Putt Noodle Mini Golf at the Castle Quarter in Norwich

A look at the Putt Noodle Mini Golf course at the Castle Quarter in Norwich.

Putt Putt Noodle Crazy Golf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, May 2022 

My brother Christopher has had a round at the new Putt Noodle Mini Golf at the Castle Quarter in Norwich, Norfolk.

Putt Putt Noodle Crazy Golf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, May 2022 

Putt Putt Noodle Crazy Golf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, May 2022 

Putt Putt Noodle Crazy Golf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, May 2022 

Putt Putt Noodle Crazy Golf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, May 2022 

Putt Putt Noodle Crazy Golf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, May 2022 

Putt Putt Noodle Crazy Golf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, May 2022 

Putt Putt Noodle Crazy Golf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, May 2022 

Putt Putt Noodle Crazy Golf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, May 2022 

Putt Putt Noodle Crazy Golf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, May 2022 

We swung by the course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour last November, just before it opened!

Check out the Putt Putt Noodle website for more information.

Arnold Palmer Putting Course in Great Yarmouth, June 2011

A look at the Arnold Palmer Putting Course in Great Yarmouth, June 2011.

This particular 18-hole course was the 22nd course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in June 2007.

There has been a miniature golf course on the same spot since the 1920's. First with a grass Putting layout, then the Arnold Palmer Putting Course and now with Castaway Island Adventure Golf.

We're looking forward to a return to the Great Yarmouth area for the Big Mini Golf Tour this summer.

7 days to go until National Miniature Golf Day

There are 7 days to go until National Miniature Golf Day.

Check out this post from the World Minigolf Sport Federation about National Miniature Golf Day 2022.

The Big Mini Golf Tour tees-off in 7 days

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.

Mini Golf course map

You can plan your visit to the nine miniature golf courses in Hemsby, Clippesby, Great Yarmouth and Gorleston-on-Sea by checking out the Big Mini Golf Tour map.

Follow the Big Mini Golf Tour

Check out the Big Mini Golf Tour web links, further info and social media.

Visit Great Yarmouth/GYTABIA

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.

Crazy Golf at The Lion by Olivers in Brinsley, Nottinghamshire

There's a new pub Crazy Golf course at The Lion by Olivers in Brinsley, Nottinghamshire.

Check out The Lion by Olivers website and social media for further details on the 9-hole Crazy Golf course.

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

While the course is outdoors, the pub adds UV lighting so players can putt in the dark. It sounds ace.

Crazy Putt London Adventure Golf at Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range

A look at the Crazy Putt Adventure Golf course at Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range in London.

A big thank to our fellow crazy minigolf adventurer Matt Dodd for sending over these snaps from his visit to the Crazy Putt Adventure Golf course at Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range in London.

Crazy Putt Adventure Golf course at Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range in London. Photo by Matt Dodd, May 2022

Crazy Putt Adventure Golf course at Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range in London. Photo by Matt Dodd, May 2022

Crazy Putt Adventure Golf course at Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range in London. Photo by Matt Dodd, May 2022

Crazy Putt Adventure Golf course at Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range in London. Photo by Matt Dodd, May 2022

Crazy Putt Adventure Golf course at Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range in London. Photo by Matt Dodd, May 2022

Visit the Crazy Putt Adventure Golf course website for more information.

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

Putting Green at Station Park in Moffat

A look at the Putting Green course at Station Park in Moffat, Dumfriesshire.

Our friend and minigolf rival John Moore sent us this photo of the Putting Green at Station Park in Moffat. It's not a course we had on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour radar before now!

Putting Green at Station Park in Moffat. Photo by John Moore, May 2022

Visit the Station Park website for more information.

South Downs Way Adventure Golf at Marwell Resort

A look at the new South Downs Way Adventure Golf at Marwell Resort in Hampshire.

A big thank you as always goes to our fellow minigolf explorer Matt Dodd for sending over these photos from his visit to the South Downs Way Adventure Golf course at Marwell Resort in Hampshire earlier this year.

