snow golf
{{Short description|Golf sport played over snow or ice}}
File:Jämi snow golf course in Jämijärvi. Finland.jpg, Finland.]]
Snow golf is a sport based on golf but played over snow (or ice) instead of grass. The "greens" are called "whites" and have a maintained snow or ice surface.
It should not be confused with Crackgar, a form of snow golf belonging to the indigenous tribes living in Kalash Valley in Chitral, Pakistan.{{cite web |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1905171/snow-golf-means-joys-laughter-feast-chitral |title=Snow golf means joys, laughter and feast in Chitral |website=tribune.com.pk |author= |date=7 February 2019|access-date=11 May 2022 |publisher=The Express Tribune|language=en}}
History
File:Aert van der Neer - IJsvermaak buiten de stadswal (ca. 1655).jpg
File:Hendrick Avercamp - A Scene on the Ice - WGA01076.jpg
Evidence for golf as a popular winter pastime in Holland can be seen in numerous 17th-century paintings by renowned artists Aert van der NeerAert van der Neer: [http://www.artnet.com/artwork/425190319/94842/aert-van-der-neer-a-village-in-winter-with-skaters-on-a-frozen-canal.html A Village in Winter with Skaters on a Frozen Canal] (Oil on canvas, ca. 1660) and Hendrick Avercamp.Hendrick Avercamp: [http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=311206 A Winter Scene with Two Gentlemen Playing Kolf] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223004947/http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=311206 |date=2008-12-23 }} (Oil on canvas, between 1615 and 1620), Getty Museum. There is also evidence that golf was practiced on snow and ice in Scotland.
Snow golf (ice golf)
A high quality course is constructed each winter in Jämijärvi. A forested nine-hole course known for its 480 meters par-5 hole, tries to emulate the conditions of the summer game to a high degree. It also caters to events such as the Aalto University competition organized in 2011[http://aaltogolf.blogspot.fi/2011/03/aalto-snow-golf-2011.html A description of a snow golf competition organized in Jämi]
Recurring events
The annual World Ice Golf Championship has been held on the world's northernmost golf course on the shelf ice near Uummannaq, Greenland since 1997. The course is reformed by the moving ice every year and play is highly dependent on weather conditions and thus, has been canceled several years running.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/1184073.stm Melting golf-courses and polar bears]. BBC Sport Online, February 22nd, 2001 Competitors are allowed a maximum handicap of 36. Clubs with graphite shafts are not recommended, as they can shatter in the extreme temperatures.[http://www.golf-information.info/world-ice-golf-championship.html World Ice Golf Championship] at Golfinfo
A Snow Golf Championship in Argentina has been held in Cerro Castor, Ushuaia since 2008, by José M. García Daroca.[http://snowgolf.com.ar Snowgolf Argentina] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010182157/http://snowgolf.com.ar/ |date=2007-10-10 }}
A Snowgolf World Championship for amateurs was held in January 2007 in Abtenau, Austria. The event is hosted as a major Austrian celebrity event and sponsored by the state of Salzburg as part of the touristic scheme{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}. Another Snowgolf World Championship took place in Obertauern, Austria. The new women's World Champion was Sarah Hölzl (Austria).[http://www.salzburg24.at/news/tp:salzburg24:salzburg-news/artikel/schlag-um-eine-million-dollar-bei-der-snowgolf-wm-in-obertauern/cn/news-20090202-04070587 Million Dollar Putt in Obertauern]. Salzburg24, February 2, 2009 (German)
Another European championship event in snow golf was held in Switzerland during January 13–16, 2011. Seventy-two qualifiers were entitled to play the two-day tournament.[http://www.exklusiv-golfen.de/news/schneegolfen-erste-golf-on-snow-europameisterschaft-10145 first-golf-on-snow-european championship]
The Winter Golf Cup is an annual snow golf tour that visits four different ski resorts in the Alps, namely: Courchevel, Megève, and Val-d'Isère in France as well as Crans Montana in Switzerland.{{Cite web|url=https://wintergolfcup.com/en/home|title=Home|date=2017-10-20|website=Winter Golf Cup|language=en|access-date=2019-09-26}}
In the United States, The Grimes Hill CC Invitational is an annual tournament held in the state of Vermont which pits golfers against each other in a three-hole playoff to determine the best snow golfer.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
- [http://www.exklusiv-golfen.de/news/schneegolfen-erste-golf-on-snow-europameisterschaft-10145 Snow Golf European Championship 2011]
Further reading
- Extreme Golf: The World's Most Unusual, Fantastic, and Bizarre Courses. Duncan Lennard, Sourcebooks, 2004 ({{ISBN|1402203144}})
- The Caddie Was a Reindeer: And Other Tales of Extreme Recreation. Steve Rushin, Atlantic Monthly Press, 2004 ({{ISBN|0871138786}})
{{Golf}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snow Golf}}