The Prince of Wales has placed top of a celebrity leaderboard at a Hastings seafront crazy golf course, after taking on the famous windmill hole.
The Prince, who said he had played mini golf with his family before, played five holes at Hastings Adventure Golf as part of a day out with local young people.
Joining teenagers on the seafront, as a small crowd watched, he did not manage a hole in one, but finished respectably.
The Prince was introduced to the traditional course by expert players David and Marion Hartley, members of Hastings Mini Golf Club who managed the course for 14 years before they retired, and Murray Thompson, who came second in the World Mini Golf Championships last year.
Mr and Mrs Hartley, who are 74 and 75 respectively and both among the country’s leading players, joked that they would not be going easy on the Prince, but would give him tips “if he asked”.
The Prince had made it known to them, via his Kensington Palace team, that he was particularly keen to play the windmill hole, which involves hitting the ball through moving sails to send it through the windmill and into the hole.
He hit the ball through on the second attempt, making it a hole in three. He played four other holes in total – two with the experts and two with local young people – taking two attempts each time to hit the ball into the hole.
The Prince joked that “next time he would play with a bunch of eight-year-olds, so I might have more chance”. Mr Thompson, 41, hit hole-in-ones each time. “Stop it Murray,” said the Prince as he watched him repeat the feat. “Oh my Lord, Murray!”
Locals had not been aware that the Prince was visiting the mini golf course, with a few dozen people – friends and family of staff – gathering to catch a glimpse of him before words spread.
The Prince said of his prior mini golf experience with his family: “We’ve played a few times. The children love it.” One player reassured him: “We’ll stand back when you swing.” When he potted the golf ball in two goes for the first straightforward hole, the Prince said: “Phew.”
Mrs Hartley gave him some advice for the “tricky” third hole – the Prince took on holes one, three, and five – and he repeated “Ok, hug the wood”. “You make it look so easy,” he told his fellow players, as they each got a hole in one through the windmill.
