We're looking forward to a game at Planet Golf in the future.

Lego Adventure Golf at Legoland Windsor

There are plans for a new Lego Adventure Golf course at Legoland in Windsor.

Legoland Windsor was previously home to an outdoor crazy golf course, but it's long gone.

The new Lego Adventure Golf course will be an indoor attraction and is planned to open in Spring 2023.

Lego Adventure Golf will be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We're big fans of Lego and have long thought a Lego-themed layout - both in real-life and toy form - would be a winning idea.

We never got the chance to play the old Mole-in-One Mini Golf at Legoland Windsor before it closed in 2013. However, it didn't have much, if any, Lego theming to it.

Visit the Legoland Windsor website for more information.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

A look at the old Blockbuster Video shop in Billingham.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

The old Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham town centre, Teesside, England was still standing when we visited last April.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

There were a few remnants inside too.

Many thanks go to LaserDisc Turtle on Twitter for letting us know about the store's existence and Visual Sound on Instagram for letting us know it was still there.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

Blockbuster Video

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were in the UK.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!

We've now been to 27 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop near to us in Manchester.

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Other Blockbusters

We've found a few other 'Blockbuster' stores on our travels - with one former store becoming a book shop called Bookbuster and a Crazy Golf hole themed on a store.

We've also seen out that a new video shop-themed bar called Blockbusters NQ is opening in Manchester's Northern Quarter later this year.

Puttstars Mini Golf opening in Peterborough

A new Puttstars Mini Golf venue is planned to open at the Queensgate shopping centre in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.

Puttstars Mini Golf in Rochdale, June 2021

Puttstars Peterborough will be home to three 9-hole indoor minigolf courses.

Visit the Puttstars Mini Golf website for more information.

There are also Puttstars Mini Golf venues in Rochdale, Leeds, Harrow and York.

We played at Puttstars Rochdale on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour last year.

Crazy Golf at The Ffolkes Inn and Hotel in Hillington, Norfolk

A new Crazy Golf course is being created at The Ffolkes Inn and Hotel in Hillington, Norfolk.

The Ffolkes Inn and Hotel in Hillington, Norfolk will be opening a new Crazy Golf course this year as part of development plans at the venue.

Visit The Ffolkes Inn website for more information.

The Ffolkes Inn and Hotel is near King's Lynn and that is something of a regular stopping point for us when travelling to visit family in Norfolk. It's great to know there'll be a new place there to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Adventure Golf at Lightwater Country Park in Surrey

A new Adventure Golf course is being created at Lightwater Country Park in Surrey.

The team behind Dinton Adventure Golf and Wardown Adventure Golf in Luton are creating a wildlife-themed Adventure Golf layout at Lightwater Country Park in Surrey.

It'll be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Mini Golf at Lane7 in Edinburgh

The new Lane7 venue at St James Quarter in Edinburgh will soon be home to a mini golf course.

The new Lane7 location at the St James Quarter shopping and entertainment centre in Edinburgh is already home to ten-pin bowling, ping pong, darts, shuffleboard and more.

Check out the Lane7 website for more information.

Mini Golf at Lane7

We've played minigolf at Lane7 in Newcastle upon Tyne on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and are looking forward to playing at their other venues in the future.

Mini Golf at Lane7

Minigolf dates for your 2022 diary

Key minigolf dates for the year ahead.

As ever there are two key dates for your diary - National Miniature Golf Day and Miniature Golf Day.

National Miniature Golf Day 2022

National Miniature Golf Day takes place on the second Saturday in May. In 2022 that is Saturday, 14th May.

Miniature Golf Day 2022

Miniature Golf Day is always on the 21st September. This year that will be a Wednesday.

Tournament minigolf

It's also worth keeping an eye on the websites of national minigolf associations and international federations to see what competitions and tournaments are coming up.

The British Minigolf Association and its clubs and courses have a number of events pencilled into the 2022 season.

You can find out more about the World Minigolf Sport Federation and its events on the WMF website.

International Mini Golf Summit

Our friends at The Putting Penguin, A Couple of Putts and O-Street Mini Golf in the USA are organising an International Mini Golf Summit in Texas in April 2022. Further information and registration details will be available in mid-to-late January.

Other minigolf events

If you know of or hear about any other minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf or putting events please do let us know.

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Manor Park in Glossop

Our last minigolf course visit of 2021 was to the Crazy Golf course at Manor Park in Glossop, Derbyshire.

The course was originally the 743rd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in June 2017.

Happy New Year

Here's to another interesting year!

What a long road it's been in 2021

All the very best for 2022.

So that was 2021

What a crazy year. Again.

2021 was certainly another interesting year in the life of planet Earth.

It's been a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong year!

With plenty of uncertainty, ever-changing rules / guidance / laws, and the threat of coronavirus at every turn it's been a tricky year in a number of ways.

Despite the obstacles and hazards that have abounded we've still been able to play a bit of minigolf this year.

The last courses we played this year were at Looney Golf in Bradford - quite an aptly named course for the times we're living in!

