Resident wants introduce park golf in Qualicum Beach
Published 5:35 am Saturday, May 30, 2026
Have you ever heard of the sport park golf?
It’s a modified golf game that was created in Hokkaido, Japan in 1983. It has been around for more than 40 years and played in different countries globally.
Qualicum Beach resident Alixe Regan wants to introduce this sport to Parksville Qualicum Beach. She sowed the seeds of awareness at the Qualicum Beach committee of the whole meeting on May 27.
“This sport was developed by retired golfers and seniors who just didn’t have the stamina or strength to play regular golf anymore,” said Regan, who is representing the International Park Golf Aiko Canada.
“And certainly they didn’t have the stamina for four hours to play regular golf. They didn’t have the funds or affordability. As you are aware, golf can be expensive. And they wanted to play something simple.”
Park golf is played with one club and one ball. The goal is to sink it in the cup in the fewest strokes possible similar to traditional golf. The entire 9-hole course is 500 yards long, making the game playable within an hour. There are no handicaps and it is designed for all ages and skill levels.
Having worked as a teacher in Japan, Regan said she had the opportunity to learn the sport and “fell in love with it.”
Regan said that when they moved here on Vancouver Island in 2020, their goal was to purchase 500 acres of land to build park golf course.
The plan was to establish their food truck business on a property and turn it into a destination where people can socialize and enjoy park golf.
However, their plans changed when COVID happened.
Now, Regan wants to establish this sport in Qualicum Beach but not as a private venture. They want to work with the town or any private organizations interested in building a new recreational sport site.
Regan said the sport is “truly accessible, affordable, inclusive, multi-generational and for everyone.”
Regan said, they have developed a “portable golf system.” It sets up and takes down within less than an hour.
She cited setting it up at Eaglecrest or at the Qualicum Beach Commons.
A nine-hole course, she explained, fits on 1.5 acres. An 18-hole course can be built on less than five acres of land.
“We don’t want to be building courses,” said Regan. “We are building awareness. We are educating, we are empowering. We want the municipalities to own this assets. We want the communities to own this assets so that they are self-supported, self-generating and they are inclusive.
“If we can get people off the couch, and in the park for an hour doing very simple, gentle activity, it is going to create more conversation, more connection.”
Regan offered to hold demonstration events to show people how the game is played and how simple it is. She said you can learn it in 15 minutes.
CAO Lou Varela said they will look into Regan’s proposal. Once they have all the information – such as infrastructure requirements, challenges, barriers, and funding – they will create a report.