Alphabet Dating | G is for… Golf

For ages now, I’ve been reluctant to share this post, but I feel if I leave it any longer, it wouldn’t be documented and then our alphabet will be all out of sync. We went on our ‘G’ date back in March, literally the week before lockdown. We went on a Wednesday and by the Saturday, Mr Mulligan’s had closed its doors due to the coronavirus outbreak. While I blogged at the time about our brunch at Nonna’s beforehand, I felt it wasn’t the right time to share this experience – I thought that no-one would read the post and it would just be really inappropriate given the shape of the world. But now as things are easing, I’m sure it won’t be long until Mr Mulligan’s re-opens its doors.

Obviously, it was really strange because it was so empty. We didn’t share either course with anyone else and we saw two other couples in the diner area and that was about it. The lady working literally did every job, apart from work in the kitchen. While the quietness was perfect in terms of not having to queue to start a hole, or wait for others to take their turn, it was just weird and eerie – it just felt like there was no atmosphere.

There are two indoor courses to play, both of which have 12 holes: Enchanted Forest and Underwater Kingdom (both are par 26). For an adult, it’s £8.50 for one game or £12.25 for two, while under 12s can play for £6.50 or £9.50. But there are also plenty of offers, all of which can be found on the website – especially when it comes to food & drink and play packages. Of course, we’d had brunch and I think had made plans for dinner (after getting Alfie from nursery), but that didn’t stop me ordering a slush puppy later on, in between games.

The courses were decorated well and totally got into the themes they were supposed to be. I loved the glow in the dark style of the Enchanted Forest, as well as the giant toadstools and butterflies that adorned the holes. But the Underwater Kingdom course was equally as thrilling – especially with the shark that hung from the ceiling. But which course did I prefer? Well I guess the Underwater Kingdom, which is where I got the better score… and actually beat Ash!

Neither of us got anywhere near the par for the course. I scored 43 on the forest course and 33 on the underwater one, while Ash scored 35 and 34 respectively – giving me a total of 76 and Ash a score of 69, while the par total was 52. More practise is definitely needed when we can return!

Despite being rubbish at it on this occasion, I do love Crazy Golf. I remember winning at Junkyard Golf in London for a friend’s 30^th birthday celebrations and some of my favourite memories are playing the crazy golf courses at both Billericay Lakes and Maldon Promenade Park with my grandparents and brother. Apparently, and I’ve only just found this out via the website, but there’s an outdoor course too – and it has since reopened, with social distancing measures – same household groups only and you must book online.

So, while it’s short and sweet, there isn’t too much to say really – you’re much better off experiencing it for yourself. I also wanted to post before I wrote about our ‘H’ date which of course, is still pending. ‘Home’ is a bit of a cop-out, but fair play to those couples with kids that have managed to get dressed up and have date nights… there’s no chance of that happening in our household!

Love, Lucy xx

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