When you enjoy a particular activity, you tend to make time for it even if it’s a bit far away from home.

But one couple made time over 14 YEARS in order to enjoy crazy golf and have been to nearly 1,000 mini-golf courses all over the UK, as they talk about here:

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Video credit: Rumble

Richard and Emily Gottfried recently recorded their 945th visit and plan on visiting each and every mini-golf course in the country.

They started their epic journey in 2006 after they fell in love with the game following a round of treasure island-themed gameplay.

The couple has visited such destinations as Skegness, Hastings, Blackpool, and Weston-super-Mare in order to achieve the unlikely record.

Richard, 39, a marketing consultant, and Emily, 38, who works in sales, have even joined a couple of competitive crazy golf tournaments throughout the years.

Even after visiting more than one course a week over the past 14 years, they still have 250 more destinations to go to before being able to lay claim as the only people who ever visited each and every mini-golf course in the UK.

Richard said: “It’s fair to say that Emily and I are addicted to mini-golf. We love the quirkiness of the courses and the fact people of all ages and sexes can compete on a level playing field. It’s a game that’s got something for everyone.”

Even far-flung places like the Isle of Man and Great Cumbrae, an island in the Firth of Clyde, haven’t stopped them from making the trip.

He said: “Whenever we’re away, whether it be on a day out or at a wedding, we always look for a nearby course to go and play at. Emily and I have been to so many amazing places that we would never have visited before just to play at a course. We’ve seen all sorts over the years and that’s thanks to mini-golf.”

Richard’s favorite venues are the Arnold Palmer putting courses that are all around the country. And for those who wish to experience the broadest variety of courses, the resorts around Skegness offer the best location.

It all began when the couple from Stockport, Greater Mancs, got their first car and started visiting different places across the country.

Their first course was Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea, located in Portsmouth, Hants, while they were visiting Richard’s brother at the university.

Richard said: “We both grew up going on holiday to the seaside and had fond memories of playing mini-golf when we were younger. When we saw the course in Southsea we just thought, ‘why not give it a go?’ Little did we know that it would be the start of something that would go on for the next 14 years and become a bit of an obsession.”

After the couple returned home, Richard did some research and found out there were 600 mini-golf courses in the UK.

He said: “We thought, ‘well that will keep us busy for a while,’ and decided there and then to try and visit every single one.”

But with the boom in the mini-golf industry, new indoor courses were popping up at the rate of about one a week.

Richard said: “Recently we’ve been playing a lot more indoor courses, as they’re popping up all over the place, which is good for the game I think. They do tend to be different from traditional courses but interesting in their own way and handy because they can be played at all times of the year and in any weather.”

Hopefully, Richard and Emily can accomplish their record within the next few years.

One place on their bucket list is Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, which has 50 courses and has been called the Mecca of mini-golf.

 

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