Played October 9, 2024
Reviewed by Mr. Tee with special guest “Squire” Richard Gottfried of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Over 13 years in the making, I was to finally meet up IRL with the world record-holding mini golf fanatic Richard Gottfried in Manchester on a visit to the city for the inaugural Manchester Adventure Golf Masters. From the start of documenting our mini golf travels, we were aware of and in touch with Richard and his partner Emily who have seen more mini golf courses than anyone else on the planet. Since it was my first time in Northern England, Richard was kind enough to take me on a walking tour of some of the odds and ends of Manchester. We swung by the Roxy Ballroom mini golf course in Dean’s gate to give it a glance but it was only fitting that the first round of our meeting was actually crazy POOL and not mini golf. I had seen different iterations of snooker-esque tabletop courses like Pit-Pat but this would be my first time taking a try at intentionally playing a course like you would billiards.
Rating
Many competitive putters and minigolfers scoff at the unconventional approaches to mini golf. I appreciate it when people bring unique approaches to the gameplay, design, and themes to accentuate the experience of following the ball as it navigates toward the hole. This is why I was eager and excited to play my first round of tabletop “mini golf” but I think it’s safe to say that Richard and I were not blown away. I loved the standard obstacles normally found on CityGolf-built courses and the craftspersonship in the wooden structures. I particularly liked the ball return mechanism that sent the ball through the inside structure of the “holes” and back to the tee box. I’ve heard many people compare mini golf to billiards over the years with the use of angles to navigate the optimal path so it all felt like a natural fit. Unlike the perfect combinations of chocolate and peanut butter or chips and guacamole, Roxy’s Crazy Pool is a bit more messy and complicated. Standard relief from obstacles and the layout of the holes can sometimes make it difficult to attempt a good shot with a pool cue. It reminded me of this Seinfeld episode where they chose a poor location for the pool table. While I love the obstacles, a few of them felt a bit too difficult for the public at large. The final hole was particularly frustrating and it took us a ton of attempts to finally get the ball to the final destination. We watched nearby patrons fail to complete the last hole which doesn’t necessarily leave the best taste in the customers’ mouths. In a video for Roxy at the course, there appeared to be a non-turfed version of “Crazy Pool” at other Roxy locations. I couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to get the ball in the hole on those fast and smooth surfaces. For mini golf aficionados, this feels like a place you must try once but it’s not necessarily a place you’ll rush to return to play often.
Two for crazy pool!
My guide / opponent is chalking up for his first time but it doesn’t look like his first rodeo
Entrance to the Roxy Ballroom located in the Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre
Didn’t think we’d need six shots to get through some of these lanes but that was before we played
Lots of traditional mini golf obstacles
The better path on this hole was to go around the obstacle
Final three holes including the super tricky 12th and final hole
Quickly found out that I can putt through a loop better than striking a ball with a pool cue
Richard trying to loop it into the cup/hole
Richard knows how to play all the angles
and I’m finding out that sometimes you can be in a really bad spot with an errant tee shot
Focus in action
Looks like a straight-forward pipe but it was not an easy hole at all
After we finally got the ball through the pipe, it didn’t land in the hole so we readjusted the pipe
The ball did not want to stay on the narrow middle path that gave the best ace opportunity
Trying my best to keep up but realized it had been years since I played pool
There were a few pool playing / overly difficult holes but this one took the cake
Rules and options to play the game a few ways
First time seeing a four-way beer pong set up at a bar. I guess it’s a thing in the UK and other places
Ten Pin Bowling with great signage
Classic pop-a-shot with a great ’90s Knicks vs Bulls set up
Unit R3, Withy Grove, Manchester M4 3AQ, United Kingdom
Comments
Sports bar / adult-focused vibe
Creative combination of billiards and mini golf
Some of the “holes” are particularly challenging / frustrating
Good use of traditional mini golf obstacles
Ball return mechanism worked well
Easy to get put in a position
Nerdy Notes
- 12 “holes”. Max 6 shots.
- £8 off peak/£10 peak per round
- 18+ venue with a full bar
- Other amenities include billiards, Ten pin bowling, darts, arcade games, “tech shuffle”, shuffleboard, ping pong, beer pong
