Mason, Mich., resident Sam Havey, 10, hits the birdie ball August 5, 2013, at North Meridian Road Park during The Meridian Open Championship. Havey finished two under for the round. Weston Brooks/The State News
With strike pads, golf clubs and birdies in hand, young athletes in the Lansing area are taking up a new sport.
Meridian Township Parks and Recreation} is hosting their first four BirdieBall events, each one at a different park, with North Meridian Road Park hosting the Meridian Open Championship on Monday. The Meridian Masters took place last Tuesday at Nancy Moore Park, Hartrick Park hosted the Meridian U.S. Open, and Central Park will host the Meridian PGA Championship on Thursday.
“BirdieBall is a great sport because it can be played anywhere,” said Ashton Anthony, intern for Meridian Township Parks and Recreation. “There’s videos of people playing it on the streets of Chicago.”
BirdieBall is very similar to golf, except it can be played on a much smaller scale and uses slightly different equipment. The object of a game is to hit a ball — which is shaped like a plastic napkin holder, cylindrical and about three inches long — with a golf club at a basket marked by a pin. The ball only travels a maximum of about 40 yards. The “basket” is similar to a small cylindrical laundry hamper.
The ball is hit off a strike pad, or a flat surface that the ball is set on, so the game can be played on asphalt, grass, or any other type of surface. Scoring for BirdieBall is the same as golf, with holes usually between three to five strokes for par. Similar golf rules apply with one under par known as a birdie and one over as a bogey.
There were nine holes at the Meridian Open Championship, and participants competed for the lowest score, or amount of strokes used to reach each basket, to win.
“It’s fun,” said 11-year-old Carter Grienke of Okemos, who competed in the Meridian Open Championship. “It’s different than golf, but I like it. The ball doesn’t go as far and it’s a lot easier to keep track of.”
Grienke competed with his 8-year-old brother Hudson Grienke, and their friend, 10-year-old Sam Havey of Mason, Mich.
“They love golf,” said Jessica Grienke, mother of Carter Grienke and Hudson Grienke.
“My husband is a big golfer, and he takes them golfing. The great thing is they can play (BirdieBall) at home in our yard, because the ball won’t go very far and it probably wouldn’t take out a window. It’s a great way for them to work on their golf swing.”
Anthony said that BirdieBall is for all ages, and there was a prize for each of the eight age divisions in each event. There are age divisions for 12 and younger, 13-19, 20-39 and 40 and older for both men and women.
“Anyone can play,” Anthony said. “We’ve had mostly kids but I’ve played myself and it’s open to anyone.”
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