Squamish residents will soon get a chance to work on their soccer skills on the links.
The relatively new sport of footgolf is set to debut at the Garibaldi Springs Golf Course on Saturday (July 19) and owner Doug Day said he鈥檚 excited to bring the activity to Squamish.
鈥淭here鈥檚 1,200 young people involved in amateur soccer in 麻豆社国产and maybe 10 young people involved in golf,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think the kids will just love it.鈥�
The sport is a combination of soccer and golf and involves players kicking a soccer ball towards a net on the green in as few shots as possible. The very first nine-hole footgolf course was established in the Netherlands in 2009 and the first World Cup for the sport was played in Hungary聽in 2012.聽
Day said that the course provides balls for all users, and players of all ages are invited to try the game out.
鈥淢ost golf course managers would have apoplexy if they saw kids running around,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I think for any kid out there this is a great way to practice, because sometimes it can be hard just to get field time. This should be great for Squamish.鈥�
He said his wife Danielle Alie and Executive Suites Hotel and Resort manager Jared Sissons each contacted him about the idea and Day said this will be a unique attraction for Squamish. There are only three officially santioned footgolf courses in BC, with the closest one being located at Coyote Creek in Surrey. There are also courses in BC in Penticton and Kamloops.
Players tee off in the same area that golfers do, with the 鈥渉ole鈥� being a small 18-inch wide basket located nearby the golf hole. Footgolf players get their own flag and there are a total of nine holes on the course.聽
Regular golf players can play with footgolf players and Day said there is no conflict amongst the two groups.聽
The grand opening of the course occurs on Saturday and footgolf is free the entire day for all players.聽 For more information on the sport in Canada, visit www.footgolf.ca.
