A fledgling Kirkcaldy charity has landed more than £10,000 to bring a new version of golf to Scotland.
Park golf is enjoyed by millions in the US and Japan.
But the sport – using just a single club – is virtually unheard of in the home of golf.
However, that is now set to change after Dunnikier Park Community Golf’s £10,650 windfall.
The Fife charity plans to pioneer park golf as a fun way of improving physical and mental health and wellbeing.
The project has been supported by the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund through Fife Voluntary Action and the Scottish Government.
And the money will be used to buy equipment and help publicise and run various events.
The game will initially be aimed at players over 16.
Scottish flavour to the name
It will be known as Park Gowf and used to help participants develop their self-esteem and a healthier lifestyle.
DPCG chairman Martin Christie said: “As far as we know, park golf, or grass golf and destroyer park golf as its known in the USA, has never been played in Scotland, the rest of the UK or Europe.
“So we are really excited to have the opportunity to introduce and grow the game here.
“Ken Smith, who is one of our board members and is heavily involved with the junior section at Dunnikier Park Golf Club, came across the game.
“And he thought it would be an ideal fit with our charity’s aims.
“We applied for a grant and are delighted we have been successful.
“To give the new game a distinctly Scottish flavour, we have decided to call it Park Gowf, with its ‘hame’ at the 2019 course at Dunnikier.”
“It’s planned to offer taster sessions to various groups later this month,” said Martin.
“And we are very keen to see this rolled out to as many people as possible.”
What is park golf?
The game originated in Japan in the early 1980s.
It is played using just one mallet-style club and a hard, medium-sized ball.
Like normal golf, the aim is to hole out.
Larger-than-normal holes are used on a custom course, but targets can also be used on any decent-sized piece of grass, meaning the game is truly portable.
In another first for Fife, the clubs are being hand-made by The St Andrews Golf Company.
It is the only club maker in the home of golf and began handcrafting hickory golf clubs in 1881.
“The beauty about Park Gowf is that no experience or coaching is necessary – just give the ball a whack and that’s it,” said Martin.
“It’s really easy, great fun and doesn’t take hours to play a game.
“We’re convinced it will prove to be really popular and can’t wait to get it up and running.”
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