Farmers’ golf was first played on a Dutch farm in 1999. It is therefore something typically Dutch and guarantees a pleasant outing. You can currently go to more than 300 locations to play farmer’s golf. It’s definitely worth a try!
The emergence
Peter Weenink from Lievelde wanted to go to the professional golf course, so no mini golf course but serious work. He arrived at the golf course without a golf certificate. Unfortunately it is forbidden to play golf on many golf courses without a skill certificate and so Peter Weenink went home disappointed. He thought that golf should be more accessible to everyone and he had the perfect space for that on his farm. The golf balls would only get lost on the large pasture, which made the ball a leather ball with a diameter of 14 cm. The holes are simply buckets placed in the ground.
Why farmer’s golf?
- It’s in the fresh air.
- The tranquility of the farm landscape.
- The hilarity of balls flying everywhere to bouncing between the cows.
- The collaboration.
- The exercise.
- A fun day out that will certainly be sweet for 1 to 2 hours.
The necessities
- A farmer’s golf club (a wooden stick with a wooden clog at the bottom).
- A ball (diameter 14cm).
- A match form.
- Boots and / or clothing that can get dirty.
The game
Teams of up to 5 people are made. From the start, the first of the first team hits the ball as far as possible towards hole number 1. After that, team two may start each team has its own ball. The team whose ball is closest to the hole may then continue. The players of a team may take turns hitting the ball, the ball may optionally be moved one farmer’s golf club length but not towards the hole. This is recorded every time the ball is hit. When the ball has landed in hole number 1, the goal is to get the ball back to hole 2 from there. The ball may now be placed 4 meters in the right direction. There are a total of 10 holes spread over 8 hectares or more, which go over the grass, sometimes under a fence, along a ditch or right through the cows and sheep.
The outcome
Each team adds up all strokes, the team with the fewest strokes wins the game. So it is really a team sport where people sometimes have to help each other to get the ball out of the ditch.
The extra challenge
At some locations, farmer’s golf is made extra difficult for the candidates. For example, they will have to get the ball over a fence, hit through a tunnel and ensure that the ball does not end up in surrounding ditches.