FootGolf latest craze to hit suburban links

The venue? A golf course. The equipment? A soccer ball. The sport? FootGolf.

A new combination of golf and soccer is popping up at suburban golf courses that want to stretch use of their facilities and attract new players.

Courses in Addison, Carpentersville, Geneva, Libertyville, Wheeling and Wood Dale are among 20 in the state that already offer the sport, and one course in Naperville is soon to begin FootGolf hours on some fall afternoons.

FootGolf gives soccer players, golfers and anyone who can kick the chance to experience a golf course in a new way and gain some mild exercise, said Carlos Stremi, founder of the Illinois FootGolf Association, which formed in October 2013.

"It follows 99 percent of the rules of golf, but instead of having a club and a little ball and many struggles, it's just kicking the ball forward and aiming toward a 21-inch cup," Stremi said about the sport, which uses a size 5 soccer ball.

"You can go out there and whack it and not really have a soccer background," he said. "Certain techniques in soccer will help or make a player more competitive, but the learning curve is very minimal."

The latest facility to join the FootGolf trend is Naperbrook Golf Course, where an Illinois FootGolf Association tournament will take place today. Open FootGolf tee times from 2 p.m. to close Sundays through Thursdays will begin the following day.

"We have seen a few other golf courses in the area include FootGolf successfully. It's a way to think outside the box and expand the use of our courses," Ed Provow, director of golf services for Naperville Park District, said in a news release.

Bonnie Dundee Golf Club in Carpentersville is one spot where FootGolf has had a few months to get established. Jim Opp, head golf professional and clubhouse manager, said as many as 40 people a day came this summer to try their hand - or foot - at soccer-infused golf on weekend afternoons.

"We had some downtime in the afternoons on Saturdays and Sundays where the utilization of the golf course wasn't up to our expectations. We were basically looking for something to fill that void," Opp said about the decision to begin offering FootGolf in May through Dundee Township Park District. "We figured it was worth a try."

At Studio 59 Golf in Libertyville, soccer players have taken to FootGolf as a way to practice passing accuracy on something other than a flat field of matted grass.

"They like the fact that it's different from just your basic, average soccer field," said Blair Subry, president and owner of Studio 59.

Subry's 9-hole course offers nine holes of FootGolf. But at most courses, Stremi said, 18 holes of FootGolf fit in the space taken by nine holes of traditional golf because kicking a soccer ball doesn't cover as much distance. FootGolf holes usually aren't installed on the green, where they would damage the surface, but elsewhere on the course.

"It's a sport taken out of any soccer player's dream," Stremi said. "You have some traditional golfers who are a little hesitant about what's going on in their own golf course that they always play, but most golfers, they want try it."

Playing a round of FootGolf during open tee times costs roughly between $10 and $20 depending on the venue, whether a player is an Illinois FootGolf Association member and whether he or she wants to rent a golf cart and a soccer ball or walk and bring a ball from home. Regular golfers still are able to play while FootGolf is going on, since the new sport takes up only the front nine or the back nine.

Suburban golf professionals are showing varying degrees of optimism about FootGolf's potential to revitalize the more traditional sport.

Subry said FootGolf is "really gaining momentum," but Opp's outlook was more cautious.

"It's something that you're going to have to give a little bit of a chance to catch on, and time will tell," Opp said.

"I'm hoping it's not just a passing fad."

FootGolf basics

It follows “99 percent of the rules of golf,” but here are some of the nuances of the game.

• An 18-hole FootGolf layout typically fits on nine holes of the golf course. FootGolf “holes” are 21 inches and are installed away from the regular greens.

• With FootGolf taking up only nine holes, traditional golfers still can play the other nine.

• In tournaments, FootGolfers play in foursomes, but for casual play, some courses will allow as many as six or eight to play in a group.

• Each player uses his or her own soccer ball; groups might keep a provisional ball handy in case one is lost in a pond or wooded area.

• Par for the typical FootGolf course is between 60 and 72. Low scores for each course will be tracked beginning next year, when FootGolf implements a handicap system.

• A player with soccer skills can kick a “drive” 60 yards on the fly, netting up to 100 yards on the roll.

• The best way to “putt” in FootGolf is tapping the soccer ball with the inside sole of the foot.

Source: Illinois FootGolf Association founder Carlos Stremi