The Big Mini Golf Tour 2022 tees-off on Saturday 14th May

The Big Mini Golf Tour 2022 tees-off on National Miniature Golf Day - Saturday 14th May.

Miniature golf courses across the Greater Yarmouth Tourism & Business Improvement Area have come together to promote the game.

The four-month event highlighting miniature golf courses across the Greater Yarmouth area tees-off on National Miniature Golf Day, Saturday 14th May 2022 and runs until Miniature Golf Day on Wednesday 21st September 2022.

More information will be available across the Big Mini Golf Tour social media channels, here on the blog and from the minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf and putting courses taking part.

The event tees-off on National Miniature Golf Day, Saturday 14th May 2022 and runs until Miniature Golf Day on Wednesday 21st September 2022.

Putter Chaos Adventure Golf opening in Middlesbrough

A new indoor adventure golf course is opening in Middlesbrough town centre.

Construction is underway, with the course planned to open in April.

Check out the Putter Chaos Adventure Golf website for more information.

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

75 Days Until The Big Mini Golf Tour Tees-Off in Great Yarmouth

The Big Mini Golf Tour 2022 tees-off in 75 days - Adventure, Crazy and Mini Golf courses in Great Yarmouth, Clippesby, Hemsby & Gorleston-on-Sea will be taking part.

Day one of the event is on Saturday 14th May - National Miniature Golf Day.

Visit The Big Mini Golf Tour to find out more.

There are 75 days until National Miniature Golf Day

There are just 75 days until National Miniature Golf Day 2022.

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

A Happy Shopper in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire

A visit to a Happy Shopper shop in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

We made a stopover in Wisbech while en route to Norwich last November and while there found a Happy Shopper shop!

The Pleasant News Happy Shopper in Wisbech

Pleasant News on Edinburgh drive certainly lived up to its name.

The shop had one of the 'newer' Happy Shopper signs outside (the one without the Happy Shopper mascot on it), but inside was a different story.

It was like stepping back in time.

The Open/Closed sign was a classic Happy Shopper branded one.

We were happy the shop was open

And the shelf fronts had branded strips on them.

Chatting to the shopkeeper was nice and he told us about the shop's history and plans for the future, with his family opening a new shop on the same parade. Luckily the Happy Shopper branding at Pleasant News will be staying for the time being.

I remember when those crisps were 10p a bag

Happy Shopper nostalgia

We've felt very nostalgic during the pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.

We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.

Since then we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more on our somewhat limited travels. Take a look at my posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:

• Preston
• Sheffield (Sharrow Lane)
• Sheffield (Page Hall Road)
• Ilkeston
• Hitchin
• Ashwellthorpe
• Lowestoft (2011)
• Lowestoft (2021)
• Wisbech
• Sittingbourne

Adventure Golf at High Lodge in Suffolk

A new Adventure Golf course is being created at High Lodge in Suffolk.

The team behind Dinton Adventure Golf, Wardown Adventure Golf in Luton and Lightwater Country Park in Surrey are creating a woodland-themed Adventure Golf layout at High Lodge in Suffolk.

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

A minigolf postcard from Great Yarmouth. Sent in 1927

Stepping back in time for a look at minigolf in Great Yarmouth in the 1920s.

One of the earliest miniature golf postcards I have in my collection is this one showing the Putting Green on Marine Parade in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Putting Green, Great Yarmouth. Postcard postally used on the 11th November 1927

The postcard was sent to Hayes, Middlesex on the 11th November 1927.

You can see the Hippodrome in the left of the image and this building is still standing and is the Hippodrome Circus on St George's Road. If you visit now you'll find a row of buildings in front of the Hippodrome itself!

You will also find that there is still a minigolf course on the same spot as the Putting Green.

