My name is Iesha, I have Cerebral Palsy and I’m a daily powered wheelchair user who lives in Bournemouth. I am the Disability Ambassador for Marsham Court Hotel, and I was kindly gifted a visit to the incredible Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf in Bournemouth as part of my job role to advise to our guests and everyone else who may want to visit.
It may surprise you to hear that I LOVE crazy golf. As a wheelchair user this can usually be difficult, but that’s not at all the case with Smugglers Cove! Every part of the crazy golf course is fully accessible and thought with wheelchair users in mind! There is ramps and smooth flooring all the way through, space for me, my wheelchair, and my Personal Assistant/carer. There are some areas where props get in the way or the drops from the ramps are too big and I had to have help to be able to complete some of the courses, but on the whole, those are minimal problems compared to what you can do independently. This is also including access down to their selfie boat, which is obviously an important part of the course for many people!
As a wheelchair user, I have learnt that the easiest way to be able to play golf is to face the hole I am aiming for side on, and I then get my carer/PA to place the ball when I ask, I can then independently hit the ball with the club into (or near to) the hole itself. However, some people may require help to do this and there is then enough room for both you and a PA/carer to be able to do this together. Once I had tried it a few times it was easy to try and think about how I was going to be able to play the course.
The whole course is also very sensory inclusive and thought through. This includes a beautiful waterfall, pictures, smugglers on a boat in the water and signs to make you really believe you are a Smuggler! The atmosphere at Smugglers Cove is lovely and thought through to the last detail so that everyone can join in.
When I think about Smugglers Cove, one of one first things that comes to mind is how welcoming and friendly the staff are there. Nothing is too much trouble, and they are always happy to help if you need them. They have a radar key available at reception, should you need to use the disabled toilets located opposite the course itself. They treat everyone as equal and fully understand how important it is to be able to do everything the same as everyone else!
Just a short walk (or wheelchair drive) down to Bournemouth Pier will be where you find Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf. It is a great attraction in Bournemouth all year round for all ages and families. This is easy to pre book on the website or pay when you get there at the time. Smugglers Cove is always one of my top attractions to recommend to our guests at Marsham Court Hotel, it’s so close to the hotel and great for everyone at affordable prices.
On completion of the course your ball automatically goes back into the little hut and you get to see your scores. You are easily able to access this as a wheelchair user too and are again greeted by friendly staff who are excited to know about how you got on or who won your game! I can’t wait to be able to go back to Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf again soon. But for now, you can find the Tiktok I did for Smugglers OR under the playlist at the top, ‘Summer with MCH’ to find out more and see how well I did (or didn’t do!) on my last visit there!
