Filwood Crazy Golf in Knowle West, Bristol

The story of the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf course.

Check out this superb video telling the story of how the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf course in Knowle West, Bristol came about.

We loved being a part of the clubhouse and tee party online meetings and to play the unique course and meet the people involved was brilliant.

I managed to score a hole-in-one taking the direct route across the beachy 'bridge'

The real life miniature 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.

I had the honour of cutting the ribbon to officially launch the course alongside Meg - the creative genius who led the lockdown project!

The Filwood Fantastic Crazy Golf course was the 966th course visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 549th we've played since September 2006.

There were so many fantastic people and organisations involved in the project and you can find out more about them via the links to their websites and social media below:

• Filwood Community Centre
• Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club
• Megan Clark-Bagnall
• Claudia Collins aka Claudia the Caddy
• Re:Work Bristol
• Nic Marshall Designs
• Knowle West Beaches
• Julian Wood

Check out the Filwood Crazy Golf Facebook Page and Filwood Community Centre website for more information and opening times.

One month until National Miniature Golf Day 2022

There are two annual minigolf 'days' dedicated to celebrating the game each year.

National Miniature Golf Day

The first is National Miniature Golf Day. It is always marked on the second Saturday in May. This year the date is Saturday 14th May.

Playing the Championship Adventure Golf course in New Brighton, England on National Miniature Golf Day in 2017

Miniature Golf Day

The second of the annual minigolf days is Miniature Golf Day. It is always on the 21st September. This year that will be a Wednesday.

The first miniature golf course

The world's first miniature golf course opened in St Andrews, Scotland in 1867. The Himalayas Putting Course is still open and is a superb place to have a game.

Playing The Himalayas course at the St Andrews Ladies' Putting Club 2012

Playing minigolf around the world

There are tens of thousands of miniature golf courses around the world and millions of people play the game each year.

When our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK and just two of those were indoor venues.

The game has boomed in recent years and there are now more than 1,000 adventure golf, crazy golf and mini-golf layouts in the country, with more new courses opening all the time. Traditionally, a lot of the courses were outdoors in seaside towns, but you can now find courses in towns and cities around the UK.

One month until the Big Mini Golf Tour tees-off

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

We have played in and organised lots of miniature golf competitions, tournaments, challenges and events over the years and this year we are excited to be a part of the Big Mini Golf Tour in the seaside resort of Great Yarmouth.

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.

Mini Golf courses in the Greater Yarmouth area

You can see the details of participating courses in Hemsby, Clippesby, Great Yarmouth and Gorleston-on-Sea in the Big Mini Golf Tour List.

The Big Mini Golf Tour Map of courses in the Greater Yarmouth area

The Big Mini Golf Tour Map of courses is below.

Visit Great Yarmouth

Funding from Visit Great Yarmouth/GYTABIA has helped to bring you the “Big Mini Golf Tour”.

The Big Mini Golf Tour

Check out the Big Mini Golf Tour links for more information.

Swingers Crazy Golf in New York

A new Swingers Crazy Golf venue is opening in New York City.

The New York venue will be the second Swingers Crazy Golf location in the USA following the course at Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. which opened last summer.

The New York Swingers Crazy Golf will feature three indoor Crazy Golf courses at the Virgin Hotel on Broadway in the Flatiron District of New York City.

Check out the Swingers Crazy Golf website for more information.

We played the first Swingers Crazy Golf pop-up course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in Shoreditch back in September 2014. The brand has grown since then, with Swingers in The City opening next to the Gherkin in 2016 and Swingers West End following in 2018.

Emily about to score a hole in one on hole 4 of the Swingers Crazy Golf course in London's West End

Boom: Battle Bar in Bath

A new Boom: Battle Bar is planned to open in Bath, Somerset this year.

The competitive socialising venue will be home to a number of indoor games including minigolf, axe throwing and beer pong.

There are currently 12 Boom: Battle Bars in the UK, with a further 11 opening soon.

Check out the Boom: Battle Bar website for more information.

We played the 'Crazier Golf' course at the original Boom: Battle Bar in Norwich while on a Crazy World of Minigolf Tour trip to East Anglia last year.

