New Champion Crowned At World Crazy Golf Championships In Hastings

(c) Hastings Adventure Golf

A new World Crazy Golf Champion has been crowned after a dramatic weekend of competition in Hastings.

Out of 250 players competing at the World Crazy Golf Championships, Gloucester's Rocky Bullin emerged victorious, securing the title with a hole-in-one in the final round.

The decisive shot saw Bullin finish one stroke ahead of five-time champion Marc Chapman, who had been aiming to make history by becoming the first player to win the tournament six times.

Chapman, from Canterbury and known in the sport as "The Force", was also hoping to claim a third consecutive world title.

Tournament organiser Simon Tompkins, of Hastings Adventure Golf, said it was good to see a new name lift the trophy.

"I think Marc will definitely be back next year because I think he's definitely got the sixth in him, but this year it's Rocky's year," he said.

The final round featured Bullin, Chapman and David Woodcock competing under the tournament's unique "crazy crazy rules", where all three players' balls are in play at the same time.

Unlike the earlier rounds, where competitors take turns to complete each hole before the next player begins, the final allows players to influence one another's game by blocking shots or knocking opponents' balls away.

Tompkins described the contest as "very close", with the unusual format adding extra jeopardy and excitement to the championship decider.

The event also attracted international competitors, including American professional mini-golfer Frank Bisesi, who praised the UK's distinctive approach to course design.

He said British crazy golf courses are "a step above" when it comes to unusual and challenging obstacles.

"The obstacles that move on some of the lanes — that's what makes it crazy," he said.

He highlighted Hastings Adventure Golf's iconic Window Hole and Water Mill holes as examples of obstacles that require players to perfectly time their shots, something he said is rarely seen on courses in the United States.