World Crazy Golf Championship 2003

According to the BBC news "one hundred competitors took part in the World Crazy Golf Championship-the first time ever that the event has been held in this country". Well who are we to argue with the BBC, especially as they featured the course on Radio 4's You and Yours programme the previous week.

8 year old Olivia Prokopova again made the journey from the Czech Republic-this time her father had abandoned his crutches in favour of a stout heavy walking stick, but was no less vociferous in his yelling or stick thumping.

Another pre tournament favourite -Katerina Kulhankova, had also made the long journey from middle Europe. A low turn out from BMGA members appeared to signal either tournament fatigue, a reluctance to forsake minigolf in favour of crazy golf, boredom at seeing Tim Davies win another trophy, or it could be they had better things to do with their time.
Yet ask any sane man or woman -what could be better than 2 days spent knocking a ball through the rotating sails of a miniature windmill-why its better than going to watch Coventry City with Girls Aloud. The first day saw a fierce Easterly wind whipping across the course, causing many a golf ball to flounder and be driven off course.

Tunbridge Wells based Philip Exall set the standards of excellence with a fine round of 38, the first of many splendid rounds over the next 2 days. Such consistency could see him representing his country next year in Romania. Two of the Hastings based players -Tim Davies and Ted McIver -both shot 40 plus scores and so the ever reliable Michael Webb purred into the lead, his putting as smooth and reliable as a Rolls Royce engine.
In the second round one of the emerging stars of British Minigolf , Steve Garton hit an assured 39 to match his previous round score of 38. Philip Exall's confidence was not harmed by carding another 38 to glide effortlessly to the top of the leaderboard. He was to be joined by Tim Davies, whose weeks of meticulous practice paid dividends with an entertaining 36. Alas for Katerina Kulhankova - the good work of her previous round undone by a round of 48.

In the afternoon it was time to say goodbye to the windmills, obelisks and lighthouses and move onto the minigolf course. Again the wind would prove as decisive a role as it did 415 years - ago hampering the Spanish Armada's progress up the channel.

Philip Exall proved to have a steady hand on the tiller steering his way through treacherous plateaux and twisting gorges to reach port with two scores of 40.
Another Exall on the long conveyor belt of Exalls that played in the tournament showed that minigolf runs in their blood with a terrific 39 and 43.
The headline of the afternoon though was the eye-popping play of 8 year Olivia Prokopova who hit a miraculous 32, followed by a 39 to finish the day top of the leader board .
Despite the wind nearing typhoon status she only carded one 3. In second place Tim Davies and Phil Exall tied 'hungry slavering wolves waiting to gobble up the little Czech girl if she made the slightest mistake'. She would have to rely on all her long years of experience to hold off their challenge. Unfortunately she is only 8.

Sunday saw another bright sunny day with the wind still swishing in from the East, blowing as hard as Gillian Taylforth in a motorway layby. The players had to play one round of crazy golf and one round of minigolf before the top 12 went through to the final round.
P Exall excelled again with a 38, this along with a 39 from Olivia meant that they were tied in second place.
Ominously the clear leader was Britains first semi professional minigolfer -Tim Davies - a 36 put him 2 shots clear and a whopping 7 shots ahead of his local adversary Ted McIver.
As the TV crews from rival stations kicked and jostled for the best vantage point the final round of minigolf started. Thomas Burgess inspired by the presence of Transworld sport hit a 38 while McIver, desperate not to look a niniwick on National TV hit a faultless 34 .
Tim's gale assisted 41 meant that it was time for him to get the wind up, - his 7 shot lead had dissipated.
McIver and Davies were on level pegging with Olivia 6 shots behind. The final round promised to be as exciting as watching David Blaine sit in his perspex box.
What of the others? Philip Exall's unlucky 45 had put him out of the running, Michael Webb had uncharacteristically spent too much of his energy remonstrating with players, organisers and spectators.
In the battle of the Bullins wife Ruth put her husband to the sword, while in the battle of Sheffield Kevin Styles not only vanquished Phil Riley but also made it into the final 12.

