The real golf tournament

By Nick Sessions
BBC Sport's minigolf correspondent in Hastings

Think you might have left it a little late to make the starting line-up for the Ryder Cup?

Sunny Hastings welcomed the world's finest minigolf talent

Well, if you're a bit handy with a golf stick, then maybe a shot at minigolf glory could be more your bag.

A galaxy of the world's top putters recently descended on the south coast of England in Hastings for the British Open - the showcase event of the minigolf season.

But if you're assuming that lifting the British minigolf Open title is a walk in the park, then think again.

Amazing photos from Hastings

Hosted by the British Minigolf Association (BMGA), the tournament is open to all ages and abilities, but the level of professionalism on display rivalled anything likely to be on show at the K Club in September.

The BMGA media officer explained that minigolf tournaments like the British Open represent a genuine test of skill and nerve.

You need really fantastic hand-eye coordination to get it right BMGA's Lionel Bender

And don't even start to think this is some half-baked, semi-serious game of crazy golf. There's not a model windmill in sight and luck does not come into it.

"It's a complete science," Lionel Bender revealed. "We play with just one putter and a whole variety of minigolf balls. You don't change the putter but you're allowed to change the ball on each hole.

"Different balls will play and behave differently according to the properties of the material they are made from.

"On an 18-hole round you will probably use 18 different balls. You need really fantastic hand-eye coordination to get it right."

Karsten Hein from Germany, the player eventually crowned champion after a weekend of nerve-jangling action by the seaside, proved himself a consummate master of ball and shot selection.

Hein explained his choice of ball to BBC Sport's minigolf correspondent after carding a hole in one - or 'ace' as it is known - on the unforgiving second at Hastings.

Karsten Hein with his trusty ball

"I decided to use a Deutschmann 085. It is a fast ball. I then warmed it up so it becomes faster - fast enough for the rebound shot straight into the hole, rather than the alternative safety shot."

Players deliberately warming and cooling balls sounds like the sort of behaviour that would give a cricket Test match umpire sleepless nights.

But it's all just a normal part - or par for the course perhaps - of an international minigolf tournament.

So, do you still think you have what it takes to compete with the world's finest in a cauldron of putting excellence at next year's Open?

You've got just under a year to iron out the kinks in your putting stroke and sort out your ball selection.

Keep checking the BMGA website for details on entering next year's Open and other competitions.