It sometimes seems like backyard golf games are almost as popular as the game of golf itself. I guess that’s OK though. It gives fans of the game something golf-related to do when they can’t quite make it out to the course. And hey, anything that keeps people interested in the game is OK with me. But every once in a while, one comes along that does more than replace your regular round. It’s actually a fun game to play with your friends or your kids, and may even take you back to when you were a kid chipping around your yard. That game?
Bonzi Golf is a very simple game, or….actually, two games. Consisting of two small “pods,” which are basically the greens, and six foam balls concaved on one side which, when placed in certain positions, allow the ball to travel differently and simulate different course conditions. Pretty neat, right? Instantly, the first thing I liked about Bonzi was it’s portability. All of the above mentioned pieces fit into a zippered and handled vinyl sleeve, no more than 20″ across and about 2″ thick. Weight? Roughly three or four pounds. You can pretty much take it anywhere you’d like. Even better, you can set it up just about anywhere you’d like as well.
For instance, me and one of my kids set up the game in my front yard. We dropped one of the pods at our feet and tossed the second one out about 10 yards. Then, we began chipping away. I was surprised at how easily the foam balls actually travel and simulate a real golf ball, albeit at the as advertised 1/8 distance. And the game also allows you to swing as you normally would. You don’t ease up…you just swing. Within a couple of minutes, my neighbors kids were watching us play like a mini gallery. Then my neighbors from two doors down came wandering by asking questions such as “What are those balls made of?” Everyone was quite interested in the game. I have to admit, I could certainly spend some time playing around with this whenever I can’t make it out to the course, or if I’m just looking to practice my swing a bit. And even better, my kid described it simply as “awesome.”
Everything about Bonzi is simple – scoring included. The game is played by very simple rules, conveniently printed on the bottom of the tin containing the balls. Toss the green out to wherever you’d like and take turns hitting your three balls at it. Closest to the green gets a point. If one of your balls lands on the green you get 2 points. Lucky enough to land one in the hole? 3 points, and minus 3 for your opponent. First one to 18 wins. However, playing specifically by the rules is not necessary. Playing just to simply practice or make your own rules is fine as well.
Further, as I mentioned earlier, Bonzi actually offers two games. In addition to Links, which is the game I’ve been describing, is a game called Aces which is designed more to be an indoor game. Containing only three balls and one pod, Bonzi actually includes in it’s rules to play this game for money, which I’m all for! Quite simply, rather than hitting your ball into a cup, you chip from the pod into the tin containing the balls. If all three shots miss, you drop in a quarter. First person to get a ball in the tin gets all the money.
Links and Aces can be purchased separately. However, since Aces is simply half of Links, you really need only to purchase Links in order to play both games. And speaking of which, you can purchase either one here. But one lucky reader will not have to purchase anything at all. As usual, we here at GolfStinks have one to try out and one to give away; Simply head over to our Facebook page and give this post a like. One random winner will receive both the Links and Aces games from Bonzi Golf. So click like and get your quarters ready!
Swing ’til you’re happy!
