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	Golf

For other activities, see the Activities Chapter.

My troop has a lot of fun with golf. It is one of our most popular activities.

There are several activities that you can do related to golfing.

• Have a golf-pro talk about the things you need to know to be a professional. Hint: It is a LOT more that hitting a golf ball!
• Go on an outing to a local putt-putt golf course.
• Go on an outing to a local driving range.

However, the favorite activity is our campout. The boys plan a putt-putt course, build it, and have a tournament. The planning is done during one meeting. Each patrol is responsible for one or more holes. You want a total of at least six holes. The patrol designs the layout of each hole and what hazards or tricks to use. At the campout in the morning, each patrol builds their courses and works out the bugs. After lunch, we have a tournament amongst the boys. Have a prize for the lowest scores. The patrol with the best hole(s) should win an award, also. Let the adults have their chance to play the course.

Before dinner, practice Leave No Trace by putting the course back to its natural state.

The boys work well together and enjoy testing their designs. It's a great team building activity. And as you would expect, the more effort the patrols put into their design, the better the results.

Scorecards can be obtained from local golf or putt-putt courses.

Golf balls and putters can usually be borrowed from adults in the troop or people they know.

Some of the favorite features are:
• Bumps - dirt mounds
• Ramps - cardboard or a sheet of wood
• Tunnels - PVC or cardboard tubes
• Pits
• Ponds - dig a hole and line it with several layers of aluminum foil or plastic

For the hole, simply dig a 4-6" diameter hole about 6" deep or cut a 2-liter bottle off about 6 inches high and bury it flush with the ground.

You'll need rakes, shovels, and any material needed for hazards and tricks. Use dirt, leaves, pine needles, limbs, or 2"x4" lumber for the boundaries.

A ball that goes off the course gets a one stroke penalty and the player (or umpire) places the ball back on the course near where it left. A ball that is too close to a barrier is moved the width of the putter's head away from the barrier.

Limit the number of shots per hole to 8.