Enter competition to find UK's worst crazy golf player with free games for life prize from Wicksteed Park

Forget claret jugs and green jackets, the winner of the UK's worst crazy golf player crown needs to be more Tiger wouldn’t than Woods.

With the boom in adventure golf, more and more people are having a go at mini-golf, making it one of the fastest-growing family pastimes.

But what if, try as you might, you actually aren’t very good at getting that ball into the hole?

Wicksteed Park – home of the newly-refurbished Pig n’ Putt mini-golf course - has come to the rescue for one lucky player who is determined to stop holding up the game with their wayward shots and whose scorecard has more numbers than a bingo caller.

Wicksteed Park director Kelly Richardson said: “Everyone loves a game of mini-golf but nobody wants to let the side down because, try as they might, they just can’t get their ball into the hole.

“Having free games for life means the lucky winner can come down and practice as many times as they like, in secret if they wish, so that their game improves.

“Our Pig n’ Putt course is a great mix of twists and turns, slopes and bridges and is a great place to practice.

“After all, as Gary Player, considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time, reportedly said "The more I practice the luckier I get."

The park is offering free games for life on its 18-hole, farmyard-themed course to the person its competition judges vote as the ‘worst crazy golf player’ in the UK.

All contestants have to do is to submit videos of their mini-golf ‘epic fails’ under the post on the park’s Facebook page, with the winner being announced to coincide with the park opening fully for the summer holidays on Saturday, July 19.

The park has compiled advice on the top five crazy golf mistakes, to help people play better:

Hitting too hard – Your shot resembles the opening shot on a par 5 and ends up yards from the course, let alone the hole

Hitting too soft – Creates that frustrating rollback, where you repeatedly end up back where you started

The one-handed wave – Usually associated with over-confidence (you can’t possibly miss) or total frustration after what feels like your 27th attempt at the same hole. Failure to hold the club properly can result in more misses

FOMO – When the banter and gossip among your fellow players is so good you take your shot as quickly as possible, so you can rejoin the conversation

Shot in a million – Aiming for the near impossible or spending an age working out all the angles for a shot nobody else has ever seen or even thought of.

Wicksteed Park is open from July 19 until September 2 for summer fun for the whole family.

In the run-up to the holidays, the park is open at weekends and Pig n’ Putt is one of the attractions also open on Thursdays and Fridays.

Wicksteed Park combines a 281-acre estate including 147 acres of beautiful parkland. As well as its rides and attractions, the park has gardens, walking trails, a nature reserve and its water meadows are a beautiful habitat full of sedges, reeds, wildflowers and numerous species of birds.

For further information, go to wicksteedpark.org

Mini-golf facts:

The number of mini or crazy golf courses in the UK has jumped by about 25 per cent since the pandemic.

The UK is now home to more than 1,200 courses. In 2006, there were only about 600.

A recent survey revealed approximately 60 per cent of the UK population enjoy mini golf.

One of the key reasons behind the global popularity of mini-golf is its universal appeal and inclusivity. Unlike traditional golf, mini-golf is accessible to people of all ages, disabilities and skill levels.