'Footgolf' coming to Goldsboro
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on October 25, 2014 10:44 PM
Footgolf is coming to Goldsboro.
Communities in Schools of Wayne County is partnering with Goldsboro Parks and Recreation next month to host a fundraiser at the Goldsboro Municipal Golf Course -- one that will feature a version of golf played with a soccer ball.
"I was looking for a way to introduce a new event that could be, possibly, a bigger signature Communities in Schools kid-friendly event," CIS executive director Selena Bennett said.
Rick Atkins, golf director with the city of Goldsboro, called footgolf the next big thing to originate in California and make its way east.
There are already three courses in North Carolina that have installed a footgolf course -- including Keith Hills in Buies Creek, Greenville and Wilson.
"We'll have it by Nov. 1," Atkins said. "I think it's a great thing. And I have been a PGA member for a long time. It's not only for kids. It's for everybody. It's for adults that want to get out and do something different."
The sport is played, essentially, the same as a regular game of golf -- but with a soccer ball and larger hole targets.
And instead of taking four hours to play 18 holes, it typically only takes half that time.
The cost to install it at the local golf course, which is adjacent to Goldsboro Country Club, is $3,300, plus maintenance, Atkins said -- and the course would not interfere with the current one.
"We're using the areas that are not on the greens as footgolf holes," he said. "We actually play around the greens."
Matt Hisler, head women's soccer coach at the University of Mount Olive, had his first experience with footgolf about seven or eight years ago in Sweden, he said.
"In 2008, I actually saw my first footgolf course," he said. "Playing soccer golf, as we called it, is something we did as practice, just for work, to work on their accuracy. To see it organized this way, I think it's fantastic.
"In some aspects, it's a bit simpler than golf. It's a simpler skill to pick up. I think this is something that will be embraced widely."
Unlike soccer, where it matters how far and how hard the person can kick the bill, the skill of being more deliberate is one to work on, Hisler said.
The fundraising option will not only benefit Communities in Schools, but will provide a good way for families to spend time together, the organizers said.
Wayne County's first-ever footgolf event will begin Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. with a demonstration by UMO soccer players.
The cost is $10 per person, with registration from 2 to 3 p.m., and the first 50 who register will get a free jersey.
For more information about the event, contact Mrs. Bennett at 919-735-1432.