FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Fort Carson community members will soon have a chance to get in on perhaps the hottest trend in recreational sports.
Cheyenne Shadows Golf Club staffers are bringing footgolf to the Mountain Post.
Since 2013, footgolf has been sweeping the nation. According to the Guardian newspaper, only 30 golf courses offered footgolf just two years ago. Today, the American Footgolf League (AFGL) says the sport is played at more than 370 courses nationwide.
Footgolf combines soccer and golf into one activity. It's played much like traditional golf. Players start each hole from a tee box and try to get their ball onto a green and into a hole hundreds of yards away in as few shots as possible. The biggest difference is instead of striking a ball with a club, players kick a No. 5 regulation size soccer ball. The actual holes are larger, too -- 21 inches in diameter, which may look as large as the Grand Canyon for traditional golfers, but seems appropriate given the size of a soccer ball.
"While we were considering adding the sport last fall, we learned it takes roughly the same amount of time for footgolfers to play 18 holes as it does for traditional golfers to play nine. So that works out with managing our tee times and so forth," said Jon Husby, interim assistant manager at Cheyenne Shadows and future head professional.
Husby and Frank Jacobson, business division chief, Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, considered and ultimately decided to add footgolf during discussions about future offerings at Cheyenne Shadows last fall.
"Anyone can kick a soccer ball and the sport is pretty well established," Husby said. "Plus, the AFGL requires that it be played on an existing golf course. So, it turned out to be perfect for us."
Development of the footgolf course proved simple and easy, requiring no alterations to the
original course design at Cheyenne Shadows.
Just like traditional golfers, footgolfers start at the No. 1 tee box and attempt to boot their tee shot down the fairway. The footgolf greens will be just off the fairway, either left or right, depending on the hole, are marked by a flag and include the giant 21-inch cup.
"We'll mow the rough down to fairway height, to create the footgolf 'green,'" Husby said. "Once players knock their putts in, they'll tee off on their next hole at a tee box nearby."
But hold on a minute.
With all these footgolfers kicking soccer balls every which way and teeing off from traditional tee boxes, aren't they putting themselves in harm's way? And won't this new thing ruin the serene setting that traditional golfers love?
Nope, says Husby.
"First of all, footgolf will only be offered after (3 p.m.)," he said. "Most of our traditional golfers like to play in the morning. At that time, we'll have the footgolf holes covered and they'll hardly be noticeable. "Then about 3 o'clock we'll uncover the footgolf holes and begin letting groups tee off in an alternate format. We'll have a traditional foursome tee off, then a few minutes later a footgolf foursome can tee off … and so on."
So even if this footgolf won't bother traditional golfers, why mess with a good thing? Why must golfers put up with something new and trendy?
For many golf courses that have added the sport, it's all about enhancing revenue and growing the game of traditional golf. Those reasons fit Cheyenne Shadows as well.
"We know there are a lot of Families on post and we've been trying to generate ideas to make the course more Family friendly," Husby said. "We're hoping to see a lot of kids come out and try footgolf, where they'll learn the rules, be exposed to the course and hopefully develop an interest in the traditional game."
Staffers even imagine scenarios where mom and dad can play traditional golf while their kids play footgolf in the same foursome. The multisport offerings should also generate options for Army unit competitions.
"One of the best parts about being a golf professional is that we get to share our passion with our customers," said Keith Stillwell, Cheyenne Shadows' former head golf professional, who will take over as the course's business manager later this month. "We feel like footgolf is a great way to expose people to the game of golf without some of the barriers that new golfers face while starting to play traditional golf. Of course, golf will continue to be our primary focus for the team at Cheyenne Shadows, but we look forward to seeing new faces enjoying everything we have to offer."
The golf course is also planning a grand opening for footgolf in early May. Husby has invited the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs men's soccer team and a Pride Soccer youth team to the event. The teams will put on a clinic and play footgolf with interested players.
Social Sharing