A postcard from Pontins Prestatyn Holiday Centre

A look at an old postcard from Pontins Prestatyn Holiday Centre.

One of the old postcards I bought at the recent Stockport postcard fair was this one sent to Chester in 1987.

Pontin's Prestatyn Holiday Centre. Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Postally used in 1987

The Bamforth & Co. Ltd. card gives a nice view of the holiday camp.

Pontins Prestatyn Sands

Pontins Prestatyn Sands was the setting for the film Holiday on the Buses and we've stayed there twice for special events. The excellent swimming pool and main building on the card are still instantly recognisable today.

Outside the main building at Pontin's Prestatyn Sands holiday camp in 2014

The July 2019 issue of Picture Postcard Monthly magazine contains an article I wrote about Pontins postcards.

One of my prized minigolf possessions is from the Pontins Holiday Village. It's something of a crazy golf postcard holy grail as the sender wrote about the course depicted on the card.

Pontin's Prestatyn Holiday Village. Photo Precision Limited R5605. Postally used 8 July 1977

Greetings from Pontin's Holiday Village, Camber Sands

We found this nice old Pontin's postcard at a collector's fair in Stockport yesterday.

Greetings from Pontin's Holiday Village, Camber Sands. Photo Precision Limited. Posted on 14 July 1975

The July 2019 issue of Picture Postcard Monthly magazine contains an article I wrote about Pontins postcards.

The Crazy Golf course at Pontin's Camber Sands is where the playground and grass is in the top left image of the postcard above

My family stayed at Pontin's Camber Sands in the 1990's and we swung by the holiday camp to play the Adventure Golf there in 2014.

The course was the 585th visited and 351st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Pontins postcards in Picture Postcard Monthly

Check out the feature on Pontins postcards in the new issue of Picture Postcard Monthly.

The July 2019 issue of Picture Postcard Monthly magazine contains an article I wrote about Pontins postcards.

The new issue of Picture Postcard Monthly is out now

Over the years I've collected quite a few postcards showing Pontins holiday camps dating back to the 1960s.

Greetings from Pontin's at Pakefield, Suffolk, Photo Precision Limited. PLC13118. Postally used on 28 Aug 1969

The majority of the cards I have are from the 1970s and 1980s and a lot of them show miniature golf courses.

One of my prized minigolf possessions and something of a crazy golf postcard holy grail as the sender wrote about the course depicted on the card

You can buy Picture Postcard Monthly magazine via the PPM website, or at postcard fairs around the country.

I'm a big fan of the seaside, holiday camps and crazy golf and have collected a large number of postcards showing various locations. In recent years we've also been on holiday to Pontins Prestatyn Sands for On the Buses fan club events.

Pontin's Holiday Centre Prestatyn, Bamforth & Co. Ltd. WT948. Postally used, date unknown

Growing up, my family went on holidays to camps at Barry Island, Minehead, Bognor Regis and Camber Sands. The November 2016 issue of Picture Postcard Monthly includes a feature I wrote about Butlin's cards.

Links:
- Picture Postcard Monthly magazine
- Pontins

Related blog posts:
- Postcards
- Pontins

Crazy Golf at Pontins Camber Sands

Playing the Pirate Crazy Golf course at Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Park.

On our way to Hastings for the 2014 World Crazy Golf Championships we decided to revisit the nearby seaside towns of Camber and Rye in East Sussex.

Having recently enjoyed our visit to the Prestatyn Sands Pontins Holiday Park in Wales we thought we'd check out the Camber Sands park as we'd heard it also had a Crazy Golf course.



The Crazy Golf course at Pontins Camber Sands became the 585th visited and 351st course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and it was great fun.

In our Minigolf match played over one 9-hole round on the Pirate Bay Adventure Golf course I defeated Emily with a score of 23 to 24.

Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Park is open to day visitors and you can find out more about the Holiday Park, tickets, bookings and more on the Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Park website.

While our stay at the Camber Sands Holiday Park was brief, it was good fun. Back in the early 90's my family had a holiday at the camp - I wonder if I played Crazy Golf on that trip...

There's a giant octopus in the reception area of the Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Park! Great fun.

Earlier this month the Crazy Golf course at Pontins Prestatyn Sands became the 582nd visited and 348th played.

