MINIGOLF: A Community of Competitors
TOBY BULA-EDGE
On the final weekend of September, under generally clear blue skies, Hastings seafront hosted the British Open Minigolf Tournament.
Adam Kelley teeing up
The pirate course is a regular venue on the circuit, just as the adjacent adventure course (complete with windmill and other obstacles) frequently accommodates the World Crazy Golf championships. There were 71 entrants this year – a record number in the tournament’s history, including participants from Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Germany and Austria as well as across Britain.
Jon Angel, from the committee of the British Minigolf Association (BMA), said: “It’s something that anyone can do. So, this being an open competition, anyone can enter.”
And this freedom of entry has created a great sense of community. Angel continued: “It’s a wholesome activity. We have juniors playing here with their grandparents.”
But this didn’t mean the competition wasn’t fierce. Cheers of success and groans of commiseration could be heard around the course, mixed with fist-bumps between teammates.
There’s a level of technical wizardry required to do well. Where ‘big’ golfers carry a variety of clubs, each serious minigolfer will set out on a round equipped with a personal array of balls that have different properties. Some are bouncy, others are hard; some are made of glass. Selection of the right ball for each hole is a key skill.
Angel boasts a collection of 36 different minigolf balls. But that’s nothing in comparison to BMA Chairman Martin Greenhead’s 140. Greenhead, in attendance at the championships, explained: “When you first start, I think you get a bit over-awed by how many balls people have. And you start thinking, ‘I need that ball for this hole’ and you go mad and start buying balls.”
Team shirts make championship competitors stand out from the casual minigolfer. Not everyone stuck to the team kit, though. Hastings’ own John ‘Ted’ McIver, founder of Hastings Minigolf Club 25 years ago, winner of the tournaments of 2001, 2002 and 2003, and noted for his flamboyant style, dressed this year in casual jeans and shirt.
Whatever the sartorial turn-out, community values remain central. Rachel King, British Women’s Champion and Crazy Ladies Champion, said: “We’re all like a big family. It’s lovely, it’s nice. We’re all competitive, but we’re all there to help one another as well.”
Ms King reckoned that women can be just as good as the men, but more are needed. “There’s a handful of women and ten handfuls of men,” she said. For anyone unsure about whether to get involved, “don’t knock it before you try it.”
Martin Greenhead said: “Come to Hastings and play one of these great courses. I’ve played around the world, and this is probably the best venue I’ve ever been to.”
The competition was won by Englishman Adam Kelley. As a three-time winner, he took home a new trophy and the £300 cash prize. Sweden’s Erik Hjalmarsson took second place, Welshman (and UK No.1) Seve Kukielka was third, and Ted McIver fourth. Rachel King was again the highest-ranking female player.
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