FootGolf: Game that combines golf and soccer is taking off in Northwest and nationally

For those who thought that FootGolf was just a passing fad, think again. This is a game that started a few years ago and has caught fire. Just checking out the number of courses which have created FootGolf courses, setting up league and promoting themselves as a FootGolf course.

FootGolf is a game that combines soccer and golf. The holes are shorter and the cups are larger. And this is a game that can be played by anyone, soccer player or golfer.

Around the Pacific Northwest, FootGolf can be found just about anywhere. In Washington FootGolf places can be found up and down the I-5 corridor at places like Jefferson Park, Semiahmoo Resort and Foster Golf Links. In Oregon, the Resort at the Mountain has a course and Glendoveer has a course set up in addition to its pair of 18-hole courses.

This is a sport that is here to stay.

There is even a national organization as well as an international group that has created leagues and rules for the game. The Federation for International FootGolf and the American FootGolf League are the governing bodies.

This is serious stuff.

The Pacific Northwest golf courses all have information about FootGolf on their websites and have rolled out the welcome mats for returning and new players.

“We get all kind of different players,” said Warren Orr, the General Manager at Foster Golf Links in Tukwila, Wash. “It can be a group of friends or family. it’s becoming a serious game for some of the people playing.”

The game is still new, having been developed in 2005. The first nine-hole FootGolf tournament was played in 2008 in the Netherlands. The game started by being played in parks but recently moved to golf courses.

FootGolf has saved many struggling golf courses since its inception. One course in the U.S. has FootGolf holes running side by side with its regular golf holes so both can be played at the same time.

Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland has done over 6,000 rounds of FootGolf in two years,. The course does FootGolf one day a week during the winter and two days a week in the summer. The demographic has drawn people to Glendoveer that might now normally see the course, said General Manager Kevin Niessner.

Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine also has FootGolf and kicked off the season in late May with a 60-player tournament.

FootGolf in the Northwest
Here are some places in Oregon and Washington to try FootGolf:

• Washington
Jefferson Park, Crossroads, Fort Steilacoom, Columbia Park, Gold Mountain, Lake Padden, Sudden Valley, Foster, Meadow Park, Newaukum, Suncadia, Semiahmoo Resort, Airport Golf, High Cedars, Three Lakes.
• Oregon
Resort at the Mountain, Colwood Golf Center, Glendoveer, Meriwether, McNary, Mallard Creek, Stewart Park, Oak Knoll.