Heath Ekstrom shows off hole number 1 at Superior National for the new game of footgolf. The holes are a bit bigger than regular golf ball sized holes, but then so are the soccer balls you use to play the game. The sport is all the rage in Europe and is now played in all 50 states in the U.S. Staff photos/Brian Larsen
A relatively new sport, which is growing in popularity, has been added to Superior National golf course in Lutsen.
It’s not golf, and it’s not soccer, but both skills are needed when playing the game.
It’s called footgolf, and it began in 2001, but who just started it or where it was started is unknown. What is known is that a mix of Dutch and Belgian professional soccer players from the Netherlands played the first nine-hole footgolf tournament in 2008. After that, it was game on across the globe.
How is it played? The game is a combination of soccer and golf but is most closely related to golf. Players kick a #5 soccer ball on a golf course at holes that are shortened from the regular course and try to get the ball into the 21-inch diameter cups in as few shots as possible.
Players start by kicking the ball from behind a position marked behind – or in front of – the tee marker. In Lutsen, the holes range in distance from a 44-yard par 3 on the fifth hole to a 200-yard par 4 on the fourth hole.
The rules of the game are much the same as golf. Balls kicked into a water hazard receive one stroke penalty. The furthest away kicks first, and no one is allowed to remove obstructions from the path of their ball during play. Picking up or cleaning your ball is illegal during the game. And normal rules of golf etiquette apply as well: always rake the bunkers, respect the golf course and other players around you. The lowest score wins the match.
Ekstrom said as the sport expands, all water hazards are going to be taken out of play at Superior National, “Otherwise Lutsen Resort is going to be rich in soccer balls when they come floating down the Poplar River,” he said with a wide grin.
To plot the course Ekstrom worked with the American FootGolf League to install nine holes on the mountain. He finished the 1,220-yard course mid-June and has played with his family, remarking how fun it was, especially for his children ages 11, 8 and 7.
“This is a great activity for kids and families. My family finished the course in a little over an hour, and my kids really had a good time,” he said.
The American FootGolf League (AFGL) was founded in 2011. Today the AFGL oversees the game on over 500 courses in all 50 states including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Golf facilities can be accredited and certified with the AFGL, who in 2015 established a handicap system and ranking system for the sport. In 2016 AFGL founded a national tournament, with 50 to 80 certified golf courses having the opportunity to host national qualifying tournaments each year.
“We will have an open house at Superior National sometime in August to introduce footgolf to the public,” said Ekstrom.”If there is enough interest, we will consider starting a league,” he added.
In the Twin Cities, Heath said his uncle, a now-retired golf pro, said that once they brought footgolf to the public course where he worked, the golf course made a profit for the first time in 10 years.
As far as the cost, the rate to play 9 holes of footgolf at Superior National is $16 for adults, $12 for juniors, with a ball rental (you can bring your own soccer ball) at $5 and cart rental $12 per person.
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