History

How did Farmersgolf™ come about?
As is often the case, a frustrating situation can be the inspiration for finding the solution to a problem or to the fulfilment of a wish. My wish was, and is, to play golf on a proper course.
The nearest golf course to where I live is "de Voortwisch" in Winterswijk. Thus, one day I decided to go there, cash in hand, and play some golf. However, not being a member and without a golf diploma I was not allowed onto the course. I was allowed to drive balls on the driving range for, at that time, a Dutch guilder. Needless to say, it was a frustrating situation.

Once I got home I thought, what is stopping me from doing it myself?
Land is not a problem because on a farm there is land enough. However, using classic golf balls in a pasture where cows were present would entail a lot of searching for lost balls. The solution was simple: use a bigger ball. Construction and maintenance of golf course greens is very time consuming and makes golf expensive. With Farmersgolf™ there are no greens to maintain and the holes are simply laid out in otherwise unprepared farm pastures. A hole is easy to make. A milk bucket is dug into the ground and marked with a flag.

For years the local residents' association had been organising activities each year on Easter Sunday. They liked the idea of Farmersgolf™ and decided to try it. And so it came to pass that on Easter Sunday 1999 the first 18-hole round of Farmersgolf™ was played in and around the pastures of the Weenink Cheese Farm in 't Veldeken district.

Since that time the game has been further refined. The balls and the rules of play have been improved but one thing has remained the same: the club still consists of a solid traditional Dutch wooden shoe on a shaft.

It is not a complicated game and it is fun to play, so it is fine to see that Farmersgolf™ can now be played in many places in the Netherlands and beyond.

I hope, in part as a result of this website, that Farmersgolf™ will become even more popular. Setting up a course is quick and easy, the rules of play are simple and time after time it is fun to play. It has, in fact, all the ingredients to become a popular sport for the common man.

With kind regards,

Peter Weenink