‘Crazy’ golf given red, amber and green light

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3 May 2013

Coming to a golf course near you, Chiswick actually, is a form of golf that has, according to its founders, the potential to revolutionise the game. Forget five hours stuck behind that geriatric fourball, Zone Golf is done in the time it takes to eat your lunch.

No lesser mortals than Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Ryder Cup skipper Paul McGinley and tennis hero-turned- scratch golfer Tim Henman will launch alongside other notables the multi-coloured par-three extravaganza in a charity match at Dukes Meadows at the end of the month.

Think of it as darts with golf balls. The greens are carved into three target areas, each with a hole and flag, coloured green, amber and red, and acquiring greater difficulty as you slide up the traffic light. Land your ball in the nominated sector to claim your points, three for green, six for amber and nine for red. There are also additional points for par, birdie and eagle etc.

Don’t worry, if you are being pasted by the golfing equivalent of Phil Taylor, you have the nuclear option of a hole in one at the last — the steal — which gives you the do-or-die victory.

The whole package has been trademarked by Van Phillips and Jeremy Kavanagh, pro golfers who believe their funky version of the staid old game could do for golf what Twenty20 did for cricket.

“On a normal length course it might take some people three or four shots before they get to the green. In Zone Golf you have a chance. You can play nine holes in an hour if you are on your own,” said Kavanagh.

“We were keen to raise money for charity and change things up a little bit, have something a bit quicker and have some fun. It has snowballed from there. As the project has progressed we have seen its potential.”

Phillips has worked as a golf coach at Duke’s Meadow for the past four years. “We realised we had created golf’s version of T20 cricket. Having worked at Dukes I was aware how quickly people get around.

“A lot of our customers just don’t have the time to spend four or five hours on a golf course. Here we are in a central London venue and you can whizz round in an hour.

“Par-three golf already existed, of course, but this adds a much more fun dynamic to the par-three game that wasn’t there before.

“And from a developmental perspective in terms of kids getting interested in the game just turning up and seeing a golf course that’s brightly coloured will have a greater impact than the normal, more traditional look of a golf course. This could be a massive thing for the development of the game worldwide, as a way of introducing new people to the sport.

“It might also be that after tasting it they prefer this form of the game.”

The normal rules of golf apply but the boys have introduced their own handicap system to ensure a competitive edge is maintained across the talent range. The game’s rule makers at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club have been scratching their heads for years to conjure ways of speeding up the game and firing the enthusiasm of children.

So if you can get down to Chiswick on May 27.

The answer is there in red, amber and green.

www.zonegolfthegame.com

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‘Crazy’ golf given red, amber and green light

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