THE world’s best crazy golf players are about to descend on Hastings to face off in the biggest battle the town has seen since 1066.
Some 162 stars from nine different countries will head to East Sussex to try and earn the crown as the world champion of crazy golf this weekend.
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Included in the 162-strong field are the ‘holy trinity’ of crazy golfers: Adam Kelly, Michael Smith and Mark ‘The Force’ Chapman.
The trio are amongst the best players in the world and have been described by organisers as the Federer, Nadal and Djokovic of Crazy Golf.
They’ll be keen to lift the trophy come Sunday afternoon and pocket the £1,250 grand prize on offer for the winner.
To do so they will have to take on seven gruelling rounds of the Hasting Adventure Golf course and come out on top.
Here SunSport breaks down what those players can expect from this weekend’s action by breaking down a hole-by-hole guide of the course.
1st Hole – Easy Does It
It’s an easy start for the superstars of Crazy Golf as a straight hitter welcomes them to life in the world championships.
If players can keep it straight and get their pacing right they should be one under from the off.
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2nd Hole – Leap of Faith
Another straight hole follows the first, but one with a vastly different challenge.
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Players will have to perfectly weight their shot up a ramp to get it to fall into a cup that will feed the ball down for a certain hole-in-one.
Should they fail to get the weighting right then they will face a tough downhill put for their second shot or even have to try getting up the ramp again.
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3rd Hole – Left or Right
Forget hitting it straight on this hole as an obstacle sits in the way of a direct route to the cup.
Players will have to curve their shot around the hazard if they want to card another birdie.
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4th Hole – Hill Climb
As its name suggests this hole is entirely up hill.
Players need to get their weighting just right otherwise they will see their ball roll straight back down the hill and land at their feet – a tricky fourth.
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5th Hole – Windmill
This one is all about timing.
The hole is as straight as the first but players will have to deal with the giant spinning windmill that will be trying to block their shot from reach it’s destination.
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6th Hole – A ridge too far
Another hole that is all about getting the right pace.
Players who hit their shots too hard will face a ridge behind the hole making a second shot nearly impossible to sink.
Get it right and it’s another ace on the cards.
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7th Hole – Ramp-a-gogo
Very similar to the second hole with a chance to find a cup that’ll feed you into an ace after making it up the hill.
However a rebound shot off the side can work just as well for the innovative players in Hastings.
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8th Hole – Watermill
If you thought the windmill hole was hard, wait until you take on the watermill.
A rotating watermill stands in players’ way with timing paramount to not seeing your ball bounce directly back at your feet.
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9th Hole – Over the bump
A small bump is the only hazard for the experienced pros taking to the ninth hole this weekend.
Get it up and over and you’ll be celebrating an ace as if you were Tiger Woods on a Sunday at Augusta.
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Hole specific rules
There are a number course specific rules – in each case, there are no penalty shots added and each shot counts.
- Hole 2 – if the ball fails to reach the green (where the cup is), player tees off again.
- Hole 5 (Windmill) – if the ball fails to pass the windmill off the tee, player tees off again.
- Hole 7 – if the ball fails to reach the lower green (with the cup), player tees off again.
- Hole 8 (waterwheel) – if the ball fails to pass through the waterwheel, player tees off again.
- Hole 11 – if the ball fails to pass all the way through the obelisk, player tees off again.
- Hole 16 (the mini jump) – if the ball drops into the ditch and rolls under the overhang, player can reposition up to 22cm from either side of the ramp (but in the ditch – they cannot reposition onto the green).
- Hole 17 (Lighthouse) – if the ball fails to pass by or through the lighthouse, player tees off again. With the new tee positions playing around the lighthouse is permitted.
- Hole 18 – If the ball fails to p
10th Hole – Deluxe Corner
One of the hardest challenges that the 162 players will face over the course of the weekend’s action.
A double rebound could be needed to grab an ace with an off centred cup and hazards blocking any straight shot from sinking.
Even the ‘holy trinity’ will find it hard to card a par here.
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11th Hole – Cenotaph
A giant lighthouse stand in between the player and the hole – testing the ability to hit a ball dead straight.
Players could go round the structure, but don’t expect a good score if the do.
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12th Hole – A bunker too far
Another test for a straight hitter – this time with a slight ramp to navigate too.
Players with a steady hand should be racking up a impressive score by this point in the course.
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13th Hole – Long and winding road
Don’t be fooled into thinking this hole is as straight as the previous two.
Looks can be deceiving as players will need to hit their ball up the left side and watch it break towards the hole.
There’s no caddie to give you a read at the World Crazy Golf Championships though…
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14th Hole – Plateau
Another tricky hole with plenty to throw you off course.
Players will need to hit their putt with enough venom to make it over two humps on the build up before landing it atop a raised shelf that the hole lies on.
Nothing short of perfection for an ace.
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15th Hole – The Ditch
Players don’t have anything too crazy to contest with here as they just need to hit it hard and straihght.
A steep hill starts the hole off before a ledge means their ball will trickle towards the cup if they’re on line.
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16th Hole – The Giveaway
Another ledge for players to navigate as they have to hit off a diving board-like setup to find the hole.
It looks more intimidating than it is, however, with a straight shot setting up yet another ace opportunity.
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17th Hole – Lighthouse
Another lighthouse – players can either feed the ball through a tunnel in the base of the obstacle or opt for a rebound shot around the side.
A signature hole to set the stars up for the 18th.
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18th Hole – Rampathon
There’s no way round a right-angle corner without taking a trip to the fun fair.
Players need to hit their shot hard at a bright red ramp that will then loop around like a slide and feed their ball around the corner and towards the hole.
Even if they get the weighting right, there’s no guarantee of an ace – hit it and hope.
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