In the summer of 1992, a young man was on holiday in Devon with his family. In the evenings, they would visit the local adventure golf course and spend their time there trying to master putting.
At the age of 15, he was terribly shy and didn’t have many friends. But that summer, he found something that brought him out of his shell: a love for adventure golf. He made some new friends who also shared this passion and so began a lifelong friendship.
In his early 20s, this young man spotted an opportunity to open a new adventure golf course in Bristol. It opened just before Christmas 1997 and has been a huge success ever since.
In 2006, this man decided to start his own business which is now called Treetop Adventure Golf® and has grown into one of the UK’s largest adventure golf companies with courses in 8 cities across the country – including London (right next door to The O2 Arena), Birmingham, Newcastle and Leeds!
The man who started it all? His name is David Lloyd (pictured below), founder of Treetop Adventure Golf®.”
Treetop Adventure Golf is a unique indoor adventure golf concept set against a backdrop of rainforest and waterfalls, with two exciting 18 hole courses to choose from.
The Jungle Trail, our original course, will take you on an expedition through the jungle and across rope bridges, under waterfalls and past tribesman.
Our newest course, Aztec Falls, will take you deep into the jungle in search of gold and lost temples. Explore ancient ruins and beware of the temple guards as you try to win the hidden treasure!
Treetop Adventure Golf has been designed for all ages and is wheelchair accessible.
Treetop Adventure Golf is the latest craze to hit the UK, and it’s not hard to see why.
We have two courses: Jungle Falls and Lost Jungle. Both are 18 hole golf courses that take you on a journey through the jungle with brightly coloured foliage and exotic wildlife. The atmosphere is unbeatable thanks to our resident DJ and our amazing cocktails!
But what’s the history behind this latest trend? How did it all start?
Well, let’s start at the very beginning. Adventure golf is a combination of traditional mini-golf and crazy golf, which was designed for adults but has proved popular with all ages. The idea first came from California in the 1930s where people would play crazy golf on their front lawns with the family after dinner. This style of game was incredibly popular throughout America until people began to make their own versions, which tended to be a lot more elaborate than your average crazy golf course!
Treetop Adventure Golf was founded in 1989 by the notorious Sir Reginald Steven Treetop. His aim was to create a golf course for all the family, no matter their age or ability. He wanted to break the mould and create a course that would make people smile, encourage families and friends to interact, and believe that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
He wanted Treetop Adventure Golf to be an experience, from the moment you step inside you are transported into a world of magic and wonder. Sir Reginald Steven Treetop used his knowledge about the importance of well-being for the mind, body and soul to create a space that would improve people’s lives.
Not only did he want people to have fun, he also wanted them to learn new skills and be able to challenge themselves whilst doing so. He built 36 holes across 3 different courses; Tropical Trail, Ancient Explorer and Medieval Mile. Each hole is unique with its own story to tell!
Adventure golf is a form of mini-golf played outdoors. The game has its origins in the 1930s when miniature courses were created in large gardens and parks. The first modern adventure golf course was built in 1962 by the Swedish company Adventure Golf AB.
Adventure Golf AB, who are still going strong today, were the pioneers of modern adventure golf. The firm’s course in Sweden – built in 1962 and now named Smäcket [The Smash] – was the first modern adventure golf course and featured some of the design concepts that are still used on courses around the world today.
In 1973, Adventure Golf also built Sweden’s first adventure golf park in Västerås (now known as ‘Gammeldags Minigolf’).
Adventure Golf AB have continued to innovate ever since and are now recognised as one of the leading names in adventure golf. Many of their designs have been exported from Sweden to other parts of Europe and beyond, including our very own Nottingham Treetop Adventure Golf at The Cornerhouse!
In the summer of 2015, I took a trip to California to visit a friend. We spent a day driving around in his convertible, and decided to stop at the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk for a few hours. That’s where I was first introduced to Treetop Adventure Golf, a miniature golf course with a jungle theme.
I fell in love with it immediately. I’m not sure why exactly; perhaps it was the strange combination of artificial nature and natural artifice. Maybe it was the fact that there were so many different kinds of trees — palm, oak, pine — all painted in bright colors like a child’s drawing. Or maybe it was just something about the atmosphere: warm, humid air filled with chirping birds and buzzing insects; brightly colored birds flying overhead; people laughing and chatting as they played their rounds.
Whatever it was, it stuck with me. For years afterward I would come back again and again whenever I needed an escape from my life. Each time I returned, I would feel better than when I left. Eventually, though, my visits became less frequent as other responsibilities took over my life. And then one day something happened that changed everything: my mother passed away after a long battle with cancer.
In the months following her death
Adventure golf has been a global phenomenon for as long as anyone can remember. It is said that the ancient Egyptians were the first to play adventure golf, with some historians believing that the game was taught to them by the Romans when they invaded North Africa.
Adventure golf has changed dramatically over the years and evolved into a much more exciting and thrilling game than it was in ancient times. Whilst it was originally played with wooden clubs and sheepskin balls, much like modern day golf, players today use lightweight titanium clubs and rubber or plastic balls.
The history of adventure golf is a long one, and we are now seeing new developments in technology that will allow us to take the game to the next level.