In the final everyone teed off before playing their second shot-in the resultant chaos the best score was from Sheffield based Kevin Styles who shot a 36 and finished 7th,-he had left his charge to the top a little too late this year though.
Drawn by the TV cameras a huge crowd of 30 (believe me that is a huge crowd for minigolf) followed the final group around -cheering on the plucky Czech girl.
After the first 10 holes Davies was one shot ahead of McIver - but at the turn the next few holes to play would be directly into the teeth of the wind. Davies had prepared a game plan for this eventuality, McIver hadn't.
Olivia and Davies both got twos despite being further from the hole. McIver's putt was nervous and tentative and got swallowed by the wind -in front of the cameras and disbelieving crowd he shot a 5, following that up by taking another 5 on the next hole -at least he was playing consistently
"I thought I was reading those greens OK " McIver said afterwards "but I guess I was dyslexic".
Davies knew he had his hands on yet another trophy confirmed by an ace on the 15th.
There was no where for McIver to hide on the last few holes - with the crowd roaring Olivia on he managed to hold on to second place by one shot. In front of a Channel 4 documentary team Tim had finished a phenomenal season as a World Champion. In second place McIver tried hard to hide his bitterness at yet another defeat. He knew that come January Channel 4 would be reshowing the whole thing.
The Czech contingent were overjoyed at Prokopova's performance.
The highlights of the tournament were networked on 10 American channels and Clambers promise a minimum prize money pot of £1000 for next year. After the tournament Olivia was only able to give her comments in Czech, Ted McIver was too upset to comment and everyone else had gone off to get warm-so the final word, fittingly is left to the 2003 World crazy golf Champion Tim Davies "I'm a C" he said, but it was drowned out by the throng of people running for the 6.13 to London as they realised the clocks hadn't gone back just yet.


1st unofficial shot	1st official shot	Katerina Kulhankova	Olivia Prokopova	Katerina Kulhankova	Kevin Styles

Mr. Michael Webb	Phil Exall	Tim 'Ace Man' Davies	'Big Top'Ted McIver	David Thompson-Rowlands	Steve Garton

Olivia Prokopova	Ruth Bullin	'Big Top' Ted McIver	Panorama	Peter Parr	Keith Kellard


Mr. Michael Webb	Tim Davies	Tim Davies	Phil Exall	T Exall	T Exall	Steve Garton


Steve Garton	Olivia Prokopova	Ruth Bullin	Phil Riley	Ted McIver	Ted McIver	Peter Parr	Paul Jenneson

Hastings Seafront Crazy Golf Current BMGA record 33, Big Top Ted McIver (20/10/2001 & 24/11/2001). Current Planet Hastings CGC record is 31, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies and Mark 'Ice Man' Spry. <review> <pics>

Hastings Seafront Minigolf Official All-comers tournament play record 32, Olivia Prokopova (Cze)(18/10/2003). Current BMGA record 34, Big Top Ted McIver (19/10/2003). Current Planet Hastings CGC record is 33, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies. <review> <pics>

			Crazy	Crazy	Sub	Mini	Mini	Sub	Crazy	Mini	Sub	Crazy	Total
1	Davies	Tim	40	36	76	42	38	156	36	41	233	39	272
2	McIver	Ted	44	38	82	42	37	161	38	34*	233	45	278
3	Prokopova	Olivia	46	38	84	32**	39	155	38	46	239	40	279
4	Webb	Michael	35	41	76	43	44	163	40	40	243	40	283
5	Kulhankova	Katrina	37	48	85	43	37	165	39	38	242	44	286
6	Exall	Philip	38	38	76	40	40	156	39	45	240	46	286
7	Styles	Kevin	45	39	84	45	47	176	40	41	257	36	293
8	Exall	Trevor	39	40	79	45	44	168	41	46	255	38	293
9	Jenneson	Paul	44	35	79	47	46	172	39	42	253	43	296
10	Parr	Peter	40	39	79	48	48	175	41	40	256	40	296
11	Garton	Steve	38	39	77	49	45	171	40	50	261	40	301
12	Exall	Terry	54	42	96	39	43	178	37	43	258	44	302
13	Burgess	Thomas	40	50	90	46	44	180	46	38	264		264
14	Gow	Stephen	44	48	92	46	43	181	43	42	266		266
15	Bullin	Ruth	43	40	83	48	44	175	48	45	268		268
16	Riley	Phil	38	45	83	48	48	179	49	42	270		270
17	Birkett	Sam	46	40	86	47	48	181	44	47	272		272
18	Bullin	Bill	42	46	88	40	45	173	52	52	277		277
19	Thompson-Rowlands	David	47	44	91	46	48	185	53	42	280		280
20	Kellard	Keith	45	52	97	54	50	201	45	46	292		292
21	May	Chris	47	52	99	48	46	193	62	53	308		308
22	Whitehurst	Matt	51	48	99	50	48	197			197		197
23	Eades	Richard	55	53	108	43	51	202			202		202
24	Wilson	Mark	51	50	101	51	53	205			205		205
25	Ward	Jonathan	51	52	103	51	53	207			207		207