Hastings Adventure Golf sits on the seafront at Pelham Place, opposite the pier and directly below the castle hill, and it is not the tired seaside crazy golf the name might suggest.
There are three separate 18-hole courses, each with its own theme and difficulty, and the site is regularly rated among the best adventure golf venues in the country. It has hosted British and world championship events, which is a real thing in a sport that takes itself more seriously than you would expect.
The Pirate Golf course — the flagship, with a ship, a lagoon, waterfalls and rockwork. The most elaborate and the most popular, and the one families make for.
The Adventure Golf course — the middle option, more open, with water features and landscaping.
The Crazy Golf course — the traditional one, with the geometric obstacles, and the one used for competition. Harder than it looks.
Each takes around forty-five minutes to an hour for a group.
The consistent report — from people who play a lot of these — is that the maintenance is exceptional: the greens are true, the felt is in good order, the water features work, and the landscaping is looked after. It is, as one player put it, well above most outdoor courses.
The staff come in for the same praise. This is a well-run business rather than a seafront afterthought.
Playing all three costs three times as much. Visitors who do one course a day across a holiday note that it adds up, and there are multi-course and family tickets which are the sensible buy if you intend to do more than one. Ask at the kiosk.
It gets busy in school holidays and on fine weekends, particularly in the middle of the day. Early morning is the quiet slot, and playing first thing before the arcades open is a common local strategy.
It is outdoors and closes in heavy rain and through the winter — the season runs roughly from spring to autumn, with reduced hours at the shoulders.
Ages: it works from about four upwards and just as well for adults. A large share of the players are grown-ups without children, which tells you something.
Admission per course; multi-course and family tickets available.
Time: forty-five minutes to an hour per course.
Location: Pelham Place on the seafront, opposite the pier, two minutes from the town centre.
Parking: seafront parking alongside, paid via the RingGo app.
Facilities: kiosk, toilets nearby, cafés along the front.
Access: the courses are outdoor and landscaped with slopes, steps and bridges in places.
Hastings Pier, the Stirling Prize-winning rebuild, is directly opposite.
Hastings Castle is up the hill behind, reached by the West Hill Lift.
The Old Town is ten minutes east.
The seafront arcades are alongside, which is where most groups go afterwards.
Three 18-hole courses of different themes and difficulty, including the Pirate course and a traditional crazy golf layout.
Forty-five minutes to an hour per course.
If you intend to, buy a multi-course ticket — playing them separately across a holiday gets expensive.
It is seasonal and weather-dependent, running roughly spring to autumn with reduced hours at the edges.
No — it works from about four upwards and a large share of the players are adults.