Castaway Island Adventure Golf on Marine Parade in Great Yarmouth in 2016

Now called Castaway Island Adventure Golf the site was an Arnold Palmer Putting Course that we played a number of times on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Playing the Arnold Palmer Putting Course on Marine Parade in Great Yarmouth in June 2011

It's proof, if proof were needed, that Great Yarmouth has long been a minigolf hot-spot.

Minigolf Putting in the UK

The first miniature golf course in the world was created at St Andrews in Scotland in 1867. That links course is still there.

The decades that followed saw a boom in the game with minigolf courses popping up around the country. In 1926 the first Crazy Golf course opened in England, with the layout created on South Parade in Skegness, Lincolnshire.

Minigolf in Great Yarmouth

There are a number of brilliant mini, crazy, putting and adventure golf courses on the seafront in Great Yarmouth, as well as in the wider Greater Yarmouth areas of Gorleston-on-Sea and Hemsby.

The minigolf courses in the seaside resort will play host to the Big Mini Golf Tour - a campaign to highlight the courses in the area this Spring and Summer season.

Project Bunkerz Mini Golf in Middlesbrough

Project Bunkerz Mini Golf is opening in Middlesbrough.

A new indoor mini golf course is opening in Middlesbrough town centre.

Check out the Project Bunkerz website for more information.

It'll be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour next time we're in Teesside.

Crazy Golf at Worzals in Wisbech

There are plans for a new Crazy Golf course to be built as part of development at Worzals Garden Centre in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

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

Keep an eye on the Worzals website for more information.

Mini-golf Nausicaà in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France

A look at the Mini-Golf course in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.

My brother Christopher and his family made their first Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit of the year - and their 50th overall - to Mini-golf Nausicaà in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France earlier this week.

Check out Mini-golf Nausicaà on Facebook for more information.

The course in the evening

Together we have now visited a combined total of 1,018 courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

New Mini-Golf course planned for Folkestone

There are plans for a new mini-golf course to be created at Folkestone's Harbour Arm.

A new 12-hole mini-golf course could be created at the Folkestone Harbour Arm in Folkestone, Kent.

The course would be designed by City Golf Europe.

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

We've played minigolf in Folkestone before and have played a number of City Golf courses over the year.

Hackers Crazy Golf opening in Billericay, Essex

The new crazy golf course and escape room venue in Billericay, Essex is opening soon.

Hackers Crazy Golf will be an indoor venue located in the former Argos store in the town centre.

As well as having a 16-hole crazy golf course the location will be home to a number of escape room experiences.

The venue is planned to open in late February 2022.

Visit the Hackers website for more information.

Retailtainment and minigolf

A number of shopping malls, town centres and retail parks are adding minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf and other experiential entertainment and activity leisure offerings to their sites to attract and retain customers.

Abingdon Bun Throwing to be held on Sunday 5th June 2022

There will be a Bun Throwing to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee this year.

Abingdon Town Council has announced that a Bun Throwing event will be held in the town to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on Sunday 5th June 2022.

The town celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a Bun Throwing back in 2012.

Currant buns from the bun throwing that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. A total of 6,000 buns were thrown on that occasion 

The last bun throwing held in the town to date was in 2018 to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War. That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

The tradition sees the mayor and other dignitaries climb to the top of the old County Hall to throw hundreds or thousands of currant buns down to the townsfolk gathered in the market place below.

Visit the Abingdon Town Council website for more information on the jubilee events.

American Mini Golf Alliance - AMA

There's a new minigolf organisation in the USA.

The American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) was recently formed in the USA, with the organisation bringing together a number of groups and players.

Competitive miniature golfers and putting enthusiasts from across the US including A Couple of Putts (Minnesota), O-Street Mini Golf (New Jersey), and The Putting Penguin (Connecticut / DC) connected back in 2019 and have now come together to create the American Mini Golf Alliance.

The founders of the AMA have been actively involved in the US and the national world of mini golf for years across the realms of competitions, design, and documentation of the game. As the group were looking for ways to connect other people passionate about the game, they thought it would be valuable to find new ways to more broadly incorporate the myriad of ways people engage with the sport of mini golf. 

