A blog about our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. With a sprinkling of nostalgia and urban exploration for good measure.
Thursday, August 29, 2024
New pétanque piste in Felixstowe
Underground Golf at Zip World Llechwedd
A look at the underground minigolf course at Zip World Llechwedd.
Underground Golf at Zip World Llechwedd. Photo by Mark Swain, August 2024 |
Underground Golf at Zip World Llechwedd. Photo by Mark Swain, August 2024 |
Underground Golf at Zip World Llechwedd. Photo by Mark Swain, August 2024 |
Underground Golf at Zip World Llechwedd. Photo by Mark Swain, August 2024 |
Take a look at the Zip World Llechwedd website for more information.
The Rules of Underground Golf at Zip World Llechwedd. Photo by Mark Swain, August 2 |
Deepest underground miniature golf course in the world
Indoor Crazy Golf in Llandudno
There are plans for a new indoor Crazy Golf course in Llandudno.
New Hole in Wand Magical Mini Golf opening in Murton, Seaham, County Durham
The team at The Hole In Wand Wizard Golf are opening a new indoor minigolf course at the Dalton Park Outlet Shopping Centre in Murton, Seaham, County Durham.
Visit The Hole in Wand website for more information.
New Adventure Golf course in Middleton, Rochdale
Bowlee Park Driving Range has plans to open a new Adventure Golf course.
Visit the Bowlee Park Driving Range website for more information.
New Putt Putt Social course in Coventry
A new Putt Putt Social indoor minigolf venue is opening in Coventry.
The Putt Putt Social minigolf course in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, September 2023 |
Check out the Putt Putt Noodle website for more information.
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Adventure Golf on Sea Road in Felixstowe, Suffolk (August 2024)
A look at the Adventure Golf course on Sea Road in Felixstowe, Suffolk.
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Swingers Crazy Golf in Boston
Swingers Crazy Golf opening in Boston, Massachusetts.
A new Swingers Crazy Golf venue is opening in Boston, Massachusetts, USA in 2025.
Swingers West End Crazy Golf in London, October 2019 |
Check out the Swingers Crazy Golf USA website for details of courses in the USA.
Visit the Swingers Crazy Golf UK website for more information on the UK courses.
Swingers Crazy Golf is also opening a venue in Dubai this year. Take a look at the Swingers Crazy Golf Dubai 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.
Tredegar Park Mini-Golf has reopened
The Tredegar Park Mini-Golf course in Newport, Wales has reopened.
The course and new hut/kiosk is looking very good. You can find out more on the Tredegar Park Mini Golf Facebook Page.
Hole 9 on the course was an absolute round killer back in 2010! I wonder what it's like now...? |
Globetrotters Mini Golf Tournament at Tilgate Park
Globetrotters Mini Golf at Tilgate Park in Crawley, West Sussex will be hosting a Mini Golf Tournament on Sunday 25th August.
Check out the Globetrotters Mini Golf website and social media for more information.
Sunday, August 18, 2024
Jurassic Putt Crazy Golf at Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure in Lenwade, Norwich
A look at the Jurassic Putt Crazy Golf course at Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure in Lenwade, Norfolk.
Check out the Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure website for more information.
UV Glow Crazy Golf at the Winter Glow event in Malvern
Malvern Showground will be home to an 18-hole UV Glow Crazy Golf course as part of the Winter Glow event this festive season.
Check out the Winter Glow website for more information on the event and attractions.
Swingers Las Vegas is opening in November
Swingers Crazy Golf Las Vegas is opening at the Mandalay Bay on Friday 8th November 2024.
Visit the Swingers Crazy Golf website for more information.
Sunday, August 11, 2024
The Alnwick Garden Golf
A look at The Alnwick Garden Golf course.
The Alnwick Garden Golf. Photo by John Moore, 2024 |
Check out The Alnwick Garden website for more information.
Millport Crazy Golf
A look at the Crazy Golf course in Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae.
Millport Crazy Golf. Photo by Seth Thomas, 2024 |
Minigolf at Burrowhead Holiday Village
I recently found out there is a Pitch & Putt course, Crazy Golf, and a Putting Green at the Burrowhead Holiday Village in Cutcloy, Scotland.
Check out the Burrowhead Holiday Village website for more information.
Golf Fang crazy golf opening in Nottingham
The new Golf Fang indoor minigolf venue in Nottingham is opening on the 6th September.
Visit the Golf Fang and Big Fang Collective websites for more information.
Friday, August 09, 2024
Memories of the 2012 Oslympic Games
Looking back at the 2012 Oswestry Games multi-sport event in Shropshire.
The coaches and competitors in the Pro-Am minigolf tournament at Cae Glas Park |
The Oswestry Games, or 'Oslympics' as they became known, were a mammoth undertaking for the organisers at the Oswestry Sports Council and it was a real pleasure and honour for Emily and I to organise the minigolf events along with other coaches and players from the national tour.
Minigolfing at the Oswestry Games |
Things got off to a great start on our first night in the town - not only were we recognised while on our way to the sporting quiz night at the town's cricket club, but we also won the bronze medal in the quiz itself.
The bronze medal winning quizzing minigolfers |
The Saturday morning of the Games saw us organise coaching sessions for locals youth and adult players on the 18-hole 'Eternit' miniature golf course in Cae Glas Park in the town centre. This was followed by the BMGA Oswestry Games Pro-Am Minigolf Classic team tournament in the afternoon - won by Marc 'The Force' Chapman, Steve Sturdy and Chris Powell.
On the tricky Cae Glas Park miniature golf course |
Sunday was the closing day of the Games and a large number of clubs, regional organisations and national governing bodies gathered at the Leisure Centre for a jam-packed day of sporting fun, games and competition.
Playing the Putterfingers Crazy Golf course at the Oswestry Games |
With a Putterfingers modular Crazy Golf course we took centre stage and had a large number of the public, athletes and competitors from other events joining us for a round on the 9-hole course.
We scooped Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the Games - and what very fine medals they are too |
We ended our trip to the Oslympics by contesting the BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship - which I won!
The podium for the pro-tournament - Marc Chapman, me and John Moore |
Did you know - Miniature Golf was once played during the actual Olympic Games! While it was not officially part of the Games programme, the participants in the Golf tournament at the 1904 Olympic Games held in St Louis, USA also competed in a Putting Championship on a specially built miniature golf course at the Glen Echo Country Club.
It'd be great to see miniature golf become an Olympic sport one day. And we'd also like to see the Oswestry Games return once more. Perhaps when the UK next hosts the Olympics, minigolf will be an event, and Oswestry will host their Games again.
The future for the sport of miniature golf looks bright, with the international governing body - the World Minigolf Sport Federation - gaining further recognition on the global stage all the time.
Back in 1989 the sport (Bahn Golf) was a demonstration event in the IWGA World Games in Karlsruhe, Germany. The WMF is also hoping to have minigolf included in other multi-sport events in the future.
We're hoping to one day visit the Olimpiapark Munchen too as the venue has an eternit miniature golf course that was set-up in the Athletes Village for the 1972 Olympic Games. That'd be a great course to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.
Miniature Golf at Baker's Golf in Lanesborough, Massachusetts, USA
A look at the Miniature Golf course at Baker's Golf in Lanesborough, MA, USA.
Miniature Golf at Baker's Golf in Lanesborough, Massachusetts, USA. Photo by Kevin Dias, 2024 |
Take a look at the Baker's Golf website for more information.
Baker's Golf was established in 1943 |