Baseball Mini Golf at FTW in Chicago

A look at the baseball-themed hole at FTW in Chicago.

Emily swung by FTW in Chicago back in 2018 and on her return visit in 2019 had a game of mini golf there.

One of the holes is based on Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox.

The course at FTW is a 6-hole layout themed on the Windy City.

Hole 5 at FTW

Check out the FTW website for more information.

Baseball hole at City Mini Golf at Maggie Daley Park in Chicago

A look at the baseball-themed hole at the City Mini Golf course at Maggie Daley Park in Chicago.

Emily swung by the City Mini Golf course at Maggie Daley Park in Chicago back in 2019.

One of the 18 holes is Chicago Cubs themed.

Check out the City Mini Golf course website for more information.

Happy International Laser Tag Day

Today is International Laser Tag Day!

International Laser Tag Day is celebrated on the 28th March and marks the opening of the first commercial laser tag arena - Photon in Dallas, Texas which opened in 1984!

The day is also known as 'National Laser Tag Day' and 'Laser Tag Day'. It was first celebrated in 2014.

Check out the Laser Tag Museum website for more information.

We're fans of laser tag, and it's been far too long since we've had a game!

Marc Bazeley and me at Quasar in Milton Keynes (2011), at Laser Planet in Milton Keynes (2016), and me and Emily at Star Command Laser Tag at the Trocadero in London (2011)

Scrapyard Golf at Discobowl Banbury

Banbury Bowl is now known as Discobowl Banbury.

We visited the Banbury venue on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour last December - it's home to an indoor minigolf course called Scrapyard Golf

The indoor minigolf course (December 2024)

You can find Scrapyard Golf courses at Discobowl venues in Chatham, Nottingham, Nuneaton, Worcester and Banbury.

Check out the Discobowl Banbury website for more information.

Crazy Boules in Elephant & Castle

There's a Crazy Boules venue opening in Elephant & Castle, London in April.

Crazy Boules is a cross between Petanque and Crazy Golf!

The Crazy Boules venue in Elephant & Castle follows the brand's pop-up in Shoreditch where they had a six hole (or should that be piste?) course (or should that be terrain?).

The Crazy Boules course in Elephant & Castle will be open from Friday 4th April.

Check out the Crazy Boules website for more information.

We're big fans of Crazy Golf and Petanque so Crazy Boules sounds like a lot of fun.

Nine months until Christmas Day!

There are now 'just' 275 days to go until Christmas 2025.

Last November we played the Christmas-themed minigolf course from Lancashire Crazy Golf at the Northwich Christmas Extravaganza

Green Day Café Mini Golf course at Westminster Park in Chester

A visit to the Mini Golf course at the Green Day Café in Westminster Park, Chester.

Emily swung by the 18-hole outdoor Mini Golf course at the Green Day Café in Westminster Park while in Chester.

Check out the Green Day Café & Golf website for more information on the course.

Jurassic Jungle Crazy Golf at The Farm Shop at Ombersley

There's a Jurassic Jungle Crazy Golf course at The Farm Shop at Ombersley, Worcestershire.

Visit The Farm Shop at Ombersley and Jurassic Jungle Crazy Golf websites for more information.

The 18-hole outdoor Jurassic Jungle Crazy Golf is another new one for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Mini-Golf at Clippesby Hall in Great Yarmouth

A visit to the Mini-Golf course at Clippesby Hall in Clippesby, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

My brother Christopher and his family played the Mini-Golf course at Clippesby Hall in Clippesby, Great Yarmouth on their branch of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

I played a round on the 18-hole Mini-Golf course at Clippesby Hall in May 2022.

Check out the Clippesby Hall website for more information.

The Hole In Wand Wizard Golf in Chester

A look at The Hole In Wand Wizard Golf in Chester.

Emily swung by The Hole In Wand Wizard Golf in Chester on a recent trip to the city

Unfortunately The Hole In Wand Wizard Golf in Chester is temporarily closed following flood damage to the venue. There are plans to re-open later this year after a refurbishment 

In addition to the Chester venue you can find The Hole In Wand minigolf courses in Blackpool, York and Seaham. The brand also recently announced plans for a new location in Leeds.

Good luck to the team at The Hole In Wand in the refurbishment of the course in Chester.

Visit The Hole in Wand website for more information.

Emily has played The Hole In Wand Magical Mini Golf course in York on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and we visit Leeds a lot so will check out that course when it opens.

Free Mini-Golf in Canary Wharf, London

A free-to-play pop-up mini golf course is being set-up in Canary Wharf, London next month.

‘Minigolf by Craig & Karl’ (designed by artists Craig Redman and Karl Maier) will be in Montgomery Square in Canary Wharf from Friday 4th April until Sunday 5th October.

