Lost City Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier

There's an Adventure Golf course on Paignton Pier in Devon.

Lost City Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier

A big thank you to our friend and minigolf rival Jam Trubridge for sending us these photos of the Lost City Adventure Golf course on Paignton Pier from his recent visit.

Lost City Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier

Lost City Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier

Lost City Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier

Lost City Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier

Lost City Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier

Lost City Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier

Lost City Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier

Someone ignored the rules on the sign at Lost City Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier!

Jam is a big fan of Paignton and on an trip to the seaside resort earlier this year he saw the course under construction.

Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier under construction, April 2023

Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier under construction, April 2023

Adventure Golf on Paignton Pier under construction, April 2023

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

My brother spotted a 9-hole Crazy Golf course on Paignton Pier back in October 2012.

We visited Paignton in 2015, but there wasn't a course there then.

Boom Battle Bar in Southend

A new Boom Battle Bar venue is opening in Southend, Essex this year.

Boom Battle Bar will soon have a location at the Victoria Shopping Centre in Southend on Sea, Essex.

The venue will be home to a crazy golf course, as well as games such as shuffleboard and beer pong.

Boom Battle Bar Southend is due to open in October 2023.

Visit the Boom Battle Bar website for more information.

Mini Golf now open at Play2Day in Wisbech

There's a new Adventure Mini Golf course at Play2Day in Guyhirn, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

We heard about the plans for the new course back in 2021 and have seen photos of the new outdoor minigolf course on the Play2Day Facebook Page - and it's railway-themed!

It looks ace.

With an address of "The Old Station Yard" was the course going to be anything other than train-themed!

We often pass through Wisbech en route to see family and friends in East Anglia, and have driven past Play2Day before. We're looking forward to swinging by on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

You can find out more about the Adventure Golf / Mini Golf course on the Play2Day website and Facebook Page.

Checking out the info on the Play2Day centre they've also got a Lazer Tag! Another of my favourite sports.

Crazy Golf plans for King's Lynn

There are plans for a Crazy Golf course to open in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

The indoor Crazy Golf course is planned to open on the Hardwick Industrial Estate in King's Lynn.

It'd be a new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've got family in Norfolk and often stay in King's Lynn when visiting.

The business behind the Crazy Golf plans is Oceanus Leisure, owners of Little Sharks Soft Play Centre in the town.

Mini Golf at Ballerz Clubhouse in Farnham

There's a new indoor Mini Golf course in Farnham, Surrey.

The 9-hole indoor Mini Golf course at Ballerz Clubhouse in Farnham is an adults-only venue.

Check out the Ballerz Clubhouse website for more information.

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

Urban Street Golf at Gravity MAX Liverpool at Liverpool ONE

There's a new indoor minigolf course at the Gravity MAX Liverpool entertainment centre at Liverpool ONE.

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

Gravity MAX Liverpool at Liverpool ONE is home to Urban Street Golf, Bowling, Darts, E-Karting, Shuffleboard, Batting Cages, Esports and more.

Check out the Gravity MAX Liverpool website for more information.

We've played minigolf at Liverpool ONE before - back when there was a Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf venue at the shopping and entertainment centre.

Earlier this year we visited Gravity Social at Sol Central in Northampton where we won the pub quiz at the minigolf course! That was a first for us!

Janken: The International Rock Paper Scissors Championships 2012

A look back at the 2012 International Rock Paper Scissors Championships in London.

We competed in the International Rock Paper Scissors Championships in London eleven years ago this week. Time certainly flies!

We teamed up with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author Dave Barry and his daughter Sophie from the USA to take part in the huge event.

The San Marino Rock Paper Scissors team

More than 150 athletes from 16 teams competed in the Wacky Nation organised tournament held at the Knight’s Templar Pub on Chancery Lane in London.

As we couldn’t play as a combined "UK-USA" team we decided to represent the plucky nation of San Marino instead.

Prior to the start of the competition I challenged football hard man Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock to a 'friendly' RPS contest to warm-up. Needless to say I won the shootout! It was an ill-tempered clash with plenty of foul language and gamesmanship. The heated battle almost resulted in a knock-out punch too!