Check out the American Mini Golf Alliance website and social media channels for more information and updates.

Manor Park Crazy Golf in Glossop

A view of the Crazy Golf course at Manor Park in Glossop, Derbyshire.

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. It became the 438th played when we returned in better weather conditions the following month.

The Big Mini Golf Tour - coming to Greater Yarmouth in 2022

The Big Mini Golf Tour - highlighting miniature golf courses in the Greater Yarmouth area.

Miniature golf courses across the Greater Yarmouth Tourism & Business Improvement Area have come together to promote the game.

The four-month event highlighting miniature golf courses across the Greater Yarmouth area tees-off on National Miniature Golf Day, Saturday 14th May 2022 and runs until Miniature Golf Day on Wednesday 21st September 2022.

More information will be available across the Big Mini Golf Tour social media channels, here on the blog and from the minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf and putting courses taking part.

Greater Yarmouth Tourism & Business Improvement Area

Funding from Visit Great Yarmouth/GYTABIA has helped to bring you the ‘Big Mini Golf Tour’. Visit Great Yarmouth/GYTABIA uses money raised from a business improvement district levy which is designed to raise the profile of the area, increase the number of people visiting and staying, improve the visitor experience and increase repeat visits, encourage people to stay longer and to visit more attractions and to provide incentives and opportunities to spend more in local businesses.

Head to the Visit Great Yarmouth/Greater Yarmouth Tourism & Business Improvement Area website for further information.

Minigolfing in Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth was one of the first places we chose to visit on what has become our mammoth Crazy World of Minigolf Tour as we knew there were so many courses to visit there!

The seaside town and local area is a real minigolf hot-spot with a brilliant mixture of miniature golf courses. You can find Adventure Golf courses, Crazy Golf and Indoor Adventure Golf in Great Yarmouth itself, Crazy Golf and Grass Putting in Gorleston-on-Sea and Adventure Golf in Hemsby.

The town is also home to the some of the UK's first Adventure Golf layouts, as well as England's first indoor Crazy Golf course. Last summer my brother Christopher and his family even found a Crazy Golf course set-up on the beach!

We're really looking forward to returning to the Greater Yarmouth area again for some more putting fun.

World Crazy Golf Championships 2022

Entries are now open to the 2022 World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings.

The World Crazy Golf Championships tournament will be held at Hastings Adventure Golf in East Sussex, England on the 10th, 11th and 12th June.

You can find out more about the event and entry details on the Hastings Adventure Golf website.

Emily playing in the World Crazy Golf Championships

Emily and I both made our debuts in the 2007 edition of the event when it was known as the Virgin Money World Crazy Golf Championships. It was Emily's first ever minigolf tournament.

The competition is played on the 18-hole Crazy Golf course at Hastings Seafront. The layout is of the Arnold Palmer Putting Course variety.

Richard Gottfried playing in the final of the 2009 World Crazy Golf Championships

The course was the 39th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in October 2007. We've now been to 982 courses.

Richard Gottfried playing in the World Crazy Golf Championships

The World Crazy Golf Championships began in 2003. Three-time World Crazy Golf Champion Marc 'The Force' Chapman will be defending the title in the 19th edition of the event.

Globetrotters Crazy Golf heading to Lewes

Globetrotters Crazy Golf will have a pop-up course at the Abyss Brewery in Lewes during April.

The team at Globetrotters Crazy Golf have plans to create a permanent venue in Brighton this year.

Visit the Globetrotters Crazy Golf website for more information.

Par 59 mini golf opening in Cardiff

The new Par 59 minigolf venue in Cardiff, Wales is opening on Friday 18th March.

Par 59 will feature two 9-hole indoor mini golf courses along with a bar and restaurant.

The Par 59 brand is backed by footballer Gareth Bale.

Visit the Par 59 website for more information.

