‘Everyone is brokenhearted’: Bristol crazy golf course to close after 15 years

Bristol's original indoor crazy golf venue has announced it is to close after 15 years.          

Jungle Rumble in Cabot Circus will close its doors on Saturday (March 30).          

The mini-golf company says the centre’s owners, Hammerson, have refused to renew its lease, calling the decision ‘incompetence and bad business’.         

But Hammerson says it wants to attract the ‘best-in-class occupiers’ to the centre and that it's weeks away from announcing a new leisure concept.     

Discovery Adventure Golf, the company behind Treetop Golf, has already applied to Bristol City Council for a licence to run a mini-golf course, bar and restaurant in Jungle Rumble’s premises.            

Angus Wright, the owner of Jungle Rumble told BristolWorld: “Everyone at Jungle Rumble is brokenhearted by the closure of our business. All the staff are losing their jobs and we leave behind 15 years of happy customers. We are so sorry for all the staff and customers.    

“We are at the end of our lease and have been trying to renew our lease for the last three years. We have paid millions in rent and offered a massive new rent to keep our site.  

“We regard London-based Hammerson’s decision as disgraceful. We regard their decision as lazy, incompetent and bad business. It leaves all the visitors to Cabot Circus with no mini-golf. This will cause all the restaurants and shops to lose customers.” 

He added: “Jungle Rumble Bristol was the first mini-golf course in a UK city centre. It has been a huge success with millions of customers over the last 15 years. We wanted to upgrade it to an amazing new standard. We also wanted to add a new business in extra space with Formula One racing simulators.”   

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In response to the closure, a Cabot Circus spokesperson said: “The vision of Cabot Circus is to be a leading, multi-purpose destination that thrives in the heart of Bristol city centre.  

“Social, cultural and entertainment uses are a key part of Cabot Circus, and we are just weeks away from announcing a renewed and exciting new leisure concept to complement our rich and diverse retail and restaurant offer.   

“Our strategy is to attract best-in-class occupiers who can maximise the value of our spaces, drive footfall and engage new and existing audiences. We look forward to providing more updates soon.”  

The closure of Jungle Rumble comes after Showcase closed its cinema in Cabot Circus in November, which the cinema chain said was due to its ‘inability to agree terms on a new lease’.