Playing hole 1 of the Crazier Golf course at Boom: Battle Bar at the Castle Quarter shopping and entertainment centre in Norwich

New course at Swingers West End Crazy Golf

Changes afoot at Swingers Crazy Golf.

The West End location of Swingers Crazy Golf in London is being extended and will soon feature a third course as well as an all weather roof terrace.

Swingers West End Crazy Golf in London, October 2019

Visit the Swingers Crazy Golf website for more information.

We played the first Swingers Crazy Golf pop-up course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in Shoreditch back in September 2014. The brand has grown since then, with Swingers in The City opening next to the Gherkin in 2016 and Swingers West End following in 2018.

We played the West End Swingers Crazy Golf course in October 2019.

The brand is expanding, with new venues opening in the USA and plans for three more venues next year and five more locations opening in 2024 and 2025.

The Mini Masters miniature golf tournament in Manchester

Looking back at the 'Mini Masters' miniature golf tournament in Manchester.

I won the Mini Masters miniature golf tournament in Manchester back on the 11th April 2009. Time certainly flies!

Mini Master

The Mini Masters was the first of two tournaments I won on the 9-hole Championship Miniature Golf course at what was then Playgolf Manchester. The second event being the Miniature Open in July 2009.

I won the Mini Masters with a three round total of 81 (-24) after scoring 26, 27, and 28.

The course was the 84th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Back then the course wasn't one of our local layouts as we still lived in Luton and travelled up for the events.

The Championship Miniature Golf course is no longer at the centre, but you can find an expanded Championship Miniature Golf layout with two 18-hole courses in New Brighton. The location is no longer a Playgolf venue either. It's now known as the Trafford Golf Centre and is home to two 18-hole dinosaur adventure golf courses. I won the Dino Falls Masters Adventure Golf competition there in 2018 too!

The Cow Putt Adventure Golf at Heaven Farm

A little visit to The Cow Putt Mini Golf at Heaven Farm in Uckfield, East Sussex.

My little brother and founder member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour recently spotted The Cow Putt Adventure Golf course at Heaven Farm in Uckfield, East Sussex.

The Cow Putt Adventure Golf at Heaven Farm in Uckfield, East Sussex. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, April 2022

He and his family didn't have time for a game though.

Visit the Heaven Farm website for more information.

The 18-hole farm-themed adventure golf course at Heaven Farm became the 1,020th course visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Quest Krazy Golf

A look back at the Quest Krazy Golf course at Merry Hill shopping centre in Dudley.

We headed to Dudley to play the Krazy Golf course at Merry Hill shopping centre nine years ago this weekend.

Krazy Golf course at Merry Hill shopping centre

The challenging 9-hole course was the 528th we visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Sadly the unique and colourful layout is no longer there.

Krazy Golf course at Merry Hill shopping centre

Mini Golf at Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan

Visiting the two miniature golf courses at Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan.

We headed to Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan to contest the Great Northern Minigolf Open tournament on the two minigolf courses in the park five years ago this weekend.

It's crazy to think that half a decade has passed already. Although two of those five years don't really count as they were a covid write-off!

First up was the Adventure Golf course.

Adventure Golf at Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan

It was the 700th course we visited in the British Isles and 727th overall.

This was followed by the Crazy Golf layout.

Crazy Golf at Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan

At just £1 per game, the course was the lowest price we'd ever found for an 18-hole course on our travels. Amazing value for money. We still haven't anywhere charging less than a quid a go.

The Haigh Woodland Park Crazy Golf course was the 728th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 701st in the UK.

We've now been to 983 courses on our travels since September 2006.

Great Northern Minigolf Open tournament

Margate's Scott Lancley won the Great Northern Minigolf Open played in Wigan's Haigh Woodland Park on Saturday 8th April.

Played over two rounds on the park's two 18-hole courses, Lancley won with a 36 hole score of 87. I was runner-up on 93, with Ramsbottom's Russ Dent finishing in third place on 95. A total of nine players took part in the first - and to date, only - staging of the event.

Crazy Golf at The Dreadnought Hotel in Callander

There are plans for a Crazy Golf course at The Dreadnought Hotel in Callander, Scotland.

