For more information about footgolf, contact Locus Hills Golf Club, 937-265-5152
Locust Hills Golf Club has brought a new sport to Clark County that is a combination of soccer and golf.
FootGolf recently kicked off at the club, and organizers hope it catches on so they can form leagues.
The game, which is growing in popularity nationwide, is played with a regulation No. 5 soccer ball that is kicked into a 21-inch diameter hole, said Jay Kitchen, Locust Hills’ co-owner.
The rules of the game are similar to golf as players try to kick the ball into the hole with the fewest kicks possible. Each kick is a shot.
“We have par 3s, 4s and 5s. Some of the holes range from 80 yards to about 240 yards,” Kitchen said.
Nationwide, the game is offered in 46 states on nearly 400 courses, according to the American FootGolf League.
Wes Stephens, an athletic trainer at Cedarville University, played FootGolf at Locus Hills at the club’s recent open house. Stephens, who plays soccer, said FootGolf is a fun and challenging sport that anyone of any age and ability can play.
“If you can kick a ball, you can play FootGolf,” Stephens said.
The game at Locust Hills is played on an 18-hole golf course. A player sets the soccer ball between two markers on a tee pad and there’s a flag by the hole just like golf and you kick the ball at the flag, Stephens, 35, said.
There are obstacles like trees and sand bunkers, so players must plan how they want to make the shot to avoid the obstacles.
“You don’t have to be a great soccer player to play because essentially everybody can kick,” Stephens said. “It’s very much like golf where you have a tee pad and you have a hole and your goal is to hit it into the hole with as few strokes as possible or kicks as possible.”
It costs $10 to play 18 holes. Players can rent a soccer ball for $3 or bring their own.
Stephens said FootGolf required less skill than soccer. He added that it’s a great family activity, too.
“It’s like golf, you play against yourself while you’re playing against everybody else at the same time. It’s very fun,” Stephens said.
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