There are more than 40 recognised crazy golf courses stretched across the UK, from the Land’s End coastline to Aberdeenshire. If you’re crazy about golf and the mini-putt version of it in equal measure, that spread turns into a proper bucket list challenge, not just a weekend outing.

Most “best of” lists rank favourites and leave it there. This one treats the whole country as a checklist: how many of these courses could you actually play in a year, what it would cost, and which regions let you knock out four or five in a single day trip. That’s the difference between admiring a list and finishing one.

Crazy Golf vs Adventure Golf: Know the Difference First

These terms get used interchangeably, but they’re not the same product. Crazy golf means flat, gimmicky obstacles — windmills, loop-the-loops, giant teapots — usually on a small footprint. Adventure golf (sometimes “jungle golf” or “safari golf”) uses landscaped terrain, waterfalls, rockwork and bigger holes that behave more like real putting greens with a theme bolted on.

Why it matters for your bucket list

If you’re chasing a genuine challenge, decide early whether you’re counting both categories or just one. A course like Hastings Adventure Golf plays completely differently from a seafront crazy golf hut with eighteen paint-chipped obstacles, even though both get filed under “crazy golf” by casual reviewers.

The indoor wildcard

Don’t assume this is a fair-weather hobby either. Venues like Junkyard Golf (Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, London) and Puttshack (London, Watford) run year-round, licensed, adults-heavy courses inside converted warehouses and shopping units. They count toward a serious bucket list and they solve the “it’s raining in Blackpool” problem completely.

Seaside Classics: The Backbone of Any UK Route

Britain’s traditional seaside crazy golf is still the heart of the challenge, and it’s largely a summer-season, walk-up affair. You won’t need to book most of these — you’ll need decent weather and loose change.

Hastings, Brighton, Weston-super-Mare, Blackpool and Scarborough all have long-running courses that predate the whole “adventure golf” rebrand by decades. Crazy golf itself has British roots stretching back over a century, with seaside miniature courses popping up alongside Victorian promenades and staying part of the coastal holiday ritual ever since.

The catch is seasonality. Many seafront huts shorten their hours or close entirely between November and March, so if you’re building a year-round itinerary, front-load your coastal legs for April to September and save the indoor venues for winter gaps.

Themed and Licensed Venues: Not All of Them Are for Kids

This is where lists trip people up. Several high-profile “crazy golf” brands are actually bars first, courses second, and that changes who can walk through the door.

Adults-only after a certain hour

Ghetto Golf (Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds) and some Junkyard Golf sites restrict entry to over-18s in the evenings, since the venue is a working bar with DJs and cocktails alongside the holes. Bunkers Adventure Golf leans more family-friendly during the day but still runs licensed bar areas.

What to check before you book

Always confirm the age policy and whether booking is compulsory — city-centre venues like Puttshack and Ghetto Golf sell timed slots online and do sell out on weekends, unlike most seaside courses.

Building a Realistic Route: Cost, Time and Clustering

Trying to hit every course in one road trip is unrealistic. The smarter approach is regional clustering — grouping courses by area and knocking out a cluster per trip across a year or two.

1. North-west cluster: Blackpool seafront courses plus Junkyard Golf Manchester and Liverpool — two days, easily doable by train.
2. South coast cluster: Hastings, Brighton and Weston-super-Mare — a long weekend, best done April to September.
3. London cluster: Puttshack (multiple sites) and Junkyard Golf London — a single day, fully bookable in advance.
4. Yorkshire cluster: Scarborough seafront plus Ghetto Golf Leeds — one overnight stay covers both.
5. Scotland leg: Glasgow and Edinburgh indoor venues, best paired with a wider Scottish holiday given the distance from England’s crazy golf hotspots.

Here’s roughly what each type of leg costs per adult, based on typical current pricing:

Budget roughly £250-£400 in green fees alone to genuinely cover a representative national spread of 15-20 courses, before travel and accommodation. The Land’s End to John o’Groats distance (over 800 miles) means nobody sensibly does this in one trip — treat it as a multi-year project, not a summer sprint.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is crazy golf the same as mini golf?

They’re the same idea with different branding. “Mini golf” is the more common US term; in the UK, “crazy golf” and “adventure golf” are used, with adventure golf usually meaning landscaped, larger-scale courses.

Do I need to book crazy golf in advance?

Only for city-centre and licensed venues like Puttshack, Junkyard Golf and Ghetto Golf, which sell timed slots and do sell out on weekends. Most traditional seaside courses are walk-up only and don’t take bookings at all.

Can kids play at every venue on this list?

No. Several licensed venues, including Ghetto Golf and some Junkyard Golf sites, restrict entry after a certain evening hour to over-18s, since they operate as bars. Always check the specific site’s age policy before turning up as a family group.