Golf and football are two of the most popular sports around. But to play both sports at the same time, you need to play FootGolf.
FootGolf follows the same objective as golf; that is to take as few strokes (or kicks) as possible to get the ball from a starting point into the hole. A FootGolf course follows the same 18 hole format with par thee, four and five holes.
The rules also generally follow golf with penalties for out of bounds, hazards and the like. Basically the standard sized football is placed behind the tee markers (not on a raised tee) then kicked as near as possible to a purpose made green and then kicked again from where it comes to rest until being holed. The hole has a large diameter, 50 – 53 cm and a depth of 30-40 cm.
This is a relatively new sport with the first FootGolf World Cup was played in Budapest, Hungary in June 2012. In the UK last year there were an estimated 30,000 FootGolf players a week spread out over 200 courses. There’s also an official rule book produced by the Federation for International FootGolf (see www.fifg.org). If you want to get serious, the next FootGolf World Cup is in Marrakesh in December this year. Originating in the Netherland, member countries of the FootGolf Federation now include Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Holland, Norway, Panama, Puerto Rico, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom and the USA. In Thailand we’ve seen evidence of FootGolf being played in Phuket and Koh Samui but generally as a novelty in amusement parks.
With his interest in football, Khun Park Maneepairoj, the Club Manager at Sawang Resort Golf Club, decided to bring upgrade footgolf to Thailand and the Sawang FootGolf Club was established in September 2017. While golf is still the main attraction at Sawang, footgolf has emerged as an extremely fun activity on course. Sawang is often a favourite of golfers from Cha-Am, around an hour’s drive north from that location. FootGolf is a great way to get some fun exercise (although you can take a cart) in a scenic family-friendly environment away from amusement parks. It’s a great activity for footballers to practice kicking skills or for social, family or corporate groups looking for an activity that everyone can enjoy. See more information about FootGolf at Sawang by visiting www.sawangfootgolf.com
