Footgolf

Footgolf is a sport, in which players kick a spherical association football into a cup in as few shots as possible. The name is a portmanteau of football and golf,[2] and the game combines the two sports, being more closely related to golf.[3]

Footgolf
Highest governing bodyFederation for International FootGolf (FIFG)[1]
Characteristics
ContactNo
Team membersTeams or single competitors
Mixed genderYes
TypeOutdoor
EquipmentFootball (indoor or turf soccer shoes)
VenueGolf course
Presence
OlympicNo
ParalympicNo

Rules

The game is played similarly to golf, with the exception that players use a soccer ball instead of a golf ball, and the ball is kicked rather than struck with a club,[4] working toward a 50 cm-52 cm diameter by 28 cm deep "footgolf cup" usually located away from golf greens.[5] The player who finishes the course with the fewest shots wins.[3] Indeed, footgolf is often played on golf courses, though it may also be played on specially built grass footgolf courses. The first shot has to be played from the tee box, and bunkers, trees, water and hills must be crossed or avoided in order to reach the hole.[3]

The game is played with a regulation No. 5 soccer ball.[5] As football-soccer balls cannot be propelled as far as golf balls in one shot, footgolf is played on holes shorter than those used in golf. For instance, one course in California features holes that average 157 yards.[6] Pars are typically 5 shots or fewer.[5] Paul Collinson of the UK Footgolf Association has observed that, compared to golf, footgolf is quicker to play, more accessible, and does not require expensive equipment.[4]

Origins

A game with roughly similar rules, codeball, attained brief popularity in the United States during the late 1920s and 1930s.[7][8][9] Michael Jansen and Bas Korsten were the creators of the Footgolf uniform and basic rules, and also organisers of the first tournament played the way the sport is played today around the world, and they officially launched FootGolf in the Netherlands in 2008. They learned of the sport from Korsten's brother, Dutch footballer Willem Korsten, who recalled playing a similar game during his time with British club Tottenham Hotspur between 1999 and 2001, where players would end training sessions by kicking the ball from the pitch back to the changing rooms in as short a time as possible.[1]

Organized play

FootGolf Association of Scotland National Champion Matthew Morgan Teeing off at the Irish Open

The first ever footgolf tournament was organized in the Netherlands by Michael Jansen and Bas Korsten,[1] and played by a mix of Dutch and Belgian professional footballers.[1] After this, many countries began to organize matches, events, tournaments, even national leagues and associations around this game.

Later, Belgium and Hungary switched from playing in parks to golf courses, and the game was introduced to Argentina in 2010.[2] The American FootGolf League was founded in 2011.[10] The game was internationally publicized, and countries worldwide started collaborating on the development of the game. By 2014, the game was offered at hundreds of courses in the United States[5] and was in the final stages of being recognized by Sport England.[4]

In Dec 2015,[11] the Swedish Golf Federation, a member of the highest sporting authority in Sweden (the Swedish Sports Confederation), by a formal 2-part voting, accepted and approved footgolf as an official sport (eligible for recognition in national championships, future inclusion in the Olympic Games, etc).

The game's emergence coincided with the decline of the popularity of golf among young people, with 643 courses closing between 2006 and 2014 in the United States.[6] The sport has financially saved many struggling golf courses,[4] and the Professional Golfers' Association of America and World Golf Foundation have both acknowledged footgolf's contribution to helping golf courses generate more income, and noted that it may contribute to the growth of golf itself.[12][13] Former PGA president Ted Bishop said in 2014 that "I think it would be ludicrous to think there won't be a percentage of those people that might say, 'Hey, you know what? I think I'd like to try and play golf."[12] In March 2016, the LPGA golfer Paula Creamer said "Anytime you can do something differently in the game of golf, it’s fun and I think we’ll probably be out there (playing footgolf) a little bit more now."[14]

A group of countries combined to form the Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG) in June 2012,[1] and 8 countries played the first FootGolf World Cup in Hungary that month (won by Hungarian, Bela Lengyel). In January 2016, the second FootGolf World Cup was held in Argentina and 230 players from 26 FIFG member countries participated in the global event. The winner of the individual event was Argentinian player, Christian Otero and the Team World Champion was the United States (Team USA). The third FootGolf World Cup was held in December 2018, in Marrakech, Morocco. The mens individual champion was Matias Perrone from Argentina and the women's individual champion was Sophie Brown from the United Kingdom. France won the gold in team competition, Team UK finished second and the previous world champion Team USA finished in the 3rd position.

In the spring of 2015, the National Golf Courses Owners Association (NGCOA) recognized the American FootGolf League (AFGL) as the governing body for the sport of footgolf in the U.S.[15] and a few months later, Roberto Balestrini, founder of FootGolf in North America was selected by the prestigious Golf Inc Magazine as one of "The Ten Most Innovative People in Golf".[16] In October 2, 2017 the GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federations) granted the Observer Status to the Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG).

Attire

American FootGolf League Players at the U.S. Pro-Am Tour in 2014

The dress code for competition states a "classic golf uniform with wearing indoor soccer or turf shoes" for tournament play, and notes that most golf courses have a dress code for golfers, which footgolf players would also have to follow.[17]

See also

References

  1. "FootGolf: A hole new ball game". CNN. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  2. "Foot/golf fusion sport growing around the globe". Rediff. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  3. "The American Footgolf League". AFGL. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  4. Warwick, Josh (22 October 2014). "Why footgolf could be your new favourite sport". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  5. Fleming, Deirdre (20 October 2014). "Footgolf gets a leg up in Portland". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  6. Vercammen, Paul (8 October 2014). "Will FootGolf be the next big thing?". CNN. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  7. Golfdom. "Codeball on the Green" (Michigan State University archive). September 1932, p. 32. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  8. TIME. "Sport: Who Won". 1 July 1935. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  9. "Crazy games: When fun was cruel". The Economist. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  10. Leonard, Tod (8 July 2014). "There's a new kick on course: FootGolf". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  11. "Footgolf ny gren inom Svenska Golfförbundet - Golf.se". golf.se. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  12. Auclair, T.J. (18 March 2014). "Explaining FootGolf and what it may mean for golf". Professional Golfers Association. Turner Sports Interactive. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  13. "FootGolf". World Golf Foundation. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  14. McKay, Matt (31 March 2016). "Japan and Foot Golf score major victory at ANA Inspiration Foot Golf contest". Southern California Golf Association. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  15. "American FootGolf League gets seal of approval from golf course owners group". Golf Digest. Condé Nast. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  16. "Golf Inc. Monthly - July/August 2015". Golf Monthly. August 2015. p. 42. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  17. "American FootGolf League". www.afgl.us. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
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