JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- A new sport that combines the fast action of soccer and some of the challenges of golf is emerging worldwide, and the Air Force Services Activity, also known as AFSVA, is leading the trend in offering the sport as an additional recreational opportunity for both golfers and non-golfers.
“We’re at the front end of this emerging sport. Golf in the Air Force is leading the trend,” said Chris Bowles, AFSVA’s golf program manager.
While not every Air Force course is a good fit for FootGolf, the sport has provided a new and inexpensive opportunity to encourage participation and introduce new people to the game of golf.
FootGolf courses follow a traditional golf course layout, but use different tees and greens. Players kick a soccer ball from hole to hole. A regulation No. 5 soccer ball is used, and the holes are 21-inch cups. Four players can complete a FootGolf course in two hours, compared with four to five hours for an 18-hole round of golf. Two or three FootGolf holes fit on one traditional golf hole; so that an 18-hole FootGolf course falls within the front or back nine of a traditional 18-hole golf course.
Airmen are putting their own twist on the sport.
“Sometimes they use it as physical training, but mostly, it’s used for team building because everyone can participate. I haven’t seen anyone yet who can’t play,” said Doug Carlton, 19th Force Support Squadron Professional Golf Association golf course manager and a PGA professional. He manages Deer Run Golf Course at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas.
“For PT, they rotate kicking and running, so it’s 2 miles,” he said. “Everybody who does it loves it. They have so much fun, they seem to be happier than the regular golfers.”
FootGolf was introduced in the U.S. in 2011. In 2012, four U.S. golf courses added FootGolf. Today, the American FootGolf League has 440 certified courses, including some Air Force courses, said league president Laura Balestrini.
Air Force golf courses are also affiliated with the U.S. Footgolf Association. Regardless of the course’s affiliation, the sport is catching on with Airmen and their families. Carlton noted that more participants signed up for FootGolf than any other offering for the base’s Oct. 8, 2015, Sports Day. Eighty-six took part.
“It’s really fun. It’s a great place to bring your kids and your friends. It doesn’t take a lot of skill. I would compare it to Putt-Putt. Everybody at every age can play it,” said Staff Sgt. Derek Hite of the 19th Civil Engineer Squadron after a round of FootGolf at Deer Run.
Even ace soccer players may find FootGolf challenging.
“The only common things between soccer and FootGolf are the ball and you kick it. The golf course is not flat. You have to place the ball in the correct areas. Too much to the left or right and the ball can roll into the trees,” Carlton said.
“You also have to get the ball into the hole. The ball breaks, just like a golf ball does on the green. You have to judge the slope and speed to make the shot …. You have to be on target or end up in a hazard. You can’t move the ball from trees, bunkers or other areas. We have some holes with slopes that will send the ball 30 yards in the wrong direction,” he said.
Rules of the game and its etiquette follow those of golf. Dress according to the course’s requirements. Soccer cleats are not allowed. Neither is running between kicks (unless it’s a squadron activity), nor yelling.
Civilian and military courses schedule FootGolf in various ways, AFSVA’s Bowles said. Some offer FootGolf in a block of down time for traditional golf. Some have regular FootGolf tee times, and some courses offer only FootGolf events.
“There are a variety of ways to incorporate FootGolf into a course’s offerings,” he said.
Determining the course layout is the most time-consuming part of adding FootGolf to a golf course, Bowles said. “Once the course is determined, it is not hard to install or maintain,” he said.
For more information about FootGolf, visit the American FootGolf League’s website, www.footgolf.net or the U.S. Footgolf Association, www.usfootgolf.org. For more information about the Air Force Services Activity, visit www.MyAirForceLife.com.