A blog about our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. With a sprinkling of nostalgia and urban exploration for good measure.
Thursday, November 10, 2022
Golf Fang crazy golf opening in Cardiff
Labels:
2023,
Cardiff,
Crazy Golf,
Golf Fang,
New course,
Wales
Location:
Cardiff, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Thursday, November 03, 2022
Blockbuster on Netflix
There's a new Blockbuster Video comedy out on Netflix! Will you be watching it?
The new show is about the last (operating) Blockbuster Video store in the world. This is a sign we snapped at our old local (abandoned) Blockbuster Video store in Manchester |
Check out my blog posts about Blockbuster.
Labels:
2022,
Blockbuster,
Blockbuster Video,
Comedy,
retail,
TV
Location:
Bend, OR, USA
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Friday, October 28, 2022
Mini Golf at Hotel Pinija in Croatia
A look at a Miniature Golf course at Hotel Pinija in Petrčane, Croatia.
My brother, and charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, has sent me a few more snaps of the Miniature Golf course at Hotel Pinija in Petrčane, Croatia. It's one of two layouts at the hotel.
Our combined total of course visits now stands at 1,046 since September 2006.
Labels:
2022,
Christopher Gottfried,
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour,
Croatia,
Eternit,
guest blog,
Hotel,
Hotel Pinija,
Mini Golf,
Miniature Golf,
Petrčane
Location:
Petrčane, Croatia
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
The Empourium in Stafford
A new competitive socialising venue is opening in Stafford.
Stafford will soon be home to a new competitive socialising venue called The Empourium.
The Empourium will feature a number of indoor games, including crazy golf.
The venue will also have Darts, Pool, Shuffleboard, Beer Pong, Bowling and Table Tennis.
The Empourium is scheduled to open on Thursday 10th November.
Visit The Empourium's Facebook Page for more information.
It'll be another new location to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.
Labels:
2022,
competitive socialising,
Crazy Golf,
Minigolf in the time of Coronavirus,
New course,
Stafford,
Staffordshire,
The Empourium
Location:
Stafford, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Par 59 minigolf in Bristol
The new Par 59 minigolf bar venue is opening in Bristol in December.
The second of Gareth Bale's Par 59 venues is scheduled to open in Bristol on Friday 9th December. The indoor minigolf course in the city follows the first Par 59 location in Cardiff.
Check out the Par 59 website for more information.
Labels:
2022,
Bristol,
Crazy Golf,
Indoor Mini Golf,
Indoor Minigolf,
Mini-Golf,
Minigolf,
Minigolf in the time of Coronavirus,
New course,
Par 59
Location:
Bristol, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
New Adventure Golf at Furzton Lake in Milton Keynes
A new dinosaur-themed Adventure Golf course has opened at Furzton Lake in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
The adventure golf course is an 18-hole layout and is called Dinosaur Valley.
Visit the Dinosaur Valley booking website and Facebook Page for more information.
Labels:
2022,
Adventure Golf,
Buckinghamshire,
Dinosaur Valley,
Dinosaur Valley Adventure Golf,
Dinosaur Valley Mini Golf,
Furzton Lake,
Milton Keynes,
Minigolf in the time of Coronavirus,
MK,
New course
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Thursday, October 20, 2022
New Adventure Golf at Regent Park Golf Club in Bolton
There are plans for a new Adventure Golf course to be created at Regent Park Golf Club in Bolton.
The Adventure Golf course would be built by City Golf and is proposed to have a jungle-theme.
Labels:
Bolton,
City Golf,
Greater Manchester,
Minigolf in the time of Coronavirus,
New course,
Regent Park Golf Club
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Guess the minigolf course
Labels:
Crazy Golf,
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour,
Minigolf,
Mystery
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Minigolf at Riverside Park in Llangollen, Wales
A revisit to the Minigolf course at Riverside Park in Llangollen, Wales on Saturday 15th October 2022.
Minigolf at Riverside Park in Llangollen |
We played the course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on the 21st August 2009.
Labels:
2022,
Abandoned,
Crazy Golf,
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour,
Derelict,
Llangollen,
Minigolf,
Minigolf in the time of Coronavirus,
Wales
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
37 years of Blockbuster Video
Not entirely gone, and not entirely forgotten.
This was the sign at the Blockbuster Video store in Nuneaton, Warwickshire when it was uncovered for a short period of time in 2021 |
The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA on this day in 1985.
At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500-plus of those were in the UK.
There has been a boom in nostalgia for the brand - which back in the day was seen as something of a category killer that saw off many smaller operators.
