Well it was a great day at the closing ceremony of the ‘Oslympics’ at the Oswestry Games on Sunday 15th July, as one of our very own portable mini golf courses was used by the British Mini Golf Association in the ‘have a go’ activities on offer. Our 9 hole course was also played as part of an elite player BMGA Tour event with some of GB’s finest mini golfers (including my debut on a championship layout!)
There has been great coverage of the event in the Ham and Egger files blog by Richard Gottfried and this Minigolf Report from Oswestry Games written by the British Mini Golf Association.
Our Mini Golf course was laid out in the centre of the venue with 9 holes featuring a number of obstacles including bridges, loop-the-loops and labyrinths and was available for people to play as part of the event’s ‘have-a-go’ activities. Over 100 people played the testing layout during the day and many also received hints and tips from BMGA players. The best score by a member of the public was set at 20(+2) by Chris Powell. The top Pro 9-hole round score was set at 15 (-3) by John Moore and later equalled by Richard Gottfried.
The BMGA players who had acted as coaches to novice players and ambassadors for the sport of Minigolf also competed in the Oswestry Games and held an elite player BMGA Tour competition. The tournament took place over 36-holes on our portable mini golf course. The seven competing players in the BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship saw Richard Gottfried win Oslympic Gold. The silver medallist was Newcastle’s John Moore, with Marc Chapman from Canterbury winning the bronze medal.
My best round was 27, not even close to the record set by Pro Minigolfer John Moore! The team from BMGA kindly presented me with a gold medal, sadly for the wooden spoon position, but these mini golfers set up a tricky layout and the pressure got the better of me!
Another highlight of the day was to have had the chance to have my photograph with the Olympic torch, kindly donated to the Oswestry Games by a local torch bearer for a photo opportunity.
Richard Gottfried from the British Minigolf Association said after the event:
“Thank you to Shelley and all of the team at Putterfingers for bringing their course to the Oswestry Games community sports event. The multi-sport event was a chance for the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) to showcase the sport to a wider audience and the Putterfingers course we used for the ‘have-a-go’ sessions was ideal. Over 100 people played the course throughout the day and there were some low scores registered on the tricky layout that the BMGA players set-up. Assembly of the course was quick and easy. It was great fun setting up the course and placing the obstacles in cunning positions for new players to tackle. It was brilliant that we were able to play-test and then easily re-arrange the layout as necessary. Without the help of Shelley and all at Putterfingers we would not have been able to deliver the events at the Oswestry Games Closing Fun Day. Their course proved to be incredibly popular and a real attraction.”
If you have an event and you are looking to hire a mini golf course please do get in touch. Our unique set up, makes our portable course a great addition to any event.
For more information on our mini golf courses please visit www.putterfingers.co.uk
