Hornussen
Hornussen, which translates as farmers golf, is a traditional Swiss sport which originated in the seventeenth century. The sport was played exclusively in Switzerland until recently, where local clubs in the United States were formed to play the sport.
The sport uses a sloped batting stand made of metal, where a rubber hornet (similar to a puck) is mounted. The hornet is struck using a bat. A bat is made of two parts, a cylindrical metal object using which the hornet is stuck, and a long flexible stick made of synthetic plastic, which players grip on to for the swing.
The objective of the sport is to strike the puck as far as possible. Teams takes turns to strike the hornet. As one team strikes, the players of opposing team stand around the landing area and try to strike down the hornet, with a wooden paddle. Players are allowed to throw their paddles in the air in an attempt to block the hornet. Shots commonly travel as far as 300m before they land. Only shots that directly fall onto the ground without any contact from the opposing team counts toward scores. A match usually lasts for about three hours, with the team that scores the most points wins.
Similar Sports
Related Pages
- Sport in Switzerland
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports
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