Japanese Park Golf is easy and fun ............... Dan Murphy

from Forever Young July 2022

by Buffalo Spree

Bingo fun facts .......... Rhiannon Browning, Sabrina Kahwaty

Akron boasts US’s only Park Golf course

Japanese game is easy to learn, fun to play

STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAN MURPHY

Dan Murphy lines up a putt at the fifth hole.

Over the course of his professional wrestling career as “The Intelligent, Sensational Destroyer,” Dick Beyer made many tours of Japan. In addition to collecting championships and developing an appreciation for Japanese culture, Beyer became interested in the uniquely Japanese game known as Park Golf. Beyer enjoyed the game so much that he built the first Park Golf course in the United States adjacent to his home in Akron, New York. Destroyer Park Golf opened June 22, 2013 and was officially certified by the Japan Park Golf Association. It continues to thrive and grow each year.

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Park Golf differs from traditional golf in several ways. For starters, it’s intended for all ages, from kids to seniors. Only one club is used, and it looks almost like a snub-nosed croquet mallet. The ball is about the size of a tennis ball. And you can play all eighteen holes in about an hour.

“Think of it as mini-golf on steroids, or golf meets croquet,” says Kris Beyer, president of Destroyer Park Golf and Dick’s daughter. “Park Golf is a welcoming combination of exercise and fun for people of all ages and abilities. It was invented in Japan for an aging golf population and to make better use of public park space. The game is a pleasant walk in a natural country setting. It has become a great way to gather persons of all abilities and ages.”

Each hole has a par, like golf or miniature golf, so the game can be as competitive or relaxed as the players choose. Park Golf regulars challenge themselves to improve scores or work on getting holesin-one. Other players just enjoy the bucolic setting, sunshine, and fresh air on a summer day. (Small changes—hole placement, landscaping—are made to the eighteen-hole course each season to keep it fresh and challenging for regular players.)

Benches every three holes allow players to rest if needed. Walkers

and electric chairs are also allowed on the course. Prior to his passing in March 2019, Dick Beyer regularly drove around the course in a golf cart, wearing his worldfamous white Destroyer mask and chatting with patrons. A small museum displaying photographs of the Destroyer with the likes of Andre the Giant, Japanese great Rikidozan, and other famous wrestlers is also onsite, and offers a terrific selection of Destroyer tee shirts, replica masks, and souvenirs. Refreshments and shaded picnic areas are also available.

Though Japan has more than 1,300 Park Golf courses and the game has spread to eight other countries, Destroyer Park Golf is still the only certified Park Golf course in the US to date. “The reception to Park Golf here has been beyond expectations,” Beyer says. “As news spreads, we reach more corners of our Western New York population. We have hosted fundraisers, reunions, a wedding, bachelor/bachelorette parties, life celebrations, tournaments, and the list goes on.” Destroyer Park Golf is an ideal attraction in COVID times. “The game is outside with plenty of social distancing,” says Beyer. “Clubs and balls are cleaned and sanitized after every rental. Although not required, the staff [is] vaccinated.”

Destroyer Park Golf summer hours are 10:00 a.m. to dusk on Monday to Friday and 9:00 a.m. to dusk on Saturday and Sunday. Rates are $14 per person per round, with a discount for veterans. For more information, visit destroyerparkgolf.com.