A TISBURY man has breathed life into a rapidly growing new sport.
Park Golf was a game invented in the northern town of Makubetsu, Japan, and has been played since 1983.
Now Rupert Welchman from Tisbury has created British Park Golf.
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British Park Golf is introducing ‘The One Club, One Ball, One Hour of Fun’ sport to the UK, where it will fit into the British garden, in school grounds or any under-used parkland.
Park Golf follows the rules of traditional golf, but in a condensed format. This means the holes are between 25 and 125 yards in length, the balls are 6cm in diameter, and the holes are 20cm in diameter.
As well as this, players have a single club which has a larger club face than a traditional golf club, but apart from that, the rules are similar to golf.
New sport comes to the UK (Image: Rupert Welchman) Rupert said: “Back in 1995, when living in Hokkaido, I was introduced to the game first hand.
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“It was only in its 12th year then, but kids, parents and grandparents were all having a great time, playing Park Golf together. Today, there are more than 4 million players in Japan and about 800,000 in Korea.
“I am so excited to bring this game to the UK and more specifically to Wiltshire.
“It is a more accessible sport, and my aim is to have as many people playing as possible.
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“It is a game that can be picked up really quickly and enjoyed quickly, rather than spending a long time learning how to play.”
The game of British park Golf can be played at the course in Tisbury, but Rupert aims to expand the game into places like independent schools, private gardens, hotels, historic houses and other golf courses.
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The first British Park Golf Open Championships are taking place on Sunday, July 6, at the Sandroyd School course.
