Whether you want to entertain a small group of friends or take time out for solo recreation, you do not need a membership to a country club or an expensive golf set to enjoy an outdoor lawn game that incorporates golf balls. Instead, you can take advantage of the green in your own backyard and enjoy an afternoon of golf-related leisure activities.
Golf Ball Billiards
Enjoy an outdoor form of billiards with Golf Ball Billiards, recommended by Joe Rhatigan and Rain Newcomb in "Run, Jump, Hide, Slide, Splash: The 200 Best Outdoor Games Ever." This game requires 10 golf balls, some sticks, and ribbon or string to mark a playing area. Create a circle on your lawn about three inches in diameter with the ribbon or string, and then place nine of the golf balls inside the circle. Using the 10th ball as a cue ball, players take turns trying to knock as many golf balls out of the circle as possible with the sticks. The player who knocks the most balls out of the circle wins the game. You can vary play as necessary with the number of players.
Miniature Golf
Set up your own miniature golf course on your lawn using either real golf clubs and balls or croquet mallets, wickets and balls. Art Volz, Thomas Hopewell and Neil Zobel, in the indoor and outdoor game guide "Youth Specialties: Games 2," explain that "this game is as good as you are creative." They recommend trying to make each hole different by using objects, such as tin cans and small rocks, to create challenging obstacles. Before play begins, tag each hole with a number, designate the tee spot with a piece of cloth or ribbon and determine how many strokes make up par for each hole. Players may then complete the miniature course individually or on small teams.
Bowl Golf
Enjoy a game of Bowl Golf in this family-friendly lawn game, suggested by Paul Boardway Tukey in an outdoor game guide in his book "The Organic Lawn Care Manual: A Natural Low-Maintenance System for a Beautiful, Safe Lawn." This game requires a golf ball as well as some larger balls, such as those used in croquet or the game bocce. Choose two to eight players, and then begin the game by rolling the golf ball a distance of at least a few feet away. The players then take turns trying to roll a larger ball close to the golf ball. At the same time, they can attempt to knock other players' balls away from the golf ball. The player whose ball rolls the closest to the golf ball wins the game. You can also play the game in rounds, with players earning points each round for how close their balls come to the golf ball.
References
- "Run, Jump, Hide, Slide, Splash: The 200 Best Outdoor Games Ever"; Joe Rhatigan, Rain Newcomb; 2005
- "Youth Specialties: Games 2"; Art Volz, Thomas Hopewell, Neil Zobel; 1997
- "The Organic Lawn Care Manual: A Natural, Low-Maintenance System for a Beautiful, Safe Lawn"; Paul Boardway Tukey; 2007
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