Links:
- Pontins
- Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Park

Related blog posts:
- Pontins
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Prestatyn (Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Village) - Crazy Golf

Videos:
- Crazy Golf at Pontins Camber Sands 1 of 5 
- Crazy Golf at Pontins Camber Sands 2 of 5
- Crazy Golf at Pontins Camber Sands 3 of 5
- Crazy Golf at Pontins Camber Sands 4 of 5
- Crazy Golf at Pontins Camber Sands 5 of 5

Crazy Golf at Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park

Playing Crazy Golf on the course at Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park during the Holiday on the Buses Weekender 2014.

On the first evening of our stay at Pontin's Prestatyn Sands we went to have a look at the Crazy Golf course

After spending the morning of the 28 September playing for The Butler Cup at the Crazy Golf course just off the seafront in Prestatyn we headed back into the Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park to make good use of the facilities on our Holiday on the Buses weekender.

Seth, Brad and Emily outside the Castle Battlements of the Crazy Golf course

As well as going swimming (in the very same pool they filmed scenes for Holiday on the Buses) and recreating some of the action from the film by riding around the camp on the big bikes, we had ANOTHER game of Crazy Golf.

The 9-hole course on the park is free to play with a £5 deposit required.

The course was the 582nd visited and 348th played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

The layout is felt with wooden borders and some tricky obstacles and some incredibly tough second (and third) putts!

Set-out in a castle the course is well made and fits the space nicely.

In our five-player semi-pro contest on the course Brad Shepherd stormed to victory with a cracking round of 18(par)!

The Crazy Golf players at Pontin's Prestatyn Sands from l-r Peter Jones, Seth Thomas, Brad Shepherd, Richard Gottfried, Emily Gottfried

Seth Thomas was runner-up on 21(+3), with me third on 23(+5). Peter Jones and Emily tied in fourth-place on 27(+9).

Check out the Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park website for more information.

The course sits next to what was once the boating lake that can also be seen in the film. That's now been turned into a Kart Track.

The view of the old boating lake from the Crazy Golf course

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Holiday on the Buses Weekender at Pontin's 2014
- 'The Butler Cup' On the Buses Crazy Golf Tournament
- Wales
- Prestatyn
- On The Buses

Link:
- Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park

'The Butler Cup' On The Buses Crazy Golf Tournament

Report from the Crazy Golf events at the Holiday on the Buses Weekender in Prestatyn.

Emily playing hole 6 at Prestatyn's Crazy Golf course

One of the events at the Holiday on the Buses weekender 2014 in Prestatyn was the second-edition of The Butler Cup Crazy Golf competition.

Richard playing the classic windmill hole

Held at the 18-hole Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course on Bastion Road, Central Beach in Prestatyn this year saw two events played amongst the On The Buses Fan Club members - The Butler Cup and the Holiday on the Buses 'Pro' Trophy.

Emily in action

The Holiday on the Buses Weekenders contested The Butler Cup which was won by Eric Huckle with a marvellous score of 41(+5), while the seasoned players - me, Emily, Brad Shepherd and Seth Thomas, along with Rhyl semi-pro player Peter Jones and course employee Roy Knox - competed for the Holiday on the Buses 'Pro' Trophy.

The Holiday on the Buses Weekender 2014 Crazy Golf Champions - Emily Gottfried and Eric Huckle

The pro title was won by Emily with a score of 35(-1). Emily had tied with Peter Jones and Roy Knox after the round and was awarded the Pro title as the holidaymaker of the trio. Brad was fourth with a score of 39(+3), Seth was fifth on 40(+4) and I was sixth with 43(+7).

Peter Jones in action on his home turf

Brad playing the Prestatyn Crazy Golf course

Seth playing a shot on hole 9

Richard on hole 8

Emily playing a shot on hole 4

Emily receives the Holiday on the Buses 2014 trophy from course owner Christine

The semi-pro minigolfers, from l-r Peter Jones, Richard Gottfried, Emily Gottfried, Brad Shepherd, Seth Thomas, Roy Knox

Rhyl competitor Peter 'The Crazy Aced Assassin' Jones playing hole 1 as the crowd looks on

The On The Buses Fan Club is free to join. You can sign up with your email address on the website.

Having a ball! The Holiday on the Buses Weekender Crazy Golfers in Prestatyn

The Holiday on the Buses Weekender was a great fan event that saw us spend time at the Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park which was the location for the film, as well as attend a screening of the film and go on some mystery tours of the film's locations.

Related blog posts:
- On The Buses
- Holiday on the Buses Weekender at Pontin's 2014
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Wales
- Prestatyn
- Revisit and Replay of the Windmill Theatre Indoor Adventure Golf Course in Great Yarmouth

Links:
- On The Buses Fan Club
- Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park