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  The first miniature golf courses in the United States began to appear at luxury hotels in the late 1800s.

  FLASHBACK PAUL

  I’ve long had a love–hate relationship with golf. Although Arnold Palmer was popular when I was young, boys of my age never seemed to be encouraged to play his game. When my older friends Skip and Stan talked me into playing golf in my mid-20s, I wished I had started sooner so that I could have played better. Then, as I aged and had children of my own, I never seemed to have time to play and never played very well when I did.

  That’s why miniature golf is such a great game. With little practice or training, and with limited time, anyone can putt a ball toward a hole. Whether it’s through a pirate cove at a putt-putt course or around an undulation in your own lawn, it’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors.

  Guinness World Records credits 66-year-old Gergus Muir with the longest successful putt in history. Having watched his two friends hit the ball over the par-3 fifth hole at the Eden Course at St Andrews in Scotland, Muir pulled his putter out of his bag. With a gale-force wind at his back, he gave the ball a mighty whack. Rolling along the fairway and onto the green, the ball came to rest in the hole — 125 yards away.

  Variation: Big Birdie Golf

  Implements for golf are some of the most common items registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and numerous manufacturers have come up with variations on the golf theme as backyard, beach, and tailgate games. One of our favorites is Big Birdie Golf, which features golf balls glued to the feathers of badminton-like birdies.

  Players use their “wedge” clubs to lob the Big Birdie balls onto flat, netted targets set up 20 to 30 feet away. The game is scored like horseshoes, with balls closest to the center worth three points and balls on the outer ring worth one point. For young children not adept at swinging a golf club, the Big Birdie balls can be tossed underhand toward the target.

  The Granddaddy of Golf Courses

  Although both the Dutch and Chinese have evidence of stick-and-ball target games from 800 to 1,500 years old, the birthplace of the modern game is acknowledged to be St Andrews, a legendary course established in Scotland in 1400.

  In 1867, St Andrews opened what is believed to be the world’s first miniature golf course, the Himalayas, for women only.

  Stone bridge and clubhouse of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews

  The world’s second most popular sport (after soccer), badminton deserves a well-worn area in every summer yard. More so than tennis, badminton can be enjoyed by players of virtually all ages and abilities and it doesn’t require a specially groomed lawn.

  ALSO KNOWN AS Battledore and Shuttlecock, Hanetsuki (Japan)

  Because the birdie, or “shuttlecock,” is small and unintimidating to hit with the lightweight racquets, badminton is a great starter game for children. At the highest levels of competition, however, the players are among the most fit and coordinated athletes in the world, and the birdie can come off the racquet at speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour.

  THE SETUP

  BASIC IDEA 2 to 4 players hit the birdie over the net

  PLAYING AREA Flat, smooth grass is best

  EQUIPMENT

  • A racquet for each player

  • A birdie or two

  • A net (a rope will do)

  AGES 7 and up

  PLAYERS 2 or 4

  Setting Up at Home

  Played one against one or two against two, the official game calls for a court 20 feet wide and 44 feet long (approximately 6 by 13 meters). Smaller spaces near buildings work just fine because the shuttlecocks, which weigh only a few ounces, won’t harm surrounding plants and property. Having two younger or less experienced players team up against one older one is a good way to balance out family play.

  Rules. Badminton has pretty simple rules and the scoring is much easier than tennis. Games are commonly played to 11 or 15 points, but you can decide on any number. Some versions hold that a team must win by 2 points.

  The serving team hits the birdie from behind the end line over the net and into the opponents’ court, and the opponents try to hit it back.

  If the birdie lands on the ground within the boundaries of the opponents’ court, the serving team scores a point and retains service. The same player serves until losing a point.

  If the birdie hits the net and drops to the ground, or otherwise fails to land in bounds, no point is scored and the serving team loses the serve.

  If the opposing team returns the serve and the serving team fails to hit it back, no point is scored and the serve goes to the other team.

  A player or team must be serving to score.

  Only one player on each side may hit the birdie to return it.

  Although most birdies available in stores are constructed of plastic and synthetic rubber, an official birdie is made from cork and goose feathers. Apparently, feathers from the left wing are best, with 16 needed for the perfect birdie.

  Strategy. In singles games, being able to anticipate where the birdie will be hit is important because the court is quite large for one player to cover. In doubles, communication becomes vital because, although either player can hit the birdie, it can be hit only once before clearing the net. For friendly backyard games, of course, the court size can be adjusted to accommodate available space or the size and ability of the players.

  Serving strategy can be a major factor in the outcome of the game. High, arching serves to the back of the opponent’s court are difficult for the opponent to return as a winning shot. Lower, faster serves can sometimes catch opponents off guard and score “aces,” which are serves that are not returned.

  Badminton has been a popular family game and social pastime for quite a long time.

