First played in The Netherlands in 2009, Footgolf is a combination of soccer and golf and Cardinia Beaconhills Golf Links is pioneering the sport in Victoria, planning to introduce it as a regular weekly fixture in late October.

Club Manager Fiza Errington explains “Footgolf is very popular in Europe and is played with a soccer ball from a designated kick off area. The ball is kicked until it drops into a big hole with a normal sized flagstick, just like in golf. The FootGolf hole will be set on the side of the fairway in the rough, so it won’t affect our golfers.”

Cardinia Beaconhills plans to set the giant 46 cm FootGolf cups about halfway from tee to green on each hole. This allows a Footgolf round to be played much faster than a typical game of golf. The Club aims to take advantage of its 27-hole course by offering FootGolf competitions open to green fee players, simultaneously with golf competitions. “Because we have 27 holes we can play around with it, and one nine will be dedicated to FootGolf,” Fiza reveals. “On weekends, we will have an allocated time for the FootGolf players to go out.”

“It will definitely appeal to a younger generation,” Fiza says. “With FootGolf, they’ll come into the sport, get exposed to the elements of golf and golf course culture, and hopefully in the future they’ll pick up golf as a sport.”

The club will officially launch its involvement in FootGolf on 23 November, during PlayGolf Week, a national event aimed at boosting golf participation.

“Not only is it a secondary stream of income for small clubs like ours but it’s a great way for the younger people to come in,” Fiza says. “Just like golfers pay a green fee, anyone can come and play FootGolf. If it becomes popular, we will consider introducing a combination of FootGolf with golf memberships.”

According to Australia’s governing body, FootGolf Australia, there are only two clubs currently staging official FootGolf events – Wembley Golf Club in WA and Colonial Golf Course in NSW. “FootGolf Australia hopes to run comps in every state if this game kicks off,” Fiza says.

For more information about FootGolf follow the link on the Cardinia Beaconhills website http://www.beaconhillsgolf.com.au/

FootGolf Game Fees:
$10 for 9 holes
** Prices correct at time of publication **