The course is definitely crazy and reminded us of Eternit-style Miniature Golf courses. There were some quite elaborate metalwork obstacles on the course too!
In our Irregular Mini Golf Tour Match-up Emily defeated me 27-34.
This uphill hole had a sand bunker on the far end, very hazardous!
The first course we played on the third day of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour roadtrip from Southsea, Hampshire to Bognor Regis, West Sussex was the 15-hole Millennium Crazy Golf course at Earnley Gardens (home to Birds, Butterflies & Beasts). It was the 270th course played overall on our tour.
We're not exactly sure why it's called 'Millennium Crazy Golf' and only the scorecard states this name. At a best guess the course was possibly built in the year 2000. It's not very futuristic if it was. Except perhaps for the obstacle (above) which resembles the logo of The Umbrella Corporation from the Resident Evil 'universe'!
In our Irregular Mini Golf Tour Match-up I defeated Emily 46-52.
Emily checks to see the ball has safely exited the pipes obstacle on this hole. I was not so lucky and had to fish my ball out of the middle hole.
The course also featured a stone circle a la Stonehenge. One for the Clonehenge blog perhaps.
You can find the course at Earnley Butterflies, Birds and Beasts, 133 Almodington Lane, Earnley, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 7JR. Visit the Earnley Butterflies, Birds and Beasts website for more information, prices and opening times.
10th October 2011 Press Information For Immediate Release
Minigolf Report – Weymouth Open 2011
Richard runner-up in Individual Competition and winner, with Chris Harding, in Team Tournament
Luton Minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried were in action at the fourth-annual Weymouth Open competition at the 18-hole Pirate Adventure Golf course at the Sea Life Centre at Lodmoor Country Park on Sunday 9th October. Competing in a 13 player field Richard was the runner-up in the Weymouth Open individual tournament. Emily finished in tied-eighth place.
Photo: Richard playing the 9th hole at Weymouth Pirate Adventure Mini Golf
In the two round tournament Richard scored a total of 81(+9) after rounds of 42 and 39. Emily had a total of 95(+23) after rounds of 48 and 47. The winner was Oxford’s Michael Smith who retained the title with a score of 78(+6).
In the second competition of the day Richard teamed with Birmingham’s Chris Harding to compete in the first-ever Weymouth Open Team Tournament. In the combined score doubles event the pair won with a total of 80(+8) with both players hitting rounds of 40. Emily and her partner Chris Smith were runners-up with a team score of 82, with Emily scoring 42 and Chris Smith a 40.
Photo: Richard Gottfried (l) with Minigolf Team Mate Chris Harding, showing off the 2011 Weymouth Open Team Tournament Trophy
Richard said “The Pirate Adventure Golf course in Weymouth is one of the hardest courses we play on the BMGA Tour but I always enjoy the challenge it presents. I’ve now been runner-up up here twice, as well as winning the event in 2008. I’m very pleased to have added the Weymouth Open Team Championship title to my honours and Chris Harding was a great partner to have in the event.”
Emily said “The doubles competition was great fun. Chris Smith was a good partner to have and we put up a good fight for the Team Title. I felt I played a little under-par, and so let the team down, as we were only two shots away from a play-off for the trophy, and I made a couple of silly putting errors. Hopefully the title will be ours next year!”
In our Irregular Mini Golf Tour match-up I won with a score of 33, Emily hit a 36 and Christopher scored 45.
The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour players pose for the camera at the Solent Springs Adventure Golf course
The course is very well maintained and is quite tricky in places. Some of the holes involve pipes and tunnels that can be cruel or kind depending on how lucky you are!
There's also a Top Hole (the 13th) at the course. Unfortunately none of us won a FREE GAME.
A nice touch about the 'clubhouse' is that they have a board where players can post their scores. My 33 was one of the best of the week so I got to put up a sticky-note with my score. There were some other impressive rounds put in by players, with the best going to an 11-year-old who hit a 29!
During our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour roadtrip to Southsea and beyond we had a replay of the Putting Course and Crazy Golf at the Castle Mini Golf Centre on Southsea Common.
First up on Saturday 1st October 2011 we played the 18-hole Putting Course, where I picked up the win with a score of 44(+8) including two holes-in-one. Christopher scored a 48, with Emily hitting a 49.
Next up Christopher and I played a round on the Crazy Golf course using 'proper' Crazy Golf rules. In the very high scoring round Christopher picked up the big minigolf win with a score of 61 to my dismal 73.
