A Brumtography photo meet on the 16th January 2020 at Ghetto Golf at the Custard Factory in Digbeth. A miniature golf course of 18 holes with graffiti, video games and horror movie references. For over 18's only. They also have a bar and areas for visitors to eat. We went before they opened, around 4 of us in the end. Thanks to Karl Newton for organising / gaining permission.

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Ghetto Golf at the Custard Factory


Ghetto Golf at the Custard Factory


A Brumtography photo meet on the 16th January 2020 at Ghetto Golf at the Custard Factory in Digbeth. A miniature golf course of 18 holes with graffiti, video games and horror movie references. For over 18's only. They also have a bar and areas for visitors to eat. We went before they opened, around 4 of us in the end. Thanks to Karl Newton for organising / gaining permission.


GHETTO GOLF

A Brumtography (Facebook) group meet on the 16th January 2020 at Ghetto Golf Birmingham. Which is located at the Custard Factory in Digbeth, on Gibb Street (on the other side of the Bordesley Viaduct). A Crazy Golf course for over 18's only. We went before they opened, and was there for around an hour. They have a Cocktail bar and also serve food for paying customers from Apocalypse Cow. There is amazing graffiti and artwork all over the place, in I think what used to be a former warehouse.

I liked seeing the video game artwork of Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong and Abe from Oddworld series. Was also artwork of horror movie characters such as Beetlejuice and Freddie Krueger.

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Hole 1 to the right. Apocalypse Cow BBQ Street Food to the left. The graffiti bus behind is hole 3.

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In hole 1 was this communal bin with Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street! Graffiti all over the place.

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To Hole 2 which is a Petrol Station. This sign is near a recreation of The Old Crown pub. The stairs leads up to other holes.

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I would guess that this is the petrol station with all the Mobil signs. The Old Crown is to the right of here. Also near the bus. The stairs leads up to other holes.

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Hole 3 is in this former single decker bus from Manchester. Now covered all over in graffiti. They built a DJ station on the roof of the bus.

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Inside the bus from the main entrance. You can also get in and out via the emergency exit door to the back on the left. So much graffiti all over.

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Hole 4 is this skateboarding ramp. Then hole 5 near the adult shop and red post box.

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After hole 5 is a Blockbuster Video which is hole 6. Inside they "rent out" horror movies on VHS video cassettes.

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Inside of hole 6 aka Blockbuster Video. Dare you rent out My Girl? Head round the corner to find Pinhead from the Hellraiser movies and see Regan from The Exorcist get lit up!

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Then head out past Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare on Elm Street movies and get a Coca Cola. The door to the left exits to hole 5.

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Hole 7 is a bathroom. Lots of graffiti street ar here with toilet seats used as heads. Bath in the middle.

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It looks like you have to hit your golf ball up the ramp and into the dirty toilet! And put your hand in to get the ball out. Hope they provide gloves!

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Hole 8 meanwhile is this chicken pen. Next up is hole 9 which is the recreation of The Old Crown pub.

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At the time of this visit, the real Old Crown pub was closed for renovation works. So hole 9 as The Old Crown was the only one that you could visit.

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It really looks like an old style public house inside. I've never been inside of the real Old Crown pub though, only walk past it outside (or see it from the bus). That door leads to holes 8, 7 and 6. For hole 10, you have to go upstairs.

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Hole 10 on the first floor is Tony's 8 Ball Snooker Hall. Wind your golf ball to the hole like a trick shot, Big Break style.

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View of hole 10 from the ground floor from near hole 1.

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Next up is hole 12 which is this Dog Kennel.

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They appear to be growing something inside of the dog kennel. Somehow you have to get your golf ball in there?

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Hole 12 is like something from the Aztec world (I would guess).

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They also have images of the Green Man on the wall leading to that creepy face in the door.

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The next hole is hole 13 which is this old room. It could be from the 1970s with dated wallpaper and furniture. But the globe and portraits look much older.

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Close up look at the globe.

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The last hole on the first floor is hole 14, which is a 10 pin bowling alley.

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6 pins in position while the other 4 is behind the barrier. Downstairs next to four 16 bit video game inspired holes I think you will love (if you grew up in the early 1990s).

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The first video game hole, is hole 15. Based on the 16 bit Super Mario Bros from the SNES (unless it's based on the 8 bit Mario Bros from the NES).

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Head past Mario and Bowser (also known as King Koopa). Mario would also have been on the Nintendo Game Boy.

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Hole 16 is this Pinball game. Next to the Gameboy saying "Sicker than yo' Average.

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At least I think it's pinball and not Space Invaders. Donkey Kong is next at hole 17.

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Almost near the end. Hole 17 based on Donkey Kong, which is an 8 bit game from the NES.

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There was later a 16 bit game on the SNES called Donkey Kong Country with better graphics. I think you can tell that Sonic the Hedgehog is next!

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Finally hole 18 is Sonic the Hedgehog from the Sega Mega Drive. The 16 bit game that was released in 1991 and will soon get his own live action movie!

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It is based on the Green Hill Zone that famously opened the classic 2D side scroller. Also featuring Dr Robotnik (who Sega now called Dr Eggman). Game Over Man Game Over!

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Now for some bonus photos to finish this post. Near the entrance was this artwork of Beetlejuice (from the 1988 movie directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton). But will they make Beetlejuice 2?

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One of my favourite video game characters was Abe from the Oddworld series. First appearing on the Playstation 1 (32 bit console) and PC CD Rom in 1997 in the game Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, and it's follow up game in 1998 which was Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus. Later Oddworld games were on the original XBox. Abe was known to ask his fellow Mudokons: "Follow me!" and they would reply: "OK!".

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Near the Apocalypse Cow area was this logo from Mortal Kombat. The original game I think came out on the Sega Mega Drive. They are still making Mortal Kombat games to this day and Mortal Kombat 11 is on the Playstation 4, XBox One and Nintendo Switch (they are very violent).

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More seating here probably for Apocalypse Cow BBQ Street Food near what looks like to be a heavily gratified train!

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Karl Newton keeps setting up these photography meets in the Brumtography Facebook group. If you are a Birmingham based photographer, please request to join. Karl or one of the othe admins may accept you. There is now regular meets and Karl sets up the tickets on EventBrite. It is private group, so you have to be a member to see the posts.

One of our recent meets was at the Electric Cinema on the 20th January 2020. We also met up for the first time at The Eagle & Tun pub before it closed for good by HS2, this was on the 11th January 2020.

I most recently joined Karl and another member of the group at the Bullring for the Festival of Light (on the 26th January 2020). Watch this space for an up and coming post!

 

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown.

Birmingham We Are People with Passion award winner 2020