By Meghan Streit
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Blustery Chicago winters mean golfers have to store their clubs for the next few months. But at Monarch Landing, a different kind of golf game is tiding golfers over until spring—and even catching on among non-golfers.

“Ladder Golf,” also known as “Rodeo Golf” or “Blongo Ball,” can be played on grass, sand, concrete, or even indoors. Players throw “bolos” (two golf balls attached to a ten-inch rope) toward a game “ladder.” The object is to score points by wrapping the rope around the ladder rungs.

Resident Ruth Marshall watches her husband Ken and their friends compete in ladder golf and says the group has a lot of fun.

“We also just started bowling with the Nintendo Wii,” Marshall says. “And we’ve started playing bean bags.”

Monarch Landing Wellness Coordinator Vanessa Black says the league  started with eight players, but word of the quirky new game is spreading—and others are quickly joining in.

“Ladder golf provides community members with a friendly atmosphere to engage in competition with fellow residents,” Black says. “It also helps them  work on coordination and balance.”