The course will be a temporary, season-long attraction and will operate under the name Pee Wee's Crazy Golf.

Visit the Pee Wee's Crazy Golf Facebook Page for more information.

Mini Golf at Vivary Park in Taunton

Looking back at our visit to the Mini Golf course in Taunton's Vivary Park.

The 380th course we played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the 18-hole Mini Golf course at Vivary Park in Taunton, Somerset.

The layout was the 62nd visited and 17th played on our tour of the South West of England in the summer of 2015. It became the 640th we visited in the UK, and the 661st overall.

We've now been to 983 courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

In our minigolf match up at Vivary Park on the 12th June 2015 Emily scored 45 and I shot a par round of 36.

Check out the photos below to see the 18-holes.

Visit the Vivary Golf & Adventure Centre website for more information.

Adventure Golf at Beverley Holidays in Paignton, Devon

There's a new seaside-themed Adventure Golf course and playground at Beverley Holidays in Paignton, Devon.

Visit the Beverley Holidays website for more information.

American Golf Adventure Golf National Pairs Championship

A look back at the American Golf Adventure Golf National Pairs Championship.

My team-mate Peter Jones and I qualified for the American Golf Adventure Golf National Pairs Championship Final by winning the Welsh Regional Qualifier at Clays Golf Centre on this day in 2017!

Champion minigolfers

In action

Each of the holes on the 9-hole Miniature Golf course at Clays Golf Centre in Wrexham are based on famous holes from big golf.

The American Golf Adventure Golf National Pairs Championship Final was played at The Belfry in September 2017 and was televised on Sky Sports Golf.

You can watch the tournament in the video below from 26m 55s.

You can also watch the American Golf Championship Tour Season Review programme on the American Golf YouTube Channel with the Adventure Golf competition starting at 31m 33s.

Players earned their places in the final by competing in qualifying events at courses in England, Scotland and Wales:

• Great Western Golf Clydebank
• World of Golf Croydon
• Top Golf Watford
• Bristol Golf Centre
• Trent Lock, Long Eaton
• Clays Farm Golf Centre, Wrexham

Action from the TV tournament at The Belfry

Links:

• American Golf
• Clays Golf Centre

Adventure Golf at Zip World Llechwedd

A new underground Adventure Golf course is being created at the slate caverns at Zip World Llechwedd in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales.

It'll certainly be an interesting place to have a game of minigolf.

Visit the Zip World Llechwedd website for more information.

We look forward to playing the new Adventure Golf course at Zip World Llechwedd on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf at Romsey Rapids Sports Complex

There are plans to refurbish the Crazy Golf course at Romsey Rapids Sports Complex in Romsey, Southampton, Hampshire.

We visited the sports-themed Adventure Golf course at Romsey Rapids Sports Complex on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in May 2019.

Adventure Golf at Romsey Rapids Sports Complex in Southampton

Visit the Romsey Rapids Sports Complex website for more information.

Crazy Golf at Naze Marine Holiday Park

New Crazy Golf course at Naze Marine Holiday Park in Walton-on-the-Naze.

A new Crazy Golf course is being created at Parkdean's Naze Marine Holiday Park in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex.

Visit the Naze Marine Holiday Park website for more information.

It's always nice to hear of holiday parks adding minigolf - there's nothing quite like a game of minigolf while on holiday.

Adventure Golf at Wokingham Family Golf

Updates to the Adventure Golf course at Wokingham Family Golf.

The Jurassic Adventure Golf course at Wokingham Family Golf in Wokingham, Berkshire is being updated.

The course will have a further 6-holes added to it to create an 18-hole layout.

Visit the Wokingham Family Golf website for more information.

We're yet to play the Adventure Golf course at Wokingham Family Golf on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

New mini golf holes at Wimborne Model Town in Dorset

Wimborne Model Town in Wimborne, Dorset has added three new holes to its mini golf course.

The model village is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.

Check out the Wimborne Model Town website for more information.

We do enjoy visiting model villages on our travels, but haven't been to Wimborne Model Town. Yet.

It'll be nice to tick off the model village and minigolf course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

Winning the DinoFalls Adventure Golf Masters

Looking back at the 2018 DinoFalls Adventure Golf Masters.

