New Zealand Golf Cross

This is either a joke or a real sport. Can you imagine golf played with a football-shaped golf ball? A course can be set up on a farm, a park or the desert. Instead of sinking a putt you score a goal by hitting the ball into a net supported by goal posts.

Is this a real sport or an elaborate hoax?

This question requires careful Web site investigation.

It sounds crazy. Maybe it is.

The Golf Cross Web site claims this is a newly invented sport. It has courses around the world, pictures of people playing Golf Cross and stories in the news. But we've never met or talked to anyone who has actually played the game.

This investigation involves finding the author and doing enough of a background check to see if he or she could have invented this game. Once the source of the information is verified, the contents of the Web site need to be checked for credibility.

The challenge here is to find evidence that can be trusted. Otherwise there's a good chance this sport is a hoax. Keep in mind that pictures can easily be altered. The testimonies of people you've never met can be true or made up just as easily. You need better evidence than that.

Be sure to base your conclusions on facts.