Double award joy for Kirkcaldy club which brought park golf to Fife

And in what could be a notable double, the charity’s ‘parent’ golf club has also reached the final stages of the prestigious event, which takes place on March 14.

Martin Christie, who chairs Dunnikier Park Golf Club (DPCG) is a finalist in the Spirit of Golf Award, while the club is a finalist in the Golf For All community involvement award,

Park golf, which is played with a single mallet-style club and ball, is highly popular in Japan but was almost unheard of elsewhere until the newly-formed DPCG introduced it at Dunnikier Park’s six-hole course in partnership with Fife Golf Trust in 2021.

Said Martin, ‘’Since those early days, we have gone from strength to strength. ’We now host 22 community groups from various backgrounds on a regular basis, and when you consider that schools and care homes each count as one group, it’s easy to see how some 500 children and 1000 adults took part in park golf last year.

‘’The nominations are testament to how the golf club has continued to grow and the impact we are having on the wellbeing and physical and mental health of everyone who takes part.’’

The organisation, which is supported by Active Fife, Active Schools Fife, and Business Gateway Fife, has four clear objectives -: raising self-esteem and confidence; supporting healthier lifestyles; strengthening community engagement; and building a successful pathway to golf.

Martin continued, ‘’As interest has grown, we have built links with many local schools and community support organisations.’

‘’For instance, we helped Capshard Primary School in Kirkcaldy set up its very own park golf course. We also assisted Craigtoun Park in St Andrews in establishing park golf there, and they had a successful first season last year.’

‘’Our school programme attracts over 400 pupils from local primaries, and our care home league is very popular with our older citizens, including a resident over 100 years old. All of which proves how accessible park golf is to all ages and abilities.

‘’We are excited to be part of Scottish Golf’s ‘Unleash Your Drive’ initiative, working alongside Active Schools Fife and Scottish Golf, using park golf as a route to encouraging more children on to the pathway to golf.’’

Looking to the future, DPCG has been working with Milnathort-based Flintriver Design Strategies, with support from Business Gateway Fife, to develop a Park Golf Scotland website, as a resource to support the growth and expansion of the sport throughout the Kingdom and beyond.

It recently completed its third year annual trustees’ report and Martin added, ‘’We are delighted with how much we’ve achieved in our first three years and plan to build on that success. ’Who knows what we can achieve in the years ahead.’’