Thursday, December 11, 2025

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour is 20 years old in 2026

Next year will be the 20th year playing on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

2026 will see us hit another big minigolf milestone as we mark 20 years of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour travels.

How it started.

We played the Victory Trail course at Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea, Hampshire, England on Saturday 30th September 2006. At the end of our 9-hole round I won a free game by firing the cannon on the lucky last hole!

When we got home from the weekend away we found a list of 600 or so minigolf courses in the UK and wider British Isles on the excellent MiniatureGolfer.com website that Tim 'Ace Man' Davies had compiled. We thought it'd be fun to see how many of them we could visit on day trips and weekends away to the seaside.

How its going.

To date we've been to 1,114 miniature golf courses. 1,053 of them have been in the British Isles.

As well as playing minigolf in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (including Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

From 600 courses in the UK to more than 1,300.

When our crazy golfing travels began in 2006 there were around 600 miniature golf courses in the UK and wider British Isles.

There are now more than 1,300 - and there are lots of new places to play the game opening all the time.

Unfortunately, several courses have closed over the years. But on a brighter note, some others have been refurbished, redeveloped, or completely transformed into new layouts.

All of the changes and updates have meant that our minigolfing quest to visit every course is becoming never-ending!

When we originally set off to visit as many courses as possible the target list was 600 in the British Isles. And almost 20 years later, we've still got around 50 of those original courses to visit!

Minigolf record makers.

Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book and the GWR website to see a lot more minigolf records too!

Where next on our crazy minigolfing adventures?

Where do you think we should visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour next? Do get in touch to let us know your suggestions and recommendations, or drop your top picks for minigolf places in the comments.

Link:

Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea

Richard Gottfried

I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Guinness World Record Holder for 'Most miniature golf courses visited'. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Mediocre polymath. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer. Always feeling nostalgic about something.

Crazy Pool at StrikeYard Bowling in Glengormley, Northern Ireland

StrikeYard Bowling in Glengormley, Northern Ireland will soon be home to a Crazy Pool course.

Crazy Pool is heading to StrikeYard Bowling in Glengormley, Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.

It'll be interesting to see what the Crazy Pool at StrikeYard Bowling looks like.

Find out more.

Check out the StrikeYard Bowling website for more information.

Crazy Golf at StrikeYard.

StrikeYard Bowling is also home to a 21-hole indoor crazy golf course called ScrapYard Golf.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

ScrapYard Golf and the Crazy Pool are two new courses for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Richard Gottfried

Mulligans Crazy Golf in Romford, Essex

Mulligans Crazy Golf is now open in Romford, Essex.

The former Bunkers! venue at The Brewery Shopping Centre in Romford, Essex has been taken over by its sister-brand Mulligans and is now open as Mulligans Crazy Golf.

Mulligans Romford is home to two indoor crazy golf courses.

The venue is also home to a range of other games and activities, including Sixes Party Cricket.

Mulligans venues.

There are 15 Mulligans minigolf venues in the UK. As well as Romford you can find Mulligans in Basildon, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cheltenham, Guildford, Hemel Hempstead, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Norwich, Sidcup, Stevenage, Tonbridge and Worcester.

Find out more.

Visit the Mulligans website for more information.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We didn't get the chance to visit the venue when it was Bunkers! and so it'll still be a new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We've visited several of the Mulligans venues on our travels over the last two decades, most recently in Hemel Hempstead.

Link:

Mulligans Crazy Golf

Richard Gottfried

Crazy Golf at Skirlington Coast holiday park

There are plans for a new crazy golf course at Skirlington Coast holiday park in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Find out more.

Visit the Unity Holidays website for more information on Skirlington Coast holiday park.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

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

Richard Gottfried

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Playing The Hole In Wand Wizard Golf at St Johns Shopping Centre in Leeds

A Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit to The Hole In Wand Wizard Golf at St Johns Shopping Centre in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

The Hole In Wand Wizard Golf at St Johns Shopping Centre in Leeds

We recently had a day out in Leeds and after a superb meal at The Oxford Place in the city centre we had a wander to find an activity - and remembered that when we last visited Leeds in the summer that a new minigolf course is under construction at St Johns Shopping Centre, and that it was now open.

The Hole In Wand Wizard Golf is a 9-hole indoor crazy golf course with a magical theme - and it certainly is immersive!

A map of the Wizard Golf course at The Hole In Wand

The layout contains nine unique holes - and there's a variety of gameplay apart from the putting itself.

Playing hole 6

Emily playing on hole 5

Teeing-off on hole 7 of the course was quite different to normal!

Find out more.

You can find The Hole In Wand miniature golf courses in Blackpool, Chester, Leeds, Seaham and York.

