Showing posts with label Hindernis Billard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hindernis Billard. Show all posts

Friday, August 21, 2020

Crazy Pool

A look at minigolf and billiard hybrid games.


We've seen a fair few variations and hybrids of minigolf, pool, snooker & billiards games on our travels. These have included Crazy Golf Pool and Pit-Pat, as well as some Crazy Golf obstacles that have been created using old pool and snooker tables.


We visited Skegness in 2011 and there was a sign for Crazy Pool on the promenade. It shared the sign for The Original Crazy Golf but there wasn't a trace of any tables when we were there.

A sign for Crazy Pool in Skegness, Lincolnshire back in 2011
A sign for Crazy Pool in Skegness, Lincolnshire back in 2011

Roxy Ball Room in Liverpool's Hanover Street will be home to a Crazy Pool game when it reopens later this month. It'll be an 8-table layout and I'm intrigued to see what the set-up is.

I first saw the game of Pit-Pat (obstacle billiards) in Vienna, Austria back in 2010 - it's like minigolf but played with cues.

You can find official Pit-Pat courses indoors at The Floodgate in Digbeth, Birmingham (where it's called Pit-Pat Table Golf) and outdoors at Watermouth Family Theme Park and Castle in Devon (where it is known as Crazy Snooker).

The only other full-size outdoor Pit-Pat layout in the UK was in Littlehampton. Sadly it became a lost course in 2017.

A selection of the minigolf and cue-sport crossovers we've seen on our travels
A selection of the minigolf and cue-sport crossovers we've seen on our travels

Related blog posts:
- Crazy Snooker Pool Billiards Golf and Pit-Pat
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - courses we've visited to date

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Sunday, May 03, 2015

Happy Minigolf Tag (Minigolf Day) 2015

National Day of Minigolf celebrated in Austria.

Happy 'Minigolf Tag' to my fellow minigolfers in Austria!

Playing the Swedish Felt Minigolf course at the Askoe Wien Wasserpark in Vienna, Austria
Playing the Swedish Felt Minigolf course at the Askoe Wien Wasserpark in Vienna, Austria

The event is organised by the Austrian Minigolf Federation (Österreichischer Bahnengolf-Verband - OBGV) and the 2015 event is the sixth edition.

Each year around 550,000 Austrians (15% of the country's population) play Miniature Golf and today is a celebration of the great game.

The Eternit Miniature Golf course at the Askoe Wien Wasserpark in Vienna, Austria
The Eternit Miniature Golf course at the Askoe Wien Wasserpark in Vienna, Austria

In March 2010 I visited the Askoe Wien Wasserpark in Vienna, Austria and got to play one of the toughest (and longest) Swedish Felt Minigolf courses in Europe. The layout was the 163rd course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. It was also the first place I spotted a Pit-Pat course (a cross between Billiards/Pool/Snooker and Minigolf!).

The Pit-Pat Hindernis Billard course at the Askoe Wien Wasserpark in Vienna, Austria
The Pit-Pat Hindernis Billard course at the Askoe Wien Wasserpark in Vienna, Austria

There are two more 'Mini Golf Days' coming up in 2015 - National Miniature Golf Day is on Saturday 9 May and Miniature Golf Day is on Monday 21 September.

And of course every Monday there's #MinigolfMonday on Twitter!

Links:
- Askoe Wien website
- Askoe Wien on Facebook
- Austrian Minigolf Federation (Österreichischer Bahnengolf-Verband)
- Minigolf Tag (Minigolf Day)
- World Minigolf Federation

Related blog posts:
- Austria
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Pit-Pat
- Minigolf Tag
- Minigolf Course Played #163 - Vienna, Austria (Askoe Wien Wasserpark) - Swedish Felt
- Minigolf Course Visit #210 - Vienna, Austria (Askoe Wien Wasserpark) - Eternit Miniature Golf
- Minigolf Course Visit #210(a!?) - Vienna, Austria (Askoe Wien Wasserpark) - pit-pat "Hindernis Billards"!
- Mini Golf Days in 2015

Friday, April 18, 2014

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton

Playing the game of Pit-Pat at Western Putting Miniature Golf in Littlehampton.