Blockbuster in the UK
The remains of the Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham, Teesside in 2020 |
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 are still clearly visible remnants of the brand on the high street and on retail parks. And we've been to most of them on our travels!
Blockbuster Video stores we've visited
Check out the posts about other former Blockbuster Video stores we've been to in:
- 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
- Failsworth, Manchester
- 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
A ghost sign at the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight in 2021 |
Lost brands
Emily and I have spent a lot of the last few years reminiscing about 'the good old days' before the coronavirus pandemic hit the planet. One of our areas of interest is in old retail brands - we're both marketers by profession and two of my first jobs in the 1990's and the year 2000 were at Tandy and Toys R Us, while Emily's first job was at a Happy Shopper shop. It's been fascinating to find remnants of these brands - and a number of other lost, dead and defunct brands - on the high street and at retail parks around the UK.
Labels:
Blockbuster,
Blockbuster Video Express,
nostalgia,
retail,
retro,
shop,
Shopping,
Shops,
Video,
video shop,
videos
Location:
Dallas, TX, USA
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Monday, October 17, 2022
A Dull Men's Club Event
A report from the COVID-delayed party for Anorak of the Year 2021.
The Sun Trevor pub in Llangollen |
We attended the first Dull Men's Club in-person event since before the coronavirus pandemic at the COVID-delayed party for the Anorak of the Year Award 2021 at The Sun Trevor pub in Llangollen, Wales on Saturday afternoon.
The Dull Men's Club Calendar for 2022 |
It was marvellous to meet up with fellow dullsters, including old friends as well as meeting some new characters.
Leland Carlson (Assistant Vice President) and Freddie (Apprentice Dullster) present at the Anorak of the Year awards |
In recent years the Dull Men's Club has presented an 'Anorak of the Year' award. For 2018 it was presented to Kevin Beresford from Redditch, founder of the Roundabout Appreciation Society. For 2019 to Archie Workman, a drainspotter in Cumbria.
Because of the pandemic no award was given for 2020, instead we won The Dull Men's Club Self-Isolators of the Year Award.
The latest recipient of the Anorak of the Year Award was Rachel Williamson from Rhyl who is a Yarnbomber.
It's always a pleasure getting together at a Dull Men's Club event and the gatherings are anything but boring. Hearing updates from people on their pursuits, interests, hobbies and collections is fun and interesting, and the events always spark conversation and areas of mutual interest - Miniature Golf Day and Telegraph Pole Appreciation Day are both on the 21st September each year for example.
Milk Bottle collector Steve Wheeler has 27,000 milk bottles. Here he holds two new additions to his collection and museum after they were donated by a local farmer |
There were a wide-range of dullsters at the event, including milk bottle collectors, park bench appreciators, hill measurers, yarnbombers, roundabout spotters, car park photographers, telegraph pole appreciators, brick collectors, paint inspectors and more.
The Dull Men's Club isn't all about watching paint dry |
Find out more on the Dull Men's Club website.
Labels:
2022,
Anorak of the Year,
Dull,
Dull Men's Club,
Event,
Grover Click,
Leland Carlson,
Llangollen,
Wales
Location:
Sun Bank, Llangollen LL20 8EG, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Sunday, October 16, 2022
A look at an old Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent
Visiting a Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent.
Labels:
Burton,
Burton on Trent,
Burton upon Trent,
Ghost Signs,
Happy Shopper,
nostalgia,
retail,
retro,
shop,
shopfront,
shopfronts,
Shops,
signage,
storefront,
urban exploration
Location:
Burton upon Trent, Burton-on-Trent, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Saturday, October 15, 2022
Video Store Day 2022
Today is Video Store Day.
Do you still have a video store near you?
International Independent Video Store Day is observed on the third Saturday of October each year.
It's always interesting finding lost shops and old signs on my travels and I recently drove past this former video rental shop at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham!
Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham |
There are still traces of other former video shops to be found on the streets of the UK. Most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores. But there are remnants of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky.
Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date:
- 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
- Failsworth, Manchester
- 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 video shops we've been to include B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton and 20th Century Flicks in Bristol - and both were still trading!
On Video Store Day in 2020 we were fortunate enough to stumble upon a video rental shop in Little Lever, Bolton |
Labels:
2022,
Day,
nostalgia,
retro,
VCR,
VHS,
Video,
video shop,
Video Store Day,
videos
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Friday, October 14, 2022
Globetrotters Crazy Golf at County Mall Shopping Centre in Crawley
Globetrotters Crazy Golf is opening at the County Mall Shopping Centre in Crawley, West Sussex this winter.
The Globetrotters pop-up Crazy Golf course is heading indoors to the County Mall Shopping Centre in Crawley, West Sussex and will be open from Friday 18th November.