  BATTLEDORE AND SHUTTLECOCK

  This game earned its curious name from the Badminton estate in Gloucestershire, England. One summer day in 1873, the Duke of Beaufort, eager to show off his lawn to refined guests dressed in bonnets and top hats, staged a contest that featured a paddle known as a “battledore” and a feathered cork called a “shuttlecock.”

  Although the new “badminton game” borrowed heavily from games at least a thousand years old, its popularity soon spread across Great Britain and eventually to the United States, where the Badminton Health Club of Boston was founded in 1908.

  Made in China

  Badminton has been contested as an Olympic sport since 1992, in men’s and women’s singles and doubles and also in mixed doubles. The Far East has dominated the competitions, with China (30), Indonesia (18), and South Korea (17) winning by far the most medals in five Games.

  Paul Erik Hoyer-Larsen of Denmark is the only competitor from outside that region to win the gold medal (Atlanta, Georgia, 1996), while the United States and Canada have never medaled.

  Avariation on the classic game of tag, time-honored Blind Man’s Bluff is a far less competitive version. Being more about socialization and camaraderie than winning and losing, the game has been played by kings and queens, monarchs and emperors, and little boys and girls who profess each other “icky,” but would not-sosecretly like to get to know each other a little better. This is one game where members of the opposite sex are almost always welcome to participate no matter what age.

  ALSO KNOWN AS Blind Man’s Buff, Blind Man’s Wand, La Galinita Ciega (Mexico), La Gallina Ciega (Spain), Le Colin-Maillard (France)

  Catch Me If You Can

  In some games, the first tagged player is automatically “it” and becomes the next blind man. In other versions, the blind man must find and tag all other players; however, in most cases, the blind man touches the first tagged player’s face and body to identify him or her. A correct guess makes that player the next blind man, but an incorrect guess continues the game with the same blind man. It’s the touching aspect of the game, innocent or otherwise, that has made Blind Man’s Bluff a provocative subject for painters and poets for centuries.

  THE SETUP


  BASIC IDEA A blindfolded player tries to catch others who scatter, then freeze in place

  PLAYING AREA Any open area, even indoors

  EQUIPMENT A bandana or scarf

  AGES 5 and up

  PLAYERS At least 3, but more fun with a larger group

  Variation: Blind Man’s Wand

  Folks uncomfortable with the touching and poking inherent in the traditional game can play a more tepid variation called Blind Man’s Wand that gives the “it” player something to hold such as a wooden spoon or rolled newspaper. After spinning around several times, with all the other players standing around in a circle, the blind man finds a player in the traditional way, but tags him or her with the object rather than his or her hand.

  A GAME OF KINGS

  Blind Man’s Bluff reached its peak of popularity in the Tudor period in England that lasted from kings Henry VII and VIII through the reign of Elizabeth I (1485–1603).

  A lovely painting titled “Blind Man’s Buff,” rendered in 1789 by the provocative artist Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, depicts members of the Italian aristocracy playing the game.

  The blind man then makes nonverbal sounds, which must be imitated by the tagged player until the blind man guesses the identity of the player. If the blind man is correct, the tagged player is then “it;” if not, the game continues with the same blind man.

  Rules. Something magical happens when you take away the sight of one of the players, who must then rely on hearing, touch, and smell to get by.

  The game begins when the blindfolded player, having been spun around while the others scatter, yells “Stop!”

  All the other players must freeze in place.

  The blind man says, “Blind man’s . . . !”

  All the other players must answer “bluff.” The call and response is repeated until the blind man follows the sounds to tag and identify a player. That player becomes the next blind man.

  The command to stop requires that all players plant their feet, but that doesn’t mean they can’t contort their bodies, squat, bend, or other wise try to avoid being tagged. This can be especially fun in the variations of the game that don’t require vocal clues. Instead, the blind man wanders around the yard with his or her hands forward until he or she finds a player. The biggest challenge for the other players is to not giggle!

  Strategy. Players can disguise their voices to avoid being tagged, especially if their best friend is the blind man. It’s often a good idea to designate one person as the referee for two reasons: 1) to make sure that all players respond according to the rules, and 2) to make sure the blind man doesn’t wander into trouble.

  In American colonial times, children began Blind Man’s Bluff with a call-and-response that has been repeated millions of times. As the blindfold is tied over the player’s face, the other player asks, “How many horses has your father?”

  The blind man answers, “Three.” “What color are they?” asks another player, to which the blind man replies, “Black, white, and grey.” All the players then respond loudly, “Turn around three times and catch whom you may.”

  Generally recognized as the oldest sport on earth, this game is depicted in a 7,000-year-old Egyptian tomb painting. A bowling lawn has been maintained continuously in Southampton, England, since 1299, and today bocce is enjoyed around the world both for its simplicity and its complexity. True bocce has one significant variation from real lawn “bowls” in that the balls in lawn bowling are slightly asymmetrical.