South Downs Way Adventure Golf at Marwell Resort. Photo by Matt Dodd, March 2022

South Downs Way Adventure Golf at Marwell Resort. Photo by Matt Dodd, March 2022

South Downs Way Adventure Golf at Marwell Resort. Photo by Matt Dodd, March 2022

South Downs Way Adventure Golf at Marwell Resort. Photo by Matt Dodd, March 2022

South Downs Way Adventure Golf at Marwell Resort. Photo by Matt Dodd, March 2022

South Downs Way Adventure Golf at Marwell Resort. Photo by Matt Dodd, March 2022

South Downs Way Adventure Golf at Marwell Resort. Photo by Matt Dodd, March 2022

The South Downs Way Adventure Golf course opened at Marwell Resort last year.

Visit the Marwell Resort website for more information.

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

Mini-Golf at Talkin Tarn Country Park in Brampton

A look at the Mini-Golf course at Talkin Tarn Country Park in Brampton, Cumbria.

Our friend and crazy golf rival John Moore sent us these snaps of the Mini-Golf course at Talkin Tarn Country Park in Brampton. It's another course we didn't know about before, so we'll be swinging by the next time we're up that way on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Mini-Golf at Talkin Tarn Country Park in Brampton. Photo by John Moore, May 2022

Mini-Golf at Talkin Tarn Country Park in Brampton. Photo by John Moore, May 2022

Mini-Golf at Talkin Tarn Country Park in Brampton. Photo by John Moore, May 2022

Mini-Golf at Talkin Tarn Country Park in Brampton. Photo by John Moore, May 2022

Mini-Golf at Talkin Tarn Country Park in Brampton. Photo by John Moore, May 2022

Visit the Talkin Tarn Country Park website for more information.

Tee-rific Crazy Golf in Blackburn

There's a new indoor crazy golf course in Blackburn, Lancashire.

Tee-rific Crazy Golf - an 18-hole indoor course - has opened in Blackburn.

Visit the Tee-rific Crazy Golf Facebook Page for more information.

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

National Postcard Week

Happy National Postcard Week.

This week is National Postcard Week in the USA.

Post Card - Jekyll Island, Gergia. Golf House and miniature golf course. Marsh Post Card Service. Postally unused, undated

We're huge fans of sending and receiving postcards and have built up a big collection of minigolf, crazy golf, putting and adventure golf postcards over the years.

Post Card - South of the Border. South Carolina at the N.C. - S.C. Border. ACE-HI ADVERTISING, INC. Postally unused, undated

Post Card. Grand Haven State Park, Grand Haven, Michigan. Water Wonderland Card Company. Postally unused, undated

• When did you last send a postcard?

• When did you last receive a postcard?

• Do you have a favourite postcard?

Check out Reflections of a Bygone Age for more information on postcard collecting.

The 2022 Picture Postcard Annual is available now and includes a feature that I wrote about Butlin's Monorails.

Butlinland Skegness – Putting Green and Monorail by John Hinde Studios. Sent on 4 Aug 1980

Here's a selection of postcards from our collection.

Bridlington Princes Parade. The Spa Boating Lake. Photochrom Co. Ltd.

Crazy Golf, North Shore, Blackpool. 50. Bamforth Post Card. Unposted. Undated

A Weetabix Gang Crazy Mini Golf Weeta-Card postcard from 1983

Pat Regan's Putting Green in Broadstairs - postcard. Undated

Miniature Golf Links, Brighton. Postally used 29 August 1927

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

Worthing, Denton Gardens, Putting Green. The Photochrom Co Ltd. Posted to Birchington, Kent on 30 July 1928

Butlinland Minehead. Crazy Golf and Chair Lift. John Hinde Studios. 24 May 1976

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

Celiac Awareness Month

May is Celiac Awareness Month in the USA.

Check out Beyond Celiac website for more information.

