Shoot for par with your feet
With the English Premier League season underway, it’s a perfect time to get into the spirit of The Beautiful Game with a round of FootGolf (aka Footy Golf or Soccer Golf) at Olde Homestead’s nine hole course — located at 6598 Route 309 in New Tripoli.
The picturesque grounds — a 1,118-yard, par-29 FootGolf layout at the club’s nine-hole short course — allows FootGolfers and traditional golfers to play among each other. FootGolfers play from different tees and to 21-inch cups on separate greens. A nine-hole round takes about an hour to play with a group of four. The Olde Homestead course has entertained footballers since 2014.
How do you play and what are the rules? Well, the game is played just as it sounds, FootGolf combines soccer and golf into a game using your foot skills, but it is played on the golf course. Drive (think directional goal kick), chip (finessed mid-range direct or corner kick) and putt (like a neat finish or short pass) the soccer ball into the oversized cup with your feet.
The cup is about two-and-a-half soccer balls in diameter. Big enough, for sure, but a challenge when you’re lining up even a short “gimme” putt.
The American FootGolf League has compiled a list of rules governing play. You use a regulation No. 5 soccer ball. No soccer cleats are allowed. Turf or indoor soccer flats do nicely. Athletic shoes may even work, but the shape/design can be limiting.
The ball must be played in a single move. No pushing the ball with the top or bottom of the foot.
And naturally, you can’t stop the ball from rolling down a hill or with the wind. You must play it as it rests and lies.
Info and tee times: oldehomesteadgolfclub.com 610-298-4653