It's an easy sport that anyone can play. Yes, we have to admit that most of the Japanese around us playing have white hair and are retired, but there are a number of younger people too. You don't have to be a star athlete and those daily-playing-grandmas can put us to shame, trust me. They are pretty serious about the sport too with special shoes, score pad-waist pouch, vest and of course, everyone wearing a hat.I describe park golf as a combination of real golf and putt-putt (or miniature golf). The ball is hard and big, about the size of a tennis ball. You use only one club for the 9 hole course (we own ours so we don't have to rent them). You start at a carpeted area with your ball on the tee. Most of the holes are par 3-5, measuring anywhere from 30-105 yards long. You do have a "green", "rough", "fareway" and even "sand traps". It costs anywhere from free to $8 a person to play 18 holes (depending on the course and how big and nice it is - like well kept grass, pretty trees, little streams and bridges, etc.). It takes us a little over an hour to play 18 holes depending how crowded it is.
We have enjoyed playing park golf all over the northern island of Hokkaido where we have lived the last 11 years. Unfortunatly we've heard that there isn't park golf in the Tokyo area down south...maybe not enough big open spaces? Tim and I have often joked that when we retire in the U.S. we'll build the first park golf course. Want to come and play?
