Drive to expand tee-riffic Kirkcaldy park gowf project across Fife

A pioneering project that brought a new version of golf to Fife is to continue for another year.

And organisers aim to reach even more people in 2023 by going on the road.

Kirkcaldy-based Dunnikier Park Community Golf was the first in Scotland to introduce park golf following a £10,650 grant in April.

And people have so far taken advantage of more than 400 sessions aimed at boosting physical and mental wellbeing.

Now the charity has received a further £7,400 to help it build on its highly-successful first year.

Kirkcaldy organisers have renamed it park gowf and many of those who take part are vulnerable or have faced significant challenges.

Described as “mini golf on steroids’, the sport can be played on any piece of grass using just one club.

Chairman Martin Christie said: “The money will enable even more vulnerable groups to enjoy the fun and well-being benefits of playing park gowf.”

What is ‘gowf’?

The sport is widely played in Japan and the USA but it is largely unknown in the UK.

So far, Dunnikier Park Community Golf has offered it to over 16s only.

But money from the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund means they can now to roll it out to youngsters.

They will also expand on a pilot which saw them take park gowf to Auchtermairnie care home in Kennoway.

It was a move Martin described as really worthwhile.

He said: “The beauty of park gowf is that it is involves just one club and a ball and can be played anywhere there is a decent-sized piece of grass.

“Fife Golf Trust’s 2019 course at Dunnikier Park is our ‘hame’.

“But in partnership with Active Fife and NHS Fife, we took equipment along to the care home and set up a few holes in their garden.

“In future, we want to take the game to people rather than everyone coming to us and this experiment was very successful.

“The residents who took part really enjoyed it.”

Fundraising to continue good work

Martin added: “Over 400 games were played in our first year by people not normally involved in sport.

“Many of them face significant challenges in their lives.

“’The feedback we have had has been tremendous.

“And now we plan to build on our work this year by enabling many more people to take part in 2023.”

Dunnikier Park Community Golf recently launched a Just Giving page for anyone who wishes to help the charity with its work: go to https://www.justgiving.com/dpcomgolf