FootGolf is the newest and most fun sport you’ve never heard of. Invented in the Netherlands in 2011, you may have already figured out the game combines two sports: Soccer and golf. FootGolf soon found its way to the states, where it is currently striking up a storm among the country’s youth, along with adults who love to stay active.
Since being brought to the U.S. and sanctioned under the American FootGolf League (AFGL), the sport has grown rapidly, says Team U.S.A. FootGolf World Cup Champion and New Jersey-native Sean McNamara.
“Over the past couple of years, we’ve gone from pretty much zero courses to close to 500 now throughout the country,” adds McNamara.
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Footgolf Comes to New Jersey
McNamara got his feet wet in October of 2014, quickly becoming a star in the early FootGolf scene. After winning his first tournament in Crystal Springs, he went on to compete in larger, world-wide tournaments. He quickly became a member of Team U.S.A., who recently defeated Argentina on their home turf in this year’s FootGolf World Cup Championship.
McNamara and his wife, Kim, in partnership with No Idea Sports, are currently taking their skills on the road for a tour of New Jersey’s various FootGolf courses. Specifically, on May 15, Mt. Freedom Golf in Randolph debuted its FootGolf course bright and early. The fun and challenging 9 hole course was designed by McNamara himself.
The object of the game, very similar to golf, is to kick a soccer ball into a large hole in as few attempts as possible. Though it sounds simple, the game can get complicated fast, especially on tougher terrain. Elements of golf and soccer are molded together fluently, making FootGolf the “best of both worlds.”
“[FootGolf] takes all the camaraderie and aspects from the game of soccer, where it’s just a jubilant, happy group of people that like to get together and have a good time. And once you get on the course, there’s all that golf etiquette, and people respect the game and get into the ‘golf’ of it and follow the rules of golf and the etiquette of golf and the traditions of golf, but then people make a great shot and that soccer atmosphere comes out, and there’s a little more excitement in it,” says McNamara.
Even if you’re not a fan of either sport, FootGolf welcomes all people to come out and try the game for themselves. While it is a great combination of two classic sports, it has become its own entity; it is a sport for both the fit individual and the not-so-athletic person. It’s not a physically exhausting sport for those who are not very athletic, and the unique environment dulls competitiveness and brings friends and families together.
Mt. Freedom Golf, which also offers miniature golf, pitch and putt, Frisbee Disc Golf, and driving ranges, now houses New Jersey’s newest FootGolf course. Sean and Kim McNamara will continue their tour of New Jersey’s other FootGolf courses this weekend. To learn more about McNamara, visit www.smcfootgolf.com.
All Photos: © Patrick Lombardi / Best of NJ