It'll be a new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour next time we're in the city.

Jump Heaven Adventure Golf in Stockport

New Adventure Golf course opening at Jump Heaven in Stockport.

The new Pirate Adventure Golf course at Jump Heaven in Hazel Grove, Stockport is opening on Tuesday 1st March.

Visit the Jump Heaven website for more information.

It's the first Adventure Golf course to open in Stockport and will be very local to us and our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We took a look at the progress of the build in December.

100 Days until National Miniature Golf Day 2022

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

Happy Groundhog Day 2022

It's Groundhog Day!

The big question today is will Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators see his shadow and predict six more weeks of winter, or will he predict an early spring?

Mr Mulligans Mini Golf opening in Worcester

A new Mr Mulligans Mini Golf course is opening in Worcester.

A new indoor minigolf course is opening on Worcester High Street later this year.

The Mr Mulligans Mini Golf centre is planned to open in Worcester, Worcestershire in the summer.

We've played a number of Mr Mulligans courses on our travels and the new course in Worcester will be another to add to our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the Mr Mulligans website for more information.

Crazy Golf at Manor Park in Glossop

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Manor Park in Glossop, Derbyshire.

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. It became the 438th played when we returned the following month.

New Adventure Golf course at Aylesbury Golf Centre in Bierton, Buckinghamshire

Plans for a new Adventure Golf course at Aylesbury Golf Centre in Bierton, Buckinghamshire.

There are plans for a new Plans for a new outdoor Adventure Golf course at Aylesbury Golf Centre in Bierton, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

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

Putters Crazy Golf at the Urban Playground in the Manchester Arndale Centre

The Urban Playground in the Manchester Arndale Centre is opening soon.

We were in Manchester on Saturday and swung by the new Urban Playground in the Arndale Centre to see if it was open yet.

It wasn't.

It does look like the venue is almost finished though.

The Urban Playground will be home to Putters Crazy Golf - a high-tech minigolf course.

We first took a look at the Urban Playground Mini Golf at the Arndale Centre in Manchester last October.

It'll be a new place to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the Urban Playground website for more information.

Mini Golf in Watford

A look at Mini Golf courses in Watford, Hertfordshire.

One of the first miniature golf courses we ever played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was at TopGolf in Watford. A course we returned to many times when we lived nearby.

With the popularity of minigolf booming there have been a number of new courses opening in the town, including:

• Putt Club Crazy Golf 
• Glow in One Golf
• Puttshack

There is also a Crazier Golf course being created as part of the new Boom: Battle Bar at the Atria Watford shopping centre.

The Adventure Golf course at TopGolf in Watford was the 8th played on our travels in 2006. We've now been to 982 courses.

Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Manchester (January 2022)

A visit to the old Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester.

I took another look at the former Blockbuster Video store at Fallowfield Retail Park while driving back from Manchester city centre on Saturday 22nd January.

The unit next door has now closed down and there are plans to create a new supermarket on the site.

The graffiti wasn't there the last time I looked

It'll be a shame to see this video shop relic from another time lost forever. It's an interesting and fun little time capsule.

All Rental Returns

I first noticed the remains of the Blockbuster Video store while driving to Manchester in October 2019.

The sign that first caught my attention

Someone has tried posting something in the QuikDrop box!

Blockbuster Video Stores

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.

• 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

New Birdies Crazy Golf course opening in London

A new Birdies Crazy Golf venue is opening in Angel, London.

The team at Birdies Crazy Golf are creating a new venue at the Angel Central shopping centre in North London.

It'll be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when we're next in the capital.

We played the first Birdies pop-up crazy golf course when it was in The Vaults underneath Waterloo station in 2015. Back then it was among the first wave of new-style of 'competitive socialising' miniature golf venues in London.

Birdies Crazy Golf also has a course in Battersea, London. We've yet to play there.

Visit the Birdies Crazy Golf website for more information.

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.