Clash of the titans

International Rock Paper Scissors

Matches in the Round Robin stage of the main-event were played in a ‘first to four points’ format with each player in the team taking it in turns to win a point by competing in a ‘best of three’ Rock Paper Scissors game. Our team managed to rack up a win loss record of won four, lost one.

Before any teams could advance from our pool a play-off was required as Austria and Lapland A had also finished with four wins and one loss!

Thankfully our team was able to win both matches to advance alongside Lapland A, with the Austrians sent home.

The first semi-final saw San Marino take on the Vatican City team in a ‘first to six points’ match.

Unfortunately we lost and were therefore unable to go for gold.

Sadly we just missed out on the podium, suffering defeat to Great Britain in the repechage to ultimately finish in fourth place.

The final was a battle between the might of Lapland A and the Vatican City, with the Laplanders finishing on top and grabbing the gold medal.

Getting to the semi-finals of the International Rock Paper Scissors Championships was the furthest I ever reached in an RPS tournament, having been knocked out in the preliminary rounds of national competitions held in 2010 and 2011.

Crazy Golf in Ardrossan, North Ayrshire

The seafront Crazy Golf course in Ardrossan, Scotland is being refurbished.

The Ardrossan Community Development Trust is undertaking work to develop the promenade in the seaside town. Part of the redevelopment will see the 18-hole Crazy Golf being refurbished.

We visited the Crazy Golf in Ardrossan on our trip to Scotland for the Glasgow 2014 Comonwealth Games. The course was right outside our hotel.

Crazy Golf in Ardrossan, July 2014

Visit the Ardrossan Community Development Trust website and Facebook Page to find out more about the project.

We really enjoyed our holiday along the Scottish coast and really need to book a return visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf at Searles Leisure Resort in Hunstanton, Norfolk

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Searles Leisure Resort in Hunstanton, Norfolk.

Many thanks to our friend Sophia for sending over snaps of the Crazy Golf course at Searles Leisure Resort in Hunstanton.

It's always brilliant finding our about, and seeing courses, we didn't know about already!

Visit the Searles Leisure Resort website for more information.

Blockbuster Video Express in Colne

A look at the Blockbuster Video Express store in Colne, Lancashire.

We visited the former Blockbuster Video Express shop in Colne on this day in 2020.

Blockbuster Video Express in Colne, Lancashire

Exploring during the coronavirus pandemic

As our out-of-home minigolfing adventures were curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic I needed to scratch my exploring itch somehow. During the first nationwide lockdown Emily and I spent our daily outside exercise time walking around the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport where we managed to visit and photograph every one of the 265 pubs, bars and clubs in the area!

On our limited travels we also photographed as many pieces of Covid-19-related signage as we could.

The next mini 'tickable list' urban exploration challenge tapped into my interest in ghost signs, shops, retail marketing and old brands. Ever since I found the remnants of the Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in October 2019 I've been amazed to see the brand still has a lingering presence in other places too.

Here's the former Blockbuster Video Express store in Colne and how it looked in August 2020.

Some of the exterior signage

Blockbuster Video Express

A notice of Administration taped on the inside of the shop window. Note the tape used is Blockbuster branded

The old QuikDrop box

The sign on the front of the shop was long gone

A look inside the former Blockbuster Video Express store. Still recognisable as a video shop

Blockbuster Video Express in Colne

Blockbuster Video in the UK

Blockbuster Video entered the UK video rental market in 1989 following the purchase of Ritz Video.

I remember going to the Ritz Video shop on the Peachcroft Estate in my home town of Abingdon, Oxfordshire in the late 80's and early 90's. That store became a Blockbuster and I rented some classics from there back in the day. Check out this post from the excellent Abingdon Blog to see a photo of the shuttered shop in 2014.

Most Blockbuster Video Express stores were somewhat smaller than regular Blockbuster shops. Although all of the stores expanded to include video game rentals. Old signage for the games area has been clearly visible on both the Fallowfield and Colne stores I've been to.