Check out the Globetrotters Crazy Golf website for more information.
Labels:
2022,
Crawley,
Globetrotters,
Globetrotters Bar & Golf,
Globetrotters Crazy Golf,
Mini Golf,
Minigolf in the time of Coronavirus,
Pop Up,
Retailtainment,
West Sussex
Location:
Southgate Ave, Crawley RH10 1FG, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Winning the Weymouth Mini Golf Open
I won the Weymouth Open minigolf tournament on this day in 2008.
The inaugural Weymouth Open minigolf competition was held on the 18-hole Pirate Adventure Mini Golf course at the Weymouth Sea Life Centre at Lodmoor Country Park in Weymouth, Dorset on Sunday 12th October 2008.
I had an excellent career record in Weymouth Open events. As well as winning the individual title in 2008 my team-mate Chris Harding and I were the Weymouth Open doubles champions in 2011.
I was also runner-up in the 2009 and 2011 events and seventh in 2010. In the 2009 tournament Kevin Moseley and I were tied after two rounds and it took 4-holes of a sudden-death play-off to separate us.
The Pirate Adventure Mini Golf course was the 77th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've now been to 1,004 courses since September 2006.
Labels:
2008,
BMGA,
Competition,
Dorset,
Merlin Pirate Adventure Mini Golf,
Richard Gottfried,
Tournament,
Weymouth
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Where in the world would you find this miniature golf course?
A minigolf mystery...
Where in the world would you find this miniature golf course? |
It's one of the 1,004 visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006.
Labels:
2010,
Eternit,
Eternite,
Guess the course,
Mini Golf,
Miniature Golf,
Miniaturegolf,
Minigolf,
Mystery,
overseas,
Richard Gottfried,
Travel
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Monday, October 03, 2022
Hotel Pinija Mini Golf in Croatia
A look at the two Mini Golf courses at Hotel Pinija in Petrčane, Croatia.
A sign for the Mini Golf at Hotel Pinija |
My brother, and charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, has sent me some snaps of the two Mini Golf courses at Hotel Pinija in Petrčane, Croatia.
One of the two courses at the hotel |
This is the newer of the two layouts |
The older course is of the Eternit variety of miniature golf |
Hole 6 |
The Eternit Miniature Golf course at Hotel Pinija |
Our combined total of course visits now stands at 1,046 since September 2006.
Labels:
2022,
Christopher Gottfried,
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour,
Croatia,
Eternit,
guest blog,
Hotel,
Hotel Pinija,
Mini Golf,
Miniature Golf,
Petrčane
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Saturday, October 01, 2022
54 Problems minigolf podcast
Have a listen to the latest 54 Problems minigolf podcast for a minigolf tour with a difference.
I was a guest on the new episode of the 54 Problems minigolf podcast.
Do give the 54 Problems Facebook Page a like too.
Labels:
2022,
54 Problems,
Andrew Edmonds,
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour,
Media,
Miniature Golf,
Miniature Golf Day,
Minigolf,
Minigolf in the time of Coronavirus,
podcast,
Simon Brown,
Travel,
virtual
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Friday, September 30, 2022
16 years of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Celebrating 16 years of our minigolf adventures.
We played the Victory Trail course at Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea, Hampshire on this day in 2006.
Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea |
At the end of our 9-hole round on Saturday 30th September I won a free game by firing the cannon on the lucky last hole.
My free game card from Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea - never used! |
We've been putting on our crazy golfing adventures ever since!
Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea |
When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK. There are now more than 1,000, and there are lots of new courses opening all the time.
We've now been to 1,004 courses overall in the last 16 years, with 959 of those courses in the British Isles.
You can see all of the courses we've visited on this Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list.
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Labels:
2022,
Adventure Golf,
Anniversary,
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour,
Hampshire,
Minigolf in the time of Coronavirus,
Portsmouth,
Southsea,
Treasure Island Adventure Golf
Location:
Southsea, Portsmouth, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Thursday, September 29, 2022
Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
Spotting an old video shop in Rotherham.
It's always interesting finding lost shops and old signs on my travels and I recently drove past this former video rental shop at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham!
There are still traces of other former video shops to be found on the streets of the UK. Most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores. But there are remnants of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky.
Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date:
- 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
- Failsworth, Manchester
- 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 video shops we've been to include B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton and 20th Century Flicks in Bristol - and both were still trading!
Labels:
nostalgia,
retail,
Rotherham,
shop,
shopfront,
shopfronts,
Shops,
storefront,
Thorpe Hesley,
Video,
video shop,
Video Store,
videos
Location:
Thorpe Hesley, UK
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
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