  ALSO KNOWN AS Boules (France), Lawn Bowling, Pétanque (France), Ula Maika (Hawaii)

  The folks who take this game seriously build perfectly level courts covered in compacted stone dust or even crushed oyster shells. Players are allowed to bounce the balls off the sides of low walls to work angles, just as in billiards, or lob the balls in the air so that they literally land on top of other balls. Many players are highly skilled masters who compete for far more than beer and bragging rights.

  THE SETUP

  BASIC IDEA Take turns rolling the balls; those closest to the target ball score

  PLAYING AREA Official layout is up to 90 feet by 13 feet, but any decent lawn will work for a friendly game

  EQUIPMENT

  • Eight dense wooden balls in two different colors

  • One smaller ball, the pallino

  AGES 4 and up

  PLAYERS 2 to 8

  Strictly for Fun

  As a family lawn game, however, the satisfaction comes from simply having a game with flexible rules that players of all ages can easily enjoy. The playing surface matters little and, in fact, boundaries do not even need to be drawn. If a 90-year-old grandmother is playing with her 5-year-old granddaughter, a successful game can be played on any patch of relatively smooth grass.

  The game consists of eight balls (the “bocces”), about the size of grapefruits, in two different colors, and one small ball (the “pallino”), about the size of a golf ball. The object is throw or roll the bocces as close as possible to the pallino. The balls that are closest at the end of each round are scored and the rounds continue until one team reaches a certain number of points.

  Rules. Games often begin with an initial contest to see who can lob or roll a bocce closest to the pallino, which is set off at some distance. The winner goes first.

  Teams take turns throwing their bocces at the pallino, with players on each team throwing in turn.

  After all 8 bocces have been thrown, the team with the bocce closest to the pallino scores a point. In some versions, the team scores for every bocce that is closer to the pallino than the other team’s closest one.

  The winner of each frame or round goes first in the next one.

  The player or team that scores an agreed-upon number of points first wins. Games can range from 7 to 13 points. In most games a player or team must have a two-point advantage before a winner is declared.

  Scoring example: The brown team has two balls closer to the pallino than the green team and scores two points.

  Strategy. Throughout the game, players can try to hit either the pallino or opponents’ balls to change its position; therefore, a shot that looks good initially may not end up scoring a point by the time everyone has rolled.

  One tip on a soft lawn surface is to lob the ball underhand with backspin so that it will tend to stop when it lands, allowing you to better control your shot. If the lawn surface is uneven, bumpy, or pocked, rolling a ball accurately can be difficult.

  “LEARN THE LINGO”

  Bocce The large balls that are thrown at the pallino

  Raffa (also bombing or spocking) A throw aimed at another bocce, with the intention of hitting it out of the way

  Pallino (also pallina or jack) The small target ball

  Punto A throw aimed at the pallino, with the intention of scoring a point

  Volo An aerial throw aimed at another bocce

  KISSING FANNY

  An enduring bocce legend emerged in the 1860s in Lyon, France, when a local waitress allegedly offered to expose her derriere to the losers of a match, who were then obliged to kiss her bare buttocks in public. To this day bocce clubs often post a painting or picture of “Fanny” on their walls. Any time a patron loses a match without scoring a single point, thus committing a “Fanny,” he or she must kiss the artwork as a mock penalty.

  Player of the Years

  Italian Umberto Granaglia is generally believed to be the greatest player of all time. Named “Player of the Twentieth Century” by the Confédération Mondiale des Sports de Boules, he won a record 13 world championships, 12 European championship titles, and 46 Italian national championships between 1957 and 1980. He passed away in December 2008.

  Players of various nationalities while away the hours at a bocce court on Ellis Island, in this 1933 photo.

  Martinez, California, claims to be the bocce capital of the United States, with more than a thousand competitors involved in their leagues and entire neighborhoods that gather informally in backyards
. The U.S. Bocce Federation estimates that there are about 25 million enthusiasts in the United States today.

  Versions of this contest, mentioned in the earliest literary references to games in the United States, have been played by children the world over for centuries. Because no equipment is needed, it cuts across all cultures, from the wealthiest schoolyards in the West to the poorest desert plains of Africa, and although it certainly rewards speed and quickness, British bulldogs also helps build allegiances and strategy skills.

  ALSO KNOWN AS Black Tom, Dog & Deer, Hill Dill, Octopus, Pom-Pom-Pull-Away, Rushing Bases

  This can be an especially fun game for coaches to introduce to the practice field in place of more rigid running drills. Younger children will rejoice in trying to “keep away” from an adult playing the role of bulldog, or the coach can watch from the sidelines while the players have at it. Either way, the players get loads of agility and stamina exercises without even realizing that they’re “working out.”

  THE SETUP