The Castle Mini Golf Centre can be found by following the Brown Tourist Signs on the main road nearby.
The Castle Mini Golf Centre has three courses, with the third one a Pitch & Putt. We didn't play it this time as there were some large groups out on the course which would have meant the game would have taken ages and we had plans to visit the Model Village in Southsea and have a go on the Swan Boats at Canoe Lake too, before heading to Gosport to play the 12-hole Adventure Golf course there too.
The Make A Difference (MAD) group is organising a Guinness World Record Attempt for "The most people to successfully High 5 across multiple locations" on Monday 10th October 2011 - World Mental Health Day.
The Make A Difference group aims to promote mental wellbeing across the community and challenge the stigma that exists towards mental illness.
The Guinness World Record Attempt for the most High 5s will be taking place in Luton and Bedford (as well as ten other community sites in the two towns) at 1pm on Monday 10th October. Anyone can take part and the current record stands at 1,790 people. Further details can be see on the poster below and on the MAD website.
Minigolf revisit to Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea - Exactly five years since our first visit
On Friday 30th September 2011 Emily and I headed down to Southsea, Hampshire to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the start of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We were joined by my brother Christopher who was also there at the start of our tour of the UK’s Miniature Golf courses, when we played our Irregular Mini Golf Tour competition on the 9-hole Victory Trail course at Treasure Island Adventure Golf on the seafront in Southsea.
Photo: Emily tees-off on hole 1 of the Victory Trail course as Christopher looks on
Back on Saturday 30th September 2006 a group of us headed to the Treasure Island Adventure Golf course during a weekend away visiting Christopher on one of our seaside trips (Emily and I had made a resolution to visit as many seasides as possible). We played the Victory Trail first, followed by the 9-hole Warrior Trail course on the Sunday.
Photo: Richard plays hole 1 of the Victory Trail course
From there our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour has seen us travel all over the UK and to several other countries too. Following our trip to Southsea’s Treasure Island, a replay of two other courses on Southsea Common, and a roadtrip along the coast to Bognor Regis and Felpham the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour courses played count now stands at 276, with visits made to 430 courses overall.
In our Irregular Mini Golf Tour re-match on the Victory Trail course Emily took the win with a score of 24, followed by me with a score of 25 and Christopher one-shot off with 26. In a nod to nostalgia we played the game under Crazy Golf Rules, as when we first played in 2006 we used very different rules to those we generally use now. Back in 2006I had scored 31, Emily had hit a 34 and Christopher had managed a 36.
Video: Playing hole 18 of the Victory Trail course
Photo: The Scorecard from our revisit to the two Adventure Golf courses at Treasure Island
After the round we then stepped up to try our luck on the lucky last hole and try to Fire the Cannon to win a FREE GAME. I had managed this feat in 2006 and once again I hit a hole-in-one to earn a FREE GAME pass! Something I very rarely manage despite how often we play minigolf!?
Photo: Richard shows off his Top Hole winnings
With the FREE GAME pass safely tucked away as a memento of the visit, and a future exhibit in the Crazy Golf Museum, we decided to play the Warrior Trail Adventure Golf course too.
The light was beginning to fade but our enthusiasm for playing did not. This time round I managed a 28, with Emily hitting a 29 and Christopher once again just one-shot back on 30. Before the scores were added up we stepped up to try to Fire the Cannon, however none of us managed a hole-in-one the second time around.
Photo: Christopher plays hole 5 of the Warrior Trail course
In the overall Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Victory & Warrior Trail 5-Year Anniversary Tournament there was (as in 2006) a tie for first-place. This time it was Emily and me that were joint winners, with Christopher in third spot.
On the 1st October we headed to revisit and replay the other courses in Southsea at the Southsea Common Castle Mini Golf Centre, and the closed course on Southsea Pier. We also played a new Adventure Golf course at Stokes Bay in Gosport. On Sunday 2nd October we then headed along the coast towards Bognor Regis, west Sussex, where we managed to play a further seven courses in Earnley, Selsey, Hunston, Bognor itself and Felpham (next to Bognor).
We had also planned to visit Littlehampton and play the many Miniature Golf courses there, however we ran out of time which means that they will become some of the first we’ll play when they reopen in 2012 after the winter break.
More photos from our revisit to Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea
Photo: Christopher & Richard on hole 8 of the Victory Trail course
Photo: Christopher plays a tricky second shot on the Victory Trail course