We've been to a total of 29 new courses to us (playing at eleven of them) on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in 2021. We've also revisited a number of courses from years gone by.

We have also seen a lot of new minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf courses opening this year too, with more planned to open in the coming months.

Here's hoping 2022 will be a better year for us all.

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Revisiting the Crazy Golf course in Glossop's Manor Park.

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

We had an afternoon in Glossop on Tuesday and made what is likely to be our last minigolf course visit of 2021 when we swung by the Crazy Golf course at Manor Park in the town.

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

The course was originally the 743rd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in June 2017. It became the 438th played the following month when conditions were drier.

The course hasn't changed a great deal in that time.

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

We had a nice walk round the park and are looking forward to returning again in the Spring or Summer.

Minigolf loyalty card from Aces Minigolf Gloucester

A look at a minigolf loyalty card from Aces Minigolf Gloucester.

From the Crazy Golf Museum vaults - a minigolf loyalty card from our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit to Aces Minigolf Gloucester at Dobbies Garden Centre in Gloucester, Gloucestershire earlier this year.

Minigolf loyalty card from Aces Minigolf Gloucester

Check out Aces Minigolf Gloucester for more information.

Merry Christmas

Happy Christmas!

We want to wish you a very happy Christmas and all the very best for the New Year!

Have a brilliant day.

A wintery scene on the Miniature Golf course at Solna Bangolfklubb in Stockholm, Sweden in 2018. Hopefully we'll get to travel to Sweden again in the future

Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal

Christmas Crazy Golf at Teezers Golf in Coventry.

Teezers Crazy Golf in Coventry

We played at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry on Easter Sunday in April 2019. One of the holes on the course is this Home Alone-themed Christmas Crazy Golf layout.

Playing Teezers Crazy Golf in Coventry

Check out the Teezers Golf website for more information.

Teezers Crazy Golf in Coventry

New Aquatica course at Globalls in Brighton

A new indoor minigolf course has opened in Brighton.

The team at GLOBALLS in Brighton have opened a new 12-hole UV Crazy Golf course at their new location at Brighton Marina. Many thanks to them for sending over these snaps of the new course.

New GLOBALLS Aquatica Crazy Golf course. Photo by GLOBALLS Brighton

The new layout at GLOBALLS is called Aquatica and has an underwater-theme to it.

New GLOBALLS Aquatica Crazy Golf course. Photo by GLOBALLS Brighton

It looks like an ace place to play. Especially so as I'm a BIG fan of both glow-in-the-dark and sea-themed minigolf courses.

We're yet to visit GLOBALLS, but have friends who have. We're looking forward to swinging by on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Check out the GLOBALLS website for more information on the courses they have and to keep up-to-date with their updates as there are more new courses to follow!

15 years ago today

A look back at the 10th course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We visited the 10th course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on this day in 2006. On a bitterly cold 23rd December 2006 Emily, Christopher and I headed along to the Horse and Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire to have a game on their beer garden Crazy Golf course.

And what a course it was - we'd not seen anything like it before. And we haven't seen anything quite like it since!

Crazy Golf at the Horse and Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire - December 2006

We revisited the course in April 2011 and while it was a bit drier, it was still a very mossy layout.

Crazy Golf at the Horse and Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire - April 2011

Little did we know back then that our interest in crazy golf would become an obsession and that we'd visit 982 courses in the last 15 years.

Together with Christopher and his family we've now been to a grand total of 1,017 courses since we all picked up a putter on the 30th September 2006.

A scorecard from Looney Golf in Bradford

A look at a minigolf scorecard from Looney Golf in Bradford.

A scorecard from Looney Golf in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

A scorecard from Looney Golf in Bradford

A scorecard from Looney Golf in Bradford

From our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit to Looney Golf earlier this month.

Visit the Looney Golf website for more information.

A Filwood Fantastic Crazy Golf badge

A look at a badge from the Filwood Fantastic Crazy Golf course in Knowle West, Bristol.

From the Crazy Golf Museum vaults - a badge from the Filwood Fantastic Crazy Golf course in Knowle West, Bristol, England.

A Filwood Fantastic Crazy Golf badge

The real life mini golf course was created during the pandemic and the ideas for the hole designs were generated by members of the Knowle West community during Lockdown 1.

The Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club's 9-hole Crazy Golf course was the 966th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Visit the Filwood Community Centre website for more information.

A Crazy Golf scorecard from Pennywell Farm in Buckfastleigh, Devon

A look at a Crazy Golf scorecard from Pennywell Farm in Buckfastleigh, Devon.

From the Crazy Golf Museum vaults - a minigolf scorecard from my brother Christopher Gottfried's Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit to Pennywell Farm in Buckfastleigh, Devon, England earlier this year.

A Crazy Golf scorecard from Pennywell Farm in Buckfastleigh, Devon

A Crazy Golf scorecard from Pennywell Farm in Buckfastleigh, Devon

Visit the Pennywell Farm website for more information.