FootGolf, which combines the popular sports of soccer and golf, will make its Northern California debut at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento with the California FootGolf Challenge on July 14, 2013. Local players are invited to join enthusiasts from throughout California in a tournament where athletes use soccer balls on a traditional golf course with 21-inch diameter cups. The rules largely correspond to the rules of golf. The Haggin Oaks Foot Golf Course will entail 18 holes built within the front nine of the Arcade Creek GC at Haggin Oaks- designed to be able play both traditional golf and FootGolf simultaneously.
FootGolf uses golf’s basic model including tee boxes, greens, bunkers, hazards and 18 holes of play. Scorecards display par scores for each hole as in regular golf. The sport is governed by the Federation for International FootGolf and has grown primarily internationally. The tournament at Haggin Oaks will be only the second contested in California.
“We’re excited to bring this new sport to our golf course,” explained Mike Woods, head golf professional at Haggin Oaks. “It’s a perfect fit for our facility. Our 18-hole FootGolf course is incorporated into our Arcade Creek golf course and we expect FootGolfers to play in regular rotation with our current traditional golfers. Golf 2.0 and other growth of the game initiatives are at the forefront of what we do here at Morton Golf and we feel like we can introduce many to the game of golf first through FootGolf.”
“As a former college soccer player and current golf professional, I am fascinated by the combination of the two sports. I am able to be outdoors playing an enjoyable game while getting a good deal of exercise. I think this sport is a winner.”
The sport is played in the traditional format of up to four players per group with FootGolfers either walking the course or using golf carts. Holes are roughly half the distance of a regular golf hole. While the soccer ball doesn’t travel as far in the air as a golf ball, it will roll much farther in the fairways.
“Haggin Oaks is the perfect location to introduce FootGolf,” says Laura Balestrini, President of the American FootGolf League . “Theirs is a service-first facility and we’re very enthusiastic about getting the sport off the ground in Northern California.”
For more information about FootGolf, to register for the tournament, or to play the game, visit www.hagginoaks.com or call (916) 481-GOLF.
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