Typical fall recreational sports normally include Frisbee and soccer on the Green. As the Hanover weather turns colder, however, many freshman living in the River cluster have taken up a new form of recreational distraction from their schoolwork: dorm golf.
The "sport," if one can call it that, is not a new creation by the '07 class. Students have been known to play variations of golf in their dorm hallways in residence halls all over campus. However, the recent resurgence of dorm golfing interest in the River cluster has caused residents to take notice.
"It's great getting stares and pissing people off in the dorms," Peter Gray '07 said. "That's enjoyable, but more importantly, it's one of those useless skills which I will never need and pursue for that very reason. It's almost like a sober version of pong; pure diversion, with no strings attached."
Though dorm golf has undoubtedly emerged in various permutations in Dartmouth history, the new River version has three skill levels, and is very specific to the River "course" on which it was conceived.
The novice course requires golfers to putt the ball down one of the River's long, narrow hallways into an overturned cup. The first to putt a hole-in-one is the winner.
The moderate course increases the difficulty by spanning multiple floors. Starting on the top floor at the far end of the hall. The golfer putts the ball over to the central stairwell and brings it down the stairs (the best shot is to get it into the actual shaft, so it falls directly to the first floor). The hole is waiting for the golfer in the common room on the first floor.
For those who feel unchallenged by the first two difficulty levels, the expert course is sure to test even the best golfer.
"I like to think of it as the highest achievement in dorm golf" as it involves pitching skills as well as putting skills, Gray said.
The expert game is similar to the moderate difficulty level, except that the ball must be brought downstairs one flight at a time.
The game is normally played with a very small number of people due to the narrow hallways found in the River Cluster, but Gray hopes to one day, "get a foursome going, possibly even with caddies."
However, even for the most experienced dorm golfer, there is no substitute for actual golfing ability.
"I can tell you this: I played once with a guy on the golf team and he smoked me, royally," Gray said.