Hole 8

Check out The Hole In Wand website for more information on the Leeds course, and the other venues.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Hole In Wand Wizard Golf at St Johns Shopping Centre in Leeds was the 595th course played and 1,092nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

You have to play hole 2 UPSIDE DOWN!!!

Link:

The Hole In Wand

Always brilliant to see the Skip Christmas Tree go up at Cheadle Skip Hire Ltd. in Adswood, Stockport.

Richard Gottfried

Adventure Lane in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute

Rothesay on Bute in Scotland will be home to a new indoor mini-golf venue.

Adventure Lane is planned to open in 2027 and will see a former church become an indoor entertainment venue with mini-golf, tenpin bowling and more.

Find out more.

You can find out more about Adventure Lane at Trinity Church on the Visit Bute website.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The mini-golf course will be a new one for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Richard Gottfried

Tuesday, December 09, 2025

New Adventure Golf in Gobowen, near Oswestry, Shropshire

There are plans for a new adventure golf course in Gobowen, Shropshire.

The 18-hole outdoor adventure golf is planned to be created at the Lion Quays in Gobowen near Oswestry in Shropshire.

The course is proposed to have a range of themed elements, including a Victorian street scene.

Find out more.

Visit the Lion Quays Resort & Spa website for more information.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

It'd be a new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Richard Gottfried

Saturday, December 06, 2025

A Stranger Things Christmas Tree

Spotting a Stranger Things Christmas tree in Manchester.

We went to Manchester on Thursday and upon arriving at Manchester Piccadilly station we sere surprised to see this Stranger Things Christmas tree!

A Stranger Things Christmas Tree at Manchester Piccadilly railway station

The 'Upside Down' side of the tree

A BMX 'bauble' on the Upside Down side of the Stranger Things Christmas tree

Videos:

Richard Gottfried

The Welsh Dragon Adventure Golf course in Rhyl, Wales

A look at the Welsh Dragon Adventure Golf course in Rhyl, North Wales on Tuesday 2nd December 2025.

We first visited the Welsh Dragon Adventure Golf course in Rhyl on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the summer of 2009 and have revisited it several times on return trips to the seaside town

Find out more.

Visit the course's Instagram page to find out more about the 12-hole outdoor adventure golf course.

Videos:

Richard Gottfried

Friday, December 05, 2025

Junk Yard Golf Club indoor crazy golf in Leeds

There are three indoor 9-hole crazy golf courses at the Junk Yard Golf Club venue at The Light in Leeds.

You can also find Junkyard Golf courses in Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle and Oxford.

Find out more.

Visit the Junk Yard Golf website for more information.

Richard Gottfried

Toys R Us at TGJones in Leeds

There's a Toys R Us at TGJones in Leeds city centre.

A Toys R Us concession has opened at the TGJones shop in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

The end of WHSmith, and the start of TGJones.

The start of July 2025 marked the end of WHSmith on the British high street after 233 years. Following the sale of the business to Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital earlier this year WHSmith shops have been undergoing a rebrand to the new name of TGJones.

WHSmith on the high street, and travel stores.

There were around 500 high street WHSmith shops, and another 580 travel stores in the UK. The WHSmith shops at railway stations, service stations and airports etc. are not affected by the rebrand as they were not part of the sale.

Toys R Us at TGJones and WHSmith.

As well being inside the rebranded TGJones shops, the relaunched Toys R Us brand can be found in sections of some travel hub WHSmith stores.

Toys R Us at Hobbycraft.

You can also find Toys R Us concessions at Hobbycraft stores.

Toys R Us in 2025.

Toys R Us returned to the UK shopping scene with an online presence in 2022 and with concessions opening inside some WH Smith shops in 2023. There are currently 127 Toys R Us stores open nationwide.

Working at Toys R Us.

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton Toys R Us store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

The old Toys R Us.

It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited several of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

Find out more.

Visit the Toys R Us and TGJones websites for more information.

Thursday, December 04, 2025

Mini Golf Lanes tech-minigolf at Lane7 in Manchester

Lane7 at the Great Northern warehouse venue on Deansgate in Manchester has introduced 'Mini Golf Lanes' to the venue.

Rather than playing a round across a course consisting of several different holes/lanes, the high-tech mini golf at Lane7 sees players book a lane for a session of games and challenges.

Find out more.

Visit the Lane7 website for more information.

A Christmas window display celebrating the world's first text message.

A Mobile Phone Christmas Tree at Vodafone

The world's first text message was sent over the Vodafone network on the 3rd December 1992.

A Christmas message on a Vodafone mobile phone

This year Vodafone is celebrating this fact in its Christmas marketing activity, including window displays in retail stores, such as this one on Market Street in Manchester.