it’s your SWING
with Don DeLorenzo
Traditional Golf
GOLF — It’s been around since the Scots started playing it
centuries ago using a leather ball stuffed with feathers. Golf has
evolved: Titanium club heads with graphite shafts and golf balls
made out of substances concocted in a mad scientist’s laboratory.
Today’s tour players can drive the ball 300+ yards and hit a
pitching wedge farther than their early predecessors could hit a
5-iron. This makes the weekend hacker a bit envious and some-
times a bit intimidated. Many won’t even play after they see what
it takes to be good. Instead they shy away from this great game.
There are golf alternatives! These are great ways to get
exposed to the game (or a variation of it) and the different ways
to enjoy it. You don’t have to play your “grandfather’s golf,”
playing every Sunday with his “cronies” and forsaking his family
for it. There are ith
variations
on golf
you golf
can weather
play with and
family,
the arrival
of that
great
the long days of summer, it’s time to plan that golf getaway
friends, kids or co-workers who may or may not know how to
with friends, family, or your golfing spouse. We are very lucky to live close enough to some of the
play. The great thing about many of these variations is that the
greatest
destinations
spending
game goes more
quickly golf
than traditional
golf, without
thus leaving
more all day on a plane or breaking the bank just getting there.
time for the social aspect of the game. Now, not all golf courses
offer these golf alternatives. Just ask around, you’ll find them.
WESTERN GOLF
GETAWAYS
W
FRISBEE (DISC) GOLF
FOOTGOLF
Probably the most
popular variation of golf
is Foot Golf. This game
is just as it sounds. It
is golf, played with a
soccer ball, kicked into
a large cup. With the
popularity of soccer you
can imagine that this game has gained popularity as well.
All you have to be able to do is kick a ball and own a pair
of comfortable shoes. Foot Golf holes are much shorter in
length than regular golf holes since you can’t kick a soccer
ball as far as you can hit a golf ball. Most holes range
from 5 0 to 150 yards long and an 18-hole round can be
played in less than 1.5 hours. Golf courses that offer this
cut a large cup off to the side of the green and fairways of
an existing course, so Foot Golf can co-exist with traditional
golf. This is a great family outing or a place for your team
to go out and relax. Foot Golf is available at Gavilan Golf
Course (408) 848-4920.
98
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
If you can throw a Frisbee this game might be for you.
A large post that represents the end goal is positioned
and erected to stand about five feet tall. The post has
chains hanging from it and a basin below it. Your
Frisbee hits the chains and drops into the basin. It is
considered “holed out” when this happens. Different
courses have different obstacles and lengths between
holes. Sometimes, the “goal” is hidden behind a tree,
etc. The biggest obstacle in Disc Golf is trying to play
on a windy
day. That
takes a
whole new
set of skills
and shot-mak-
ing ability.
Regardless,
this is a fun
family outing
for all ages
and skills. Locally, Pinto Lake Park in Watsonville and
Deli Veaga Park in Santa Cruz have Disc Golf courses.
JULY/AUGUST 2017
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