CRAZY GOLF fans from around the world flocked to Hastings for the sport’s world championships.
International teams also took part in the three-day event, which began on June 10, with one travelling from the Azores to battle it out for the top spot at Hastings Adventure Golf.
Crowds lined the course to see novices, children, teams and professionals at crazy golf’s premier fixture, with Britain's Adam Kelly winning the pro event and scooping a £1,250 prize – the sport’s largest winnings.
“It was fantastic, it was the biggest one so far,” said Simon Tompkins, chief executive of the course.
“We had a team from the Azores, some guys from New Zealand for the team event, and we had an American guy over who came seventh in the main event. We’re getting 140 players on our course over the weekend.
“Next year is our 20th year, we lost one because of Covid, so we’re looking at going bigger and better on that – we’re trying to get some screens up so people walking past can see what’s going on, and live scoring on apps.”
The Hastings event is the only championship of its kind in the world, as the number of traditional crazy golf courses is in decline.
The late professional American golfer Arnold Palmer came to the UK and began designing crazy golf courses in 1965 – building the Hasting course ten years later.
“He started building crazy golf courses around the country,” said Simon.
“But a lot of them have gone into a state of disrepair or been upgraded to meet expectations of children that want cannonballs or balls firing. A windmill turning doesn’t quite hold the same excitement for them as it did for childen in the Sixties.”
Hastings Adventure Golf is open 364 days a year, though sees a drop in player numbers in the colder months.
The club is planning to tackle this by opening its first indoor course, its fourth in total.
“We thought it was time that we got involved,” said Simon.
“Although we’re a seaside attraction, we do live in England, so the weather isn’t always on our side.
“We think it’s a game changer – but we are very fortunate that very few days we’ll have no one playing.”
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