I won the DinoFalls Adventure Golf Masters competition at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester back in April 2018 - where has the time gone since then!

The DinoFalls Adventure Golf course was an 18-hole layout when we played the event and has since been joined by another 18-hole course, that one has a volcano theme. The venue is an eye-catching sight from the M60.

I've won four tournaments at the Trafford Golf Centre. In addition to the DinoFalls Masters and the MMGC Invitational I won in 2018, I won the 2009 Mini Masters and Mini Open on the 9-hole Championship Miniature Golf course which used to be at the centre.

Check out the DinoFalls Adventure Golf website for more information.

A mini golf putting postcard from Burgh Hall in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

A look at a miniature golf postcard from our collection.

Here's a postcard showing a mini golf grass putting course at Burgh Hall Country Club Chalet & Caravan Park in the 1970s.

The card was posted to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne from Lowestoft, Suffolk on the 24th May 1977.

BURGH HALL COUNTRY CLUB postcard. Posted 24 May 1977

We'll be heading back to Great Yarmouth this summer for the Big Mini Golf Tour taking place across miniature golf courses in Great Yarmouth, Hemsby and Gorleston-on-Sea.

Minigolf courses in the UK

There are lots of places to play minigolf in the UK.

We've almost reached the 1,000 course mark on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. When we began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK. That number has grown significantly and there are new places to play opening all the time.

Some of the courses we've played are long-gone, while others have been refurbished or replaced by new layout.

Check out this post detailing all of the new courses we have found that have opened, are in planning, or under construction in the UK since July 2020 - New minigolf courses in the UK.

The Big Mini Golf Tour - Course List and Map

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

We have played in and organised lots of miniature golf competitions, tournaments, challenges and events over the last decade and a half and this year we are excited to be a part of the Big Mini Golf Tour in the seaside resort of Great Yarmouth.

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.

Mini Golf courses in the Greater Yarmouth area

You can view the details of participating courses in Hemsby, Clippesby, Great Yarmouth and Gorleston-on-Sea in the Big Mini Golf Tour List.

The Big Mini Golf Tour Map of courses in the Greater Yarmouth area

The Big Mini Golf Tour Map of courses is below.

Visit Great Yarmouth

Funding from Visit Great Yarmouth/GYTABIA has helped to bring you the “Big Mini Golf Tour”.

The Big Mini Golf Tour

Check out the Big Mini Golf Tour links for more information.

Crazy Golf at the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway

There's a new Crazy Golf course at the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire.

Visit the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway website for more information on the 9-hole Crazy Golf course.

We've been to Cleethorpes on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and it'll be nice to return to the seaside resort again in the future.

Newbury Adventure Golf

A new Adventure Golf course is opening in Newbury, Berkshire.

Newbury Adventure Golf is planning to open in Victoria Park this month.

The 18-hole layout at Newbury Adventure Golf is from the team behind Dinton Adventure Golf in Wokingham, Wardown Adventure Golf in Luton, Lightwater Country Park in Surrey and High Lodge in Suffolk.

Visit the Newbury Adventure Golf website for more information.

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

Adventure Golf at Monkey Tree Holiday Park in Newquay

A new pirate-themed Adventure Golf course is opening at Monkey Tree Holiday Park in Newquay, Cornwall.

Visit the Monkey Tree Holiday Park website for more information on the 18-hole Adventure Golf course.

Crazy Golf at Pops Meadow in Gorleston-on-Sea

New Crazy Golf course at Pops Meadow in Gorleston-on-Sea.

There's a new Crazy Golf course at Pops Meadow in Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk.

The 18-hole layout is part of the fun park at Pops Meadow - check out the Pops Meadow Facebook Page for more information.

The former Crazy Golf course at Pop's Meadow in Gorleston-on-Sea was the 100th course we visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when we swung by on the 10th May 2009.

Sadly that course closed a few years ago. But luckily Pops Meadow re-opened last year and there was a temporary Crazy Golf course there then too.

Pops Meadow Crazy Golf will be one of the courses participating in the Big Mini Golf Tour 2022.