In the UK Coeliac Awareness Week runs from the 9th to the 15th May.

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.

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 & drink I've found since 2008.

The Big Mini Golf Tour tees-off in Greater Yarmouth this month

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 are coming together to promote the game.

We've 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.

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 course map

You can plan your visit to the nine miniature golf courses in Hemsby, Clippesby, Great Yarmouth and Gorleston-on-Sea by checking out the Big Mini Golf Tour map.

Follow the Big Mini Golf Tour

Check out the Big Mini Golf Tour web links, further info and social media.

Visit Great Yarmouth/GYTABIA

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.

Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool

The Princess Parade Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore is open for the season.

The course is now open daily 10am to 6pm (weather permitting). Take a look at the Princess Parade Crazy Golf Facebook Group for more information.

We've been to the course a number of times on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour over the years but it had always been closed. That was until Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels and Blackpool Fulfilling Lives joined forces to refresh and reopen the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore in 2019 and a number of other people and groups have been a part of the project.

The base of the course itself has changed very little since it was first created in the late 1950's and it's wonderful that the area is easily recognisable from old postcards from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

There have been some noticeable improvements to the course and the whole area it sits in. Most notable are the repairs to the obstacles as well as the addition of professional putting carpet to the holes. It makes the course very nice to play.

Here's a video of me playing the crazy golf course on Blackpool's North Shore at the launch event on Friday 28th May 2021.

It's been a pleasure to be a part of the Princess Parade Crazy Golf project and I've enjoyed supporting the teams at Blackpool & the Fylde Street Angels, Blackpool Fulfilling Lives, Blackpool Council and the Blackpool Civic Trust to get the course reopened.

We're looking forward to playing a few more rounds on the course in the future.

Filwood Crazy Golf Fun Day in Knowle West

The Filwood Fantastic Crazy Golf Club in Knowle West, Bristol are holding a Crazy Golf Fun Day on Saturday 7th May.

The action tees-off at the Filwood Community Centre at 10am and runs until 3pm.

The story of the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf course.

Take a look at 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

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

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing

I published my minigolf marketing ebook five years ago today.

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing

It's been wonderful to see the guide read and used by a number of associations, federations, course owners and managers, community groups, charities, players and clubs around the world.

The feedback and reviews have been brilliant to see, with some people using the ebook to help them promote other sports too.

You can buy my minigolf marketing ebook on Amazon.

Don't worry if you don't have a Kindle as you can download the Kindle App on iOS, Android, Mac & PC.

The ebook is also available on Kobo.

It's just £1.99.

Minigolf Marketing

As a minigolfer with over a decade of experience as a tournament competitor and years of experience in marketing and communications I designed the guide so that anyone interested or involved in minigolf could help promote the game. It's a niche title, but an audience and subject I know a lot about.

Writing the book was brilliant and enabled me to bring two areas of my life together. I've worked in marketing since 2003 and have played minigolf since I was a child. Stepping up to compete on the national minigolf tour circuit and in international tournaments opened my eyes to the potential of the game. I’ve also had the honour of serving on the committees of the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) and the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF).

Minigolf is a sport for all. People of all ages, sexes, backgrounds and abilities can pick up a putter and play the game.

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Emily and I have visited 983 courses in the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK.

Minigolf is booming

Minigolf is experiencing a real boom and new courses are being announced and opened all the time.

There are a huge amount of interesting and fun stories to tell and positive aspects to highlight to potential players, the media, sponsors and the wider sporting community. The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing gives federations, associations, courses, clubs, groups and fellow players ideas, inspiration and support in their marketing efforts.

Links:

• Minigolf and marketing consultancy
• The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Amazon
• The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing on Kobo

Not long until National Miniature Golf Day 2022

Where will you be playing a round on National Miniature Golf Day 2022?

National Miniature Golf Day at the Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course in Skegness, Lincolnshire (May 2015)

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.

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.