Cross Golf conquers the nation (Germany)

January 6, 2008

I thought it might be interesting for my readers to see what the Germans get up to regarding Golf:

“It is not only they wild youth that play Cross Golf. Rather, it is a mixture of all ages and social classes ranging from those with great golf abilities to those who can barely swing a club. It is played anywhere there is enough room and no danger to people or objects exists. There is only one rule for this golf away from the golf course: Safety First!

It isn’t surprising either that it is not played with normal but with soft golf balls. These are lighter and don’t cause any damage if they hit people or objects. Arranging to meet for games is done in the most peculiar way. It is a toss up as to whether mobile phone or internet is the most common meeting point for players. There are also the weirdest of venues used in order to arrange a round of Cross Golf for example:

www.crossgolf-portal.de

Players network here and arrange to meet for Cross Golfer from all over the German republic, Austria and Switzerland. This portal is used in order to talk about new game possibilities, to exchange views or to agree on a common Cross Golf event. It is not important either how well one plays Cross Golf only with whom one plays. So, fun is the priority here and not who has the fanciest car is the parking lot. You can wear whatever comfortable clothing you like and pretentious etiquette exists.

Homer Simpson is welcome.

It is not played towards holes but towards goals from the surrounding environment, so it can be a tree, a post or a trash can, for example, that one must reach with the ball. The more spectacular rather the shots and rugged fairways, the more enjoyable it is for the Cross Golfer. For a normal golfer, it would be quite unthinkable to kick the ball out from under a small rock or a park bench, for a Cross Golfer; however, these situations don’t represent any obstacle but only increase the attraction from the point to be able to play a good ball. It is also not really important to finish up with as few shots as possible but more about having lots of fun and realizing your creativity with the game. Here are a few funny situations that can also occur in the life of a Cross Golfer: A 100m shot played with one hand using a putter or to play a shot barefoot from a grassless field. As well, “special points can be awarded for “the worst shot of the day”, the biggest kicked grass tuft” or “the most headstrong swing style”.

Anything goes.

Rules for the Cross Golf are decided individually before each game and don’t represent any manifesto, since fun is the games main objective.

Expensive equipment is not necessary and usually two used clubs acquired on eBay, flea markets or Internet shops are completely satisfactory to meet ones needs. Complete sets incl. Bag can also be had for under 200 € and are becoming continually popular among the growing Cross Golf culture. For approximately 30 € one can obtain a “Starter-Kit” consisting loosely of a 7 iron plus balls on eBay.

Cross Golf is played throughout the whole year, even in the snow, with red balls. It is even played at night in gravel pits with fluorescent or blinking golf balls, in parks and quite often on building sites.

Tournaments are also held for example “Hiking Cross Golf” or “Gourmet Golf” and these are only two of the regularly held competitions. “Gourmet Golf” was played through the Black Forest against a trash can and the “Green Fees” were gourmet dishes that were tasted after the round and points for the food made up part of the final scores. The reports about the tournaments can be viewed on the Cross Golf website.

Since there are not any reception dues or membership rates with Cross Golf, it is something for everyone’s budget. But there are also club golfers that play along at the tournaments or agree to meet Cross Golfers for a casual and stress free round. On the internet platform www.crossgolf-portal.de you can meet like-minded players and begin to exchange views or to agree to get together for a game. If you have any further questions please contact: presse@crossgolf-portal.de. ”