Chocolate, punctuality, and Farmers’ Golf, Switzerland’s traditional sport

In Switzerland, there is a unique sport called ‘Hornussen’ or ‘Farmers’ golf’. This is a team sport that players usually learn from their parents and grandparents and is very popular in this country. The farmers’ golf is a perfect combination of sports and tradition. There are different versions as to where and how Hornussen was born. Some say that it started in the Italian region of Switzerland where farmers used to practice certain pastimes similar to what we know today as ‘Farmers’ sport’.

Other versions place this sport’s origins in the Emmental region in the 19th century. This is because the famous Swiss writer, Jeremias Gotthelf, mentions it in his novel ‘Uli der Knecht’. A third version suggests that this might have started as a war training designed to hit the enemy. Today, Hornussen is popular in the German-speaking countryside of Switzerland and has over 171 registered clubs.

The Swiss art of Hornussen

Being Roger Federer’s country, one may expect Switzerland’s most traditional sport to be closely related to tennis. The truth is that it has been compared to tennis and other sports such as baseball and traditional golf, but it’s actually one-of-a-kind. Unlike other strange sports such as Zorbing, like we can see in the video below, the batting technique is quite similar to the one used in golf. Yet, this Swiss sport presents some distinctive qualities.

First of all, it’s played in teams. The game consists of a player batting a rubber projectile called ‘Hornuss’, while the opposite team’s members try to stop it. For this, they use wooden paddles. The teams score depending on how far along the field they manage to shoot, and whether the puck was able to reach the ground unhindered.

The ‘Hornuss’ or ‘Nouss’ can fly at a 350/hour speed and the teams can be formed with 16 to 20 players.

How to play Hornussen

• One player from team A throws the rubber puck.
• From the other side of the field, players from team B try to interrupt the shot using wooden paddles.
• For each shot that reaches the ground unhindered, team B has penalty points.
• Likewise, the batsmen obtain points depending on how far they shoot.

The team with lesser penalty points wins the game. However, ties are very common in Hornussen. In this case, they count the points scored by each batsman to find the winning team. Players are also rewarded for their points individually at the end of a tournament.

How to score while playing Hornussen

Batsmen score according to the distance. The puck is placed on a device called ‘Bock’. The field where the defense plays is called the ‘Ries’, which begins 100 m from the bock and is 180-m long. The ‘Durchgang’ is formed by a pair of turns (one attack and one defense by each team) and is similar to what we call ‘transition’ in baseball. Each regular game consists of two transitions, although this might be different in larger tournaments like inter-canton events.

Each player hits the projectile two times per transition, i.e., four times throughout the game and they score points according to their shots’ distance.

The minimum count starts at 100 m (when the field starts) and adds one point for every ten meters after that. Things would be quite easy if it wasn’t for the opposite team, whose players stand in the ‘Ries’ and try to intercept the shots.

Hornussen vocabulary

Hornuss, ‘Hornet’ in English (also called ‘Nouss’): Rubber puck that the offensive team throws while the defensive team tries to intercept it.

Schindel: Wooden paddles that a team uses to intercept their opponent’s shots. Bock: Device placed on the ground from where the puck is thrown.

Ries: The field where the defense stands trying to hinder the puck’s flight.

Sports and Swiss hospitality

There are many reasons why Hornussen has earned a place on our list of strange sports. Besides being a unique activity, it manages to combine ability, skills, tradition, and hospitality.

Switzerland is widely known for its cheese, chocolate, landscapes, neutrality, punctuality, and bank secrecy. However, very few people know that it is home to one of the strangest sports in the world. Hornussen is extremely popular in Switzerland, to such an extent that it has 6,000 players. They are mostly located in the Berna area.

Because it was born in the countryside and remains a popular tradition, the Farmers’ golf hasn’t lost the true spirit of all sports: friendly competition. It’s customary for the local team to entertain visitors by offering food and beverages.

In conclusion, practicing Farmers’ Golf does not only help to develop one’s physical skills. It might also encourage a person to visit one of the most beautiful and peaceful countries in Europe. By combining the best of tennis, baseball, and golf, Hornussen is a sport that every sports fan should consider. Hornussen tournaments are usually held every year in Switzerland and visitors are invited to traditional parties after the game.

Those who love strange sports are always welcome to come to Switzerland to one of the most interesting events and popular traditions in the world. During a national tournament, tourists can learn everything about Hornussen, watch the games, and then celebrate with the people at a party with typical food, live music, and some of Switzerland’s most exquisite countryside landscapes.