In 2013 there were over 500 Blockbuster locations in the UK. Throughout that year the number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. On the 16th December 2013 all stores ceased operations.

Blockbuster Video store locations we've visited

Our travels have taken us to several former Blockbuster stores:

• 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
• Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Plans for a new mini golf course in Oxford

There are plans to create a new mini golf course at Bury Knowle Park in Headington, Oxford.

The mini golf would be an addition to the park along with several other activities including table tennis and shuffleboard.

Bury Knowle Park in Headington used to be home to a Swedish Felt B-Run type of minigolf course.

This was the old course at Bury Knowle Park

Back in August 2009 we played that course - along with the layouts at Florence Park in Cowley, and at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park - in one day on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Playing the old the old course at Bury Knowle Park in the late noughties. How time flies!

It'll be interesting to see if the plans for the new course are approved and I look forward to giving it a play on a revisit to my home city if it does.

Puttstars Mini Golf at Hollywood Bowl Leeds

There's a Puttstars Mini Golf course at the Hollywood Bowl in Kirkstall, Leeds.

The recently refurbished Hollywood Bowl tenpin bowling centre in Kirkstall, Leeds is now home to a 9-hole Puttstars mini golf course too.

Puttstars Mini Golf in Rochdale. Visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in June 2021

The course is the second Puttstars to open in Leeds. There's also a Puttstars Mini Golf venue at The Springs retail and leisure park.

Check out the Puttstars website for more information.

Crazy Golf at Glebe Park in Bowness-on-Windermere

Playing the Crazy Golf course at Glebe Park in Bowness-on-Windermere.

We managed to have a game on the Crazy Golf course at Glebe Park in Bowness-on-Windermere during our short break in the Lake District earlier this summer.

In our round on the 9-hole Crazy Golf course Emily won with a resounding 26 to 33 scoreline.

The course became the 567th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, having previously been visited in 2012.

Check out the Glebe Park website for more information.

New Crazy Golf at Clarence Pier in Portsmouth

A new Crazy Golf course has opened at Clarence Pier in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

The Putt Hutt is an 18-hole indoor Crazy Golf layout and opened at Clarence Pier today (Saturday 5th August).

Check out The Putt Hutt website for more information.

The new course is next door to Treasure Island Adventure Golf, the first place we played crazy golf back in 2006 on what would become our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

It'll be interesting to play The Putt Hutt on our next visit to Portsmouth and Southsea.

Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf in Barry Island, Wales

A look at the Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course in Barry Island, Wales.

Thanks to our friend and minigolf rival Jam Trubridge for sending us these photos of the Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course in Barry Island, Wales earlier this year.

Barry Island Adventure Golf

Barry Island Adventure Golf

We played the Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in August 2009. 

I last played the Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course in May 2019.

Minigolf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

A look at the miniature golf courses at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside, Cumbria.

Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

We had a nice long weekend in the Lake District in June where we revisited some courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf and Pitch N Putt at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside is home to a Crazy Golf course and a Pitch N Putt layout.

Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

We last visited Ambleside on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in April 2012 when the location was also home to a Putting layout. That has been replaced by Croquet.

Croquet at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

The Pitch N Putt looks like a nice tricky layout and the views and location are very pleasant indeed.

Pitch N Putt at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

From the archives: The Swingers Club Mini Golf in Las Vegas

A look back at The Swingers Club Mini Golf in Las Vegas.

On the 8th of September 2011 while on our holiday in Las Vegas Emily and I visited The Swingers Club - a bar within the Plaza Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas - that was home to a 9-hole Mini Golf course!

The course was the 268th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Swingers Crazy Golf in Las Vegas

A new Swingers Crazy Golf venue is opening in Las Vegas, USA in 2024.

The new Swingers Crazy Golf location will be at MGM's Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Swingers Crazy Golf Las Vegas will be home to five Crazy Golf course spread across three floors.

Visit the Swingers Crazy Golf website for more information.

Swingers Crazy Golf began as a pop-up in London, England back in 2014 where it now has two permanent locations. You can also find Swingers Crazy Golf courses in New York City and Washington DC.

Swingers Crazy Golf in London on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit in 2019