If you look at sports being played worldwide you would notice that most of the popular sports are really old. Meaning that they are being played for a long time and they have got great histories. There are some new sports also being introduced getting popularity amongst masses. Footgolf is one of such sports which is relatively new and people have started taking it seriously. All you need is a golf course with big holes of course according to the size of football.
Instead of clubs like in golf you will be hitting the ball with your legs as you do in football. There are official tournaments being organized across the world with some established rules but you can play it with your own rules as well just for fun with family and friends. Winner is the one who puts the ball in hole in less number of shots. You are going to read right now some of the facts about this beautiful game. Here you go.
Origin
As discussed in the intro section this is the combination of two sports golf and football. Primarily it is more like a golf because it is played in golf course and requires you to hit the football like golfers do. In west this is not a new sport at all as it traces its origin back in early quarter of the 20th century. Footgolf emerged in the USA with the different name of codeball and it was somehow the similar sort of sport as footgolf. Now let’s talk about European countries as if they knew this sport before or not. The answer is in yes; in the valleys of Switzerland people used to play such sport with different rules and regulations though. According to the sources Scandinavian also played this sport as one of the footballers Willem Korsten is credited to have played this while his affiliation with the British football club. Thereafter there were many arranged tournaments of footgolf in the wake of this century.
Footballers from big European nations came to play footgolf tournaments and that’s how it became popular in that continent. It is quoted that these tournaments were first arranged in parks but later on when things got serious then they started playing it on golf courses. Current status of footgolf is quite astonishing as more people are attracted to this sport. Not only that but this sport is helping in promoting the golf as well. Not part of the Olympics yet but sooner or later you will be having this in the Olympics too.
How to kick start
You must have seen golf as they need clubs to play golf all you need is your legs to play footgolf. Of course unlike in golf the hole is of 21 inches and you will be in need of a soccer ball of god quality for this. You will start with a certain point and then you have to make sure the football goes inside the hole in less number of shots. That is how much simple this game is. The starting point is called tee boxes like in golf. There are different formats for this game and if you are just playing for fun then you can make your own rules as well. For more organized people good news is that there are established rules for this game which you can follow and under what tournaments are organized across the world.
Official dress
Well there is no hard and fast rule for amateurs playing footgolf as far as dress is concerned unless or until you are playing some official tournament. You can wear the shoes as soccer players wear as you will be in need of power and precision at the same time. With argyle socks and ivy cap you will be very much dressed like a soccer player with the exception that soccer players don’t wear caps which could be the case with footgolf players. It all depends on how serious you take this game and if you are a true aspirant then you will abide by the dress code being followed in internationally organized tournaments.
Things to remember
As any other sports need some preparations that you must need to carry out before going into the field; in footgolf you have to bring plenty of water with you if it is a warm day. Golf courses cover large areas and that is the reason why you need to have something to wipe your soccer ball as it can get some dirt out of the field. Another thing which most of the footgolf players face is that like in golf you have to face difficulty as a golf course can have lakes, dunes or unleveled surface. Keeping these things in mind will surely help you out in the middle while you will be playing with your friends.
Any extra skill required for footgolf?
The answer is not exactly. If you have been playing football for quite some time then you will face no such difficulty in playing footgolf. Rather footgolf is easier than the football itself because of number of reasons. First of all you have a free kick style play all the time and all you just need to have precision and consistency to put your ball in. Most commonly regular sized football is used throughout the world in professional tournaments for this sport.
Conclusion
Now you know much about this sport and hopefully you will be getting ready to try this one in your near golf course.