Discover Greensboro Magazine Winter 2021

DIGGIN’ THE DIRT Parks & Recreation Community Gardens

FOOT GOLF play,” said Bob Brooks, who runs Gillespie Golf Course.

can take get their own garden plot or learn planting and gardening skills. Garden enrollment begins in February each year. The active garden year runs from March 1 to December 31. All the gardens are managed and maintained organically - no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers of any kind are allowed. Sustainable garden practices are demonstrated, taught, and required for all gardeners. Plots are assigned on a first-come, first- served basis. Gardeners in good standing from the previous year are entitled to keep their plots. Kristen Herndon, a facilities coordinator for Greensboro Parks and Recreation, stumbled up n footgolf last April, when the pandemic had just started and the city had shut down in-person parks programs. The department was looking for opportu it es to get people engaged and active, in a way that was both accessible, inexpensive, and COVID-safe. Footgolf seemed to fit the bill. “It was inexpensive for people to be able to pay. No one had to have any special equipment to play,” Herndon said. And participants could be outside, masked, and more than 6-feet apart while still playing together – a pandemic bonus. The first formal footgolf rules and tournaments were established in the Netherlands about a decade ago. Now

Parks and Recreation Community Gardens add beaut y and interest to our parks, and offer the community an opportunity to learn about and practice growing fresh, nutritionally-dense produce! Thriving community gardens are a great way to bring people together, and create healthy, strong communities. Community Gardens can serve as outdoor classrooms where youth learn valuable skills like communication, responsibility, and cooperation. The Parks and Recreation Department currently supports several community gardens within our parks, where people COME TEE OFF TODAY! With social-distancing the way to go, Parks and Recreation started looking for safe alternatives to get people outside and enjoying ga es. Enter footgolf, a marriage between golf and soccer tha ’s easy to play for any age or ability. Gillespie Golf Course will transform its course into a 10-hole footgolf course from 1-3 pm, January 9 and February 13. It’s $7 to play a ound, and children 7 years old and under play for free. “It can be a very competitive sport, but what we are trying to do is get people off the couch and out of the hous , something that is family fun-oriented and anyone can

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