A volcano and a moon rocket are among the challenging hazards at a new crazy golf course in a North Wales town.
The quirky 12-hole attraction has opened in Ruthin, bringing a host of wild and wacky obstacles to The Centre on Lon Fawr which is run by Katie Edwards and her husband Paul.
Costing £26,000, the course is the latest addition to the site which already boasts tennis courts, junior football pitches, a GymPod, golf driving range, bowling green, footgolf course and 1.1 mile countryside walk.
Mum of two Katie, who runs the crazy golf, said: “It was something we wanted to add to the facilities on offer here and it provides fun for all the family in nice surroundings and alongside so many other facilities.”
The crazy golf was installed by St Asaph business Groundcare 360 with the help of an £18,000 grant from Corwen-based rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd and is open from 11am to 4pm at weekends and in school holidays.
Support has also come from the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT) which was established to support arts and community activities by Mario Kreft MBE and his wife, Gill, the owners of the Pendine Park care organisation, who live in Denbigh.
Putters and balls are available as part of the price which is £4.50 for adults and £4 for children with extra rounds a bargain at just £2.
Katie added: “We took over a couple of years ago and wanted to increase the offer here and crazy golf was a good option with lots of fun playing it for all ages and especially for families.
“It’s up and running now and there’s plenty of interest and hopefully as more people get to know about it that will increase.
“There are plenty of crazy golf courses on the coast but very few inland so it’s quite unique here in the Vale of Clwyd.
“We’re hoping it will attract interest from businesses who want to do something with their employees because we have so many facilities here with two large indoor rooms in The Centre as well as all the other activities here.
“We became involved here when Paul, who is a personal trainer, started doing fitness classes and when the opportunity came to take over we decided there was plenty of potential.
“We hold parties and events and local organisations hold meetings here.
“The Centre cafe area is open until 9pm for use of vending machines whilst other activities such as tennis and driving range are also open until late”.
“We’re also very green with solar power on the roofs of The Centre and the golf driving range – we hope soon to be 100 per cent renewable – and 16 allotments with a couple free at the moment.”
The site, including the building, is owned by Denbighshire County Council and leased to a community interest company, Llanfwrog Community Association, with various sporting activities being operated by different tenants.
Katie said: “When we were first offered the chance to take over the main hub of the site we jumped at the chance. We enjoy a challenge and doing something different and believe it has plenty of potential.
“We have a licensed bar and can provide catering so it’s perfect to hire for a whole range of functions, from christenings, weddings, funeral teas to children’s parties, as well as daytime and evening classes of all kinds.”
Paul leads various public classes and several private training sessions for people in the local area.
He said: “I take PT classes, one on one, or one on two people, and then we have got classes that we do here at The Centre.”