Check out the Canary Wharf and Craig & Karl websites for more information on the 9-hole minigolf course.

Signs of the Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic Times

Today marks five years since the UK entered its first Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic lockdown.

On the 23rd March 2020 the UK effectively ceased normal operations as the country was put into lockdown.

Once we were allowed out photographed as much Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic and Social Distancing signage and notices as we could to document the times.

There is certainly a real variety of warnings, instructions and directional signage to do with social distancing.

Social distancing signs at Cheadle Makers Market

We were amused by this photo Emily took of the social distancing measures in place on an escalator in M&S!

Surely the 2 metre apart distance stickers should be on the moving walkway as well, rather than the static sides of the escalator?

Here are just a few of the signs we snapped.

A bench in Colne, Lancashire

Covid-19 signage at Puttstars Mini Golf in Rochdale

Covid signs at The Happy Shopper convenience store in Sheffield

Social distancing at an abandoned Blockbuster Video store in Manchester 

You can view over 1,800 of the signs at the links below:

• Covid-19 signs 1
• Covid-19 signs 2
• Covid-19 signs 3
• Covid-19 signs 4
• Covid-19 signs 5
• Covid-19 signs 6
• Covid-19 signs 7
• Covid-19 signs 8
• Covid-19 signs 9
• Covid-19 signs 10
• Covid-19 signs 11
• Covid-19 signs 12
• Covid-19 signs 13
• Covid-19 signs 14
• Covid-19 signs 15
• Covid-19 signs 16
• Covid-19 signs 17
• Covid-19 signs 18

It's still possible to see Covid-19 Coronavirus signage and I reckon the remnants of the pandemic will be visible for many years to come.

Related blog posts:

• Signs of the coronavirus pandemic times
• Minigolf in the time of Coronavirus

Jurassic Adventure Golf at Prairie Sports Village in Burnley

There are plans to create a Jurassic Adventure Golf course at Prairie Sports Village in Burnley, Lancashire.

The new 18-hole outdoor adventure golf layout will replace the current 9-hole mini golf course and putting course.

Visit the Prairie Sports Village website for more information.

It'll be a new course for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

NO PIGEONS ALLOWED

Spotted at Greggs in the Merseyway shopping centre in Stockport.

Nice to have a sign for the pigeons themselves!

Pirate Island Adventure Golf in the Forest of Dean

A look back at our visit to the Pirate Island Adventure Golf course in the Forest of Dean.

Pirate Island Adventure Golf in the Forest of Dean

We played the Pirate Island Adventure Golf course in Newnham in the Forest of Dean back in October 2017.

Pirate Island Adventure Golf in the Forest of Dean

Pirate Island Adventure Golf in the Forest of Dean

The 12-hole course was the 467th course played and 786th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Pirate Island Adventure Golf in the Forest of Dean

For more information, opening times and prices check out the Forest of Dean Adventure Golf course website.

Pirate Island Adventure Golf in the Forest of Dean

Memories of The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze game experience

We played The Crystal Maze game at the CC2000 tenpin bowling & entertainment, near Narbeth in Wales back in 2009.

The Crystal Maze was a staple part TV diet during my childhood and teenage years, and it would've been brilliant to go on the show.

During our minigolfing road-trip around the Welsh coast in 2009 we took a break from playing Crazy Golf to visit the Oakwood Indoor Family Entertainment Centre - where we entered The Crystal Maze!

At that time it was the last remaining example of the 'Cyberdrome Crystal Maze' games in the UK. Sadly it closed for good in June 2010. It would've been brilliant to return for a few more games there.

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze was absolutely superb to play. We think more of them should have been built back in the day. There were only ever eight built - five in the UK, two in Japan, and one in Dubai.

Just like the TV show, games were played in four themed zones - Aztec, Futuristic, Medieval, and Ocean. But unlike the TV show players were guided around the maze by Merlin - a computerised Maze Master.

We managed to win six of the nine games we played, and in the Crystal Dome itself we collected 103 Gold and 28 Silver 'tokens' for a grand total of 75. So we didn't win the "super-duper" prize. However, we were first on the leaderboard for the day and got "1st of 1" printed on our souvenir certificate!

At that time the Cyberdrome Crystal Maze was the closest you could get to playing the real Crystal Maze. Now you can play The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience in London and Manchester. The Manchester venue is so close to us that we really ought to get a team together for a game there!

Photos of The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in Tenby (2009).

Being set a task by Merlin

Aztec Zone

Futuristic Zone

Medieval Zone

Ocean Zone

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

Inside the Crystal Dome ready to 'collect' some prize tokens