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The Links At Petco Park — And Other Ballpark Transformations

Many stadiums throughout the country have played host to more than one sport. The Polo Grounds in New York featured years of baseball played by the Mets and New York (baseball) Giants, while also hosting football games for the Jets and Giants. Candlestick Park in San Francisco saw the Giants out on the diamond for 40 years and was also home of the 49ers through 2013. And O.co Coliseum in Oakland, the permanent home of both the Raiders and Athletics, is the last surviving multi-purpose complex of its kind.

That doesn't mean, however, that ballparks don't sometimes change things up. Earlier this month, in fact, San Diego's Petco Park morphed into a nine-hole, par-3 golf course. Teaming up with Callaway Golf, the Padres presented "The Links at Petco Park," a five-day, sold-out event. For $100 per twosome, golfers had the opportunity to hit wedge shots from locations like home plate and the upper deck. Additionally, fans got to warm up in the batting cages and walk through the locker rooms out onto the field.

The Links at Petco Park
(Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Inspired by the new outfit of Petco Park, we dug up some other examples of ballparks being rearranged to host other sporting events.

Soccer

New Zealand v United States
(Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Baseball stadiums have recently hosted exhibition soccer matches. This past spring, the United States Women's National Team took on New Zealand in a friendly at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, with the U.S. winning, 4-0. In the summer of 2014, AS Roma and Liverpool FC came to Boston's Fenway Park. (And speaking of "football" at Fenway, Boston College and Notre Dame are playing a game there this Saturday.)

Hockey

A yearly occurrence since 2008, the NHL's Winter Classic is always played in an outdoor venue. Billed as a return to ice hockey's outdoor roots, the regular season game has been hosted in baseball stadiums four out of seven times. The most recent game was played at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Winter Sports Complex

Cleveland's ballpark, Progressive Field, was reconstructed a couple of years ago specifically for the colder months of the year. More than just a space for a hockey rink, though, Progressive Field was transformed into a complete winter wonderland. We're talking a rink, skating circuit and snow tubing hill. The idea was to create a family-friendly space that brought people to the downtown Cleveland area in the slower months of winter. Check out some pictures of the event here.

Tennis

(Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
(Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Almost two years ago, the United States Tennis Association hosted Great Britain in the first round of the Davis Cup, an international team tennis tournament. The U.S. team's choice of venue? A red clay court in left-center field at none other than Petco Park. More than 50 tons of red clay and $750,000 later, a tennis arena was built within the ballpark. Because doubles partners Bob and Mike Bryan liked the surface (and British superstar Andy Murray has historically had more challenging matches on clay), the venue was intended to give the U.S. team an advantage. Although it made for an interesting ballpark transformation, the United States ended up losing, 3-1, against Great Britain.

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