There's a newish sports craze that has people talking about "booking a tee time" and "kicking the ball,” all in the same sentence. Confused?
Mystery solved: it's FootGolf.
"As you'd imagine, FootGolf combines the basic principles of golf, but replaces some of the equipment particulars (i.e. golf clubs, golf balls) with the players' legs and a soccer ball," explained the Bleacher Report.
Credit: Contributed by smithsonianmag.com
Credit: Contributed by smithsonianmag.com
So awesome that this quirky sport - often called "footee" - is getting popular fast.
It's being played in at least 30 countries around the world, including the United States. The American FootGolf League notes that some 10,000 FootGolfers set a tee time each month at the more than 500 courses located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Before you pull on your argyle socks (more about that later) and dial up the local golf course to see if it's game on, peruse this dossier for the basics on FootGolf:
Is that proper punctuation?
Yes. "FootGolf," all one word with the "G" capitalized. Though some groups spell it all in caps to avoid worrying about it.
Who made the game up, anyhow?
This is a little hazy. FootGolf's origins are claimed by many people in many countries. In any case, it all happened pretty recently: the first mentions of the golf-soccer mashup don't occur until 2001. As for the first nine-hole FootGolf tournament resembling today's play, Michael Jansen and Bas Korsten organized that in the Netherlands in 2008, convincing Dutch and Belgian professional footballers to become the inaugural opponents.
Credit: Contributed by Steel Canyon Golf Club
Credit: Contributed by Steel Canyon Golf Club
How do you play?
The AFGL calls FootGolf a precision sport with rules that correspond to golf for the most part (except for that bit where players kick a regulation No. 5 soccer ball at a golf course facility on abbreviated greens that have 21-inch diameter cups). Like golf, the game relies on the players' integrity in calling their own violations; there are no referees handing out yellow cards or assigning penalty kicks.
Is there a Big League version?
Starting in 2016, certified courses across the country have engaged in a national tournament series, taking an opportunity to host between 50 and 80 national qualifiers each year. Those competitions lead to regional championships and then on to the U.S. National Championship.
What's this about a World Cup?
Thirty courses in three regions are currently hosting AFGL Tour qualifying tournaments for the FIFG World Cup Morocco 2018. On the Team USA website, they've engaged in some confident banter about our country's prospects: "As FootGolf World Champion in the Team Category, the United States is coming to Marrakesh 2018 with a clear objective: Win the crown again and conquer the Men, Senior and Women categories to prove what the champions are made of."
The first FootGolf World Cup was played in Hungary in 2012 and is something of a YouTube sensation.
What to wear?
For AFGL-sanctioned league play in the U.S., players adhere to a strict dress code, donning a collared shirt, indoor soccer shoes and (yep) argyle socks. Casual players don't have to wear the argyle socks, but they can't hurt!
Where can you play AFGL-sanctioned FootGolf within 150 miles of Atlanta?
Here are a few of the Georgia and surrounding area FootGolf courses, listed on the AFGL website:
Stonebridge Golf Club 585 Stonebridge Drive, Rome, Georgia, 706-236-5046
Steel Canyon Golf Club 460 Morgan Falls Road, Sandy Springs, Georgia, 770-390-0424
Hard Labor Creek Golf Course 1400 Knox Chapel Road, Social Circle, Georgia, 706-557-3006
Oconee Country Club 781 Richland Road, Seneca, South Carolina, 864-882-8037
Red Bird Golf Links 67 Cherokee Trail, Sapphire, North Carolina, 828-743-1991
Brickyard Plantation Golf Club 1619 US 280 East, Americus, Georgia, 229-874-1234
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