2026-09-03 15:07:00
Dragon eggs are vanishing across County Durham, and the potion makers are starting to panic. If they run out of eggs, wizarding golf as we know it could disappear forever. Someone needs to crack the case, and that someone might as well be your family. Before you grab your putter and head off to solve the mystery at crazy golf Blackpool, it helps to know how to actually enjoy nine holes with kids, grandparents, and everyone in between without anyone storming off in a huff. These are the best family crazy golf tips we've picked up from watching hundreds of witches and wizards (some tiny, some not so tiny) attempt our courses.
Crazy golf sounds simple until you're standing over a ball wedged between a talking portrait and a fake boulder while your seven-year-old asks why the dragon eggs are important anyway. A bit of preparation turns a chaotic outing into the kind of afternoon your family actually talks about later. Here's how to get the most out of it.
Don't just split into "kids versus adults." That setup usually ends with one team finishing in ten minutes and the other still arguing over whose ball is whose on hole three. Instead, mix ages and skill levels into each group. Pair a confident young putter with an adult who's happy to hang back and let them take the big shots. Put the two competitive cousins on opposite teams before they turn the course into a rivalry that outlasts the actual round.
If you've got a toddler in tow, give them a job that isn't strictly about the score. Let them be the "official egg spotter" who watches for clues hidden around the course, or hand them the scorecard and let them scribble on it. Nobody minds a wobbly six when the six-year-old is the one who wrote it down.
Grandparents deserve a job too, and it's usually "chief storyteller." Someone in the group who's happy to read the riddles with a bit of drama keeps the pace moving and gives the kids a reason to actually listen instead of racing ahead to the next hole. Rotate the job around if more than one person wants a turn. It's a small thing, but it stops any one person from feeling like they're just there to carry the bags.
A few roles worth handing out before you tee off on hole one:
Egg spotter: watches for hidden clues around the course
Chief storyteller: reads each riddle out loud with a bit of drama
Scorekeeper: keeps the card and settles any disputes
Photographer: captures the castle, the lake, and the inevitable dodgy putt
It's tempting to march straight up to each hole and whack the ball toward the flag. Slow down for a second. Every hole at The Hole in Wand has its own story, and the riddles and clues aren't just decoration, they're half the fun. Reading them out loud as a family adds a natural pause between shots, which is exactly what you want when someone's still figuring out how to hold the putter.
This also solves a common problem: kids losing interest halfway through. A round of crazy golf is really eighteen (or in this case, nine) tiny games, and the story is what strings them together. Skip the story and you're left with a string of golf shots. Keep it, and you've got an actual adventure your kids will want to finish.
Regular golf rewards a clean, straight hit. Crazy golf rewards paying attention to what's actually in front of you. Our courses are full of things a normal green would never have: a mysterious lake that seems to swallow balls whole, a creepy castle with blind corners, and portraits that watch your every move (and might even talk back). None of these are just for looks. They change how the ball rolls, where it can get stuck, and which angle actually works.
Encourage your kids to walk the hole first before they putt, the same way pros read a green. Before anyone swings, take thirty seconds to check:
Which way the slope actually runs
Whether there's a gap under the castle wall wide enough for a ball to sneak through
Where the lake is likely to grab a wayward shot
Which portrait has the best view of the flag (they're not always honest about it)
Two minutes of scouting saves ten minutes of fishing a ball out of a fake moat.
This is also where the quieter kids in your family often shine. Not every seven-year-old wants to take the big dramatic swing, but plenty of them love spotting the sneaky route nobody else noticed. Let that kid lead the scouting and call the shots for a hole or two. It's a nice way to even out the spotlight when one sibling tends to hog the putter.
Every player gets a free magic potion drink worth £3.49, and you should treat that as more than a nice bonus. Mini golf with a family of four can easily stretch to an hour once you factor in photos, arguments about whose turn it is, and someone needing the loo halfway through. Grab your potions early and sip as you go rather than saving them for the end, especially if you're playing on a warm day or with younger kids who tire out fast.
If anyone in your group runs low on energy around hole five or six, that's the moment to slow the pace, not push through it. A quick breather and a sip of potion usually gets everyone re-energized for the final stretch, dragon eggs and all.
It's worth checking in advance whether anyone in your group has allergies or dietary needs, so nobody's left standing around while everyone else enjoys their potion. A quick word with the team on arrival sorts that out fast, and it means every trainee witch and wizard gets to join in properly.
Somebody in every family takes crazy golf far too seriously. That's fine, competition is part of what makes it fun, but it works best when the rules are clear before the first putt. Decide as a group whether you're doing strict scoring or a looser "have fun and don't cheat too obviously" approach. Agree on what happens if a ball gets properly stuck (a free drop a club-length away usually keeps the peace).
Also, let the story matter more than the scorecard. The real goal at Dalton Park isn't just the lowest score, it's figuring out what happened to those dragon eggs. Framing the round around solving the mystery, rather than crowning a winner, takes the sting out of a bad shot and keeps younger or less confident players from feeling like they've lost before they've even started.
Crazy golf works best when the whole family leans into the story parent tips for crazy golf outings instead of just chasing a low score. Before you head off to save wizarding golf, keep this in mind:
Mix your teams thoughtfully instead of splitting kids versus adults
Read every riddle out loud and let the story set the pace
Scout each hole's terrain before anyone swings
Pace yourselves with your free potions, especially on a warm day
Agree on the rules for stuck balls before anyone gets too competitive
Do that, and you'll come away with more than a scorecard. You'll have a proper family adventure and maybe even a few clues about where those missing dragon eggs went.
The mystery at Dalton Park won't solve itself, and the potion makers are counting on you. Grab your team, book your round, and see if your family has what it takes to save wizarding golf.
by Stuart Jarman
