What Is FootGolf?

The basic concept

A round of FootGolf follows the structure of golf almost exactly. Courses use tee boxes, fairways, bunkers, and hazards, and each hole has a designated par. Instead of a golf ball and clubs, players kick a size 5 soccer ball from the tee, continuing to kick from wherever it comes to rest until it drops into a hole 50 to 52 cm (about 20 inches) across (per the FIFG rulebook), nearly five times the diameter of a standard golf hole. You may also see it written as "football golf", "foot golf" or "soccer golf", which are informal names for the same sport.

Scoring works identically to golf: your score is the number of kicks it takes to complete a hole, and that number is compared to par using the same familiar terms: birdie, bogey, eagle, and so on.

Where FootGolf came from

Kicking a ball around a golf course wasn't a brand-new idea in 2008 (informal versions had popped up in a few countries earlier), but that year is generally treated as the sport's real starting point. Bas Korsten and Michael Jansen created the sport in the Netherlands in 2008, putting standardized rules, hole sizes, and scoring behind what had previously been a casual pastime. The first official tournament followed in September 2009, according to USA FootGolf. Our short history of FootGolf has the full timeline.

From there, growth was fast. Within a few years, national FootGolf associations had formed across Europe, and the sport crossed the Atlantic soon after, taking hold on courses across the United States.

How FootGolf is governed today

FootGolf has real organizational structure behind it, which is a big part of why it's treated as a legitimate sport rather than a novelty activity:

• Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG): the international governing body, responsible for the standardized rulebook and the FootGolf World Cup between national teams.
• American FootGolf League (AFGL): the US governing organization, which affiliates and approves FootGolf courses, sets a player code of conduct, and runs a season-long competitive tour.

Want the details on the AFGL specifically? Read our full breakdown of the league. Outside the US, national federations like the UK FootGolf Association and the FootGolf Association of Ireland play the same role. See our guide to FootGolf courses in the UK and Ireland.

FootGolf vs. golf: the short version

The course and scoring are nearly identical; the equipment and skill set are not. Golf tests swing mechanics and club selection across a bag of specialized clubs. FootGolf tests kicking technique and distance control with a single ball, which makes it dramatically cheaper and faster to learn. For a full side-by-side comparison, see FootGolf vs. Golf: What's Actually Different?

Why FootGolf keeps growing

FootGolf solves a real problem for golf courses: it opens up an existing asset (the course) to a completely new, lower-cost audience without competing for tee times in the same way. For players, it offers the outdoor, social, competitive experience of golf without the steep equipment cost or learning curve, which is why so many courses now run FootGolf alongside their traditional golf operations.