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton

Back in March 2010 I visited the Askoe Wien Wasserpark in Vienna, Austria and while there I saw an intriguing game that was a hybrid of Miniature Golf and Billiards! That game was Pit-Pat.

Pit-Pat in Austria
The Hindernis Billard layout at the Askoe Wien Wasserpark in Vienna, Austria (March 2010)

In April 2012 I managed to visit the UK's only known table*, at the Western Putting Minigolf in Littlehampton, West Sussex. Unfortunately my visit was a little late in the day, and out-of-season, so I didn't manage to play.

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker, Minigolf and Grass Putting Green Course in Littlehampton, West Sussex, England
Western Putting (and Pit-Pat) in Littlehampton (April 2012)

That wasn't the case on our recent visit to the south coast as on Thursday 10th of April Emily and I made it to Western Putting on Banjo Road just before 4pm and were able to have a game of Pit-Pat, aka Crazy Snooker.

And it was brilliant!

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton, West Sussex, England
Cue and carry-case in hand and ready to play Pit-Pat

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton, West Sussex, England
A view of the Pit-Pat course in Littlehampton

The game is a version of the 'Eternit' style of Miniature Golf, most often found in continental Europe, but played on tables and with cues rather than putters.

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
My favourite table on the layout sees you having to play down table from a tee-off point right next to the hole!

The obstacles are very similar to those found on Mini and Crazy Golf courses and the balls used are like specialist Minigolf-sport balls, rather than standard Golf, or low-bounce, balls.

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
Emily sets up the skittles on table 1!

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
And I knock them all down in one go

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
Emily lines-up a shot on hole 2

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
Hole / Table 2

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
Emily plays up a ramp obstacle

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
Western Putting on Banjo Road in Littlehampton is also home to a Swedish Felt type of Minigolf course and a grass Putting Green

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
Emily shoots the green ball over a little ramp and onto a bigger one

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
The Pipe hole - often my nemesis on Eternit Miniature Golf...

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
...and no different on Pit-Pat as it was my worst hole!

It's a real novelty to be able to play on a course/set-of tables like the Pit-Pat in Littlehampton. You are provided with a little carry case containing four different coloured Pit-Pat balls, with the table legs painted to correspond with the ball you should use for that particular table/hole/lane.

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
The specialist Pit-Pat balls in their little red carry-case

This is very handy to know as each of the balls has different properties, meaning that some are more bouncy, while others are harder and deader.

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
The green Pit-Pat ball is a bit of a dead ball

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
The bouncy yellow Pit-Pat ball

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
The slightly squidgy purple Pit-Pat ball

Pit-Pat Crazy Snooker in Littlehampton
The Red one

With our experience of playing tournament Minigolf in the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) and World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) since 2007 we were already thinking about how different shots could be played on different lanes by mixing the balls up a bit.

In our match-up on the crazy tables Emily and I drew on a score of 55 each. We can't wait for the rematch!

Videos from our visit:





Many of the Miniature Golf courses in Littlehampton are operated by Inspire Leisure. They also operate facilities in nearby Bognor Regis and all of those we've visited have been in great condition and had very friendly and helpful staff on duty.

There is an International Pit-Pat Association that consists of the Baden-Württembergischer Pit-Pat Association (in Germany), the Austrian Pit-Pat Sports Association and the Swiss Pit-Pat Association. The European Pit-Pat Championships taking place Fehring, Austria on the 31st of May and 1st of June this year. Check out the Pit-Pat TV YouTube Channel for videos of the sport.

Links:

Related blog posts:

Videos:
- Playing Pit-Pat (Crazy Snooker) in Littlehampton 1 of 5 (intro)
- Playing Pit-Pat (Crazy Snooker) in Littlehampton 2 of 5 (hole-in-one)
- Playing Pit-Pat (Crazy Snooker) in Littlehampton 3 of 5 (hole-in-two)
- Playing Pit-Pat (Crazy Snooker) in Littlehampton 4 of 5 (two)
- Playing Pit-Pat (Crazy Snooker) in Littlehampton 5 of 5 (hoop)

* While in Skegness, Lincolnshire in May 2011 we saw a sign for 'Crazy Pool', however the 'tables' were long gone when we reached the (derelict) course.