The growing sport of FootGolf is coming to a golf course near you. The City of Murfreesboro Golf Department will kick off the new style of golf this weekend at its nine-hole executive walking course on property leased from the Department of Veterans Affairs, 3400 Lebanon Rd. in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The 9-hole FootGolf will be played on the existing nine-hole course on a first come first serve basis at a cost of $5.00. Soccer balls are available to rent for $3.00 a day unlimited play.

“FootGolf is a fun sport that virtually everyone who can kick a soccer ball can play,” said City Director of Golf Tracy Wilkins. “We hope the expanding sport of FootGolf catches on in Murfreesboro as it has elsewhere with the same excitement and enthusiasm that has 30 countries around the world playing it.”    

The sport of FootGolf is played in the traditional format of up to four players per group with FootGolfers either walking the course or using golf carts. Each player uses a standard size #5 soccer ball and takes turns kicking through a golf course, aiming for a FootGolf hole that is 21 inches in diameter. FootGolf uses golf’s basic model with tee boxes, greens, bunkers, fairways and hazards.

Most rules of FootGolf correspond with the rules of golf. The player who plays the nine or 18 holes with the fewest shots wins. While the origins of FootGolf are not clear, it’s believed that enthusiasts began playing the game in 2008.

The first nine-hole FootGolf tournament on a golf course and played as the sport known today, was organized in the Netherlands in 2009. The American FootGolf League (AFGL) was established in the U.S. in 2011.  For more information on The Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG), which governs FootGolf globally, visit http://www.footgolfer.com.

The Murfreesboro Golf Department is partnering with the Murfreesboro Soccer Club to develop FootGolf tournaments in Murfreesboro and build enthusiasm for the growing sport. 

“We already have a huge support base for soccer in Murfreesboro,” added Wilkins. “This new opportunity for FootGolf can be enjoyed by young and old alike and provides yet another opportunity for recreation in our city.”

The Veterans Administration Golf Course is only the second course to establish FootGolf in

Tennessee. The sport debuted at Smyrna Golf Course on April 1, 2014. The Veterans Golf

Course in Murfreesboro is a public course which opened in 1950 and has a standard walking rate of $7.00 for juniors 17 and under and seniors 55 and over. All others pay $8.00 to walk nine holes to play regular golf. The 9-hole round of FootGolf will cost of $5.00 with soccer balls available to rent for $3.00 a day unlimited play.

The Murfreesboro Golf Department, along with the Wadsworth Foundation and First Tee, recently held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for the new six-hole Bloomfield Links training course at Old Fort Park to provide a stepping stone for junior golfers and beginners to learn the game of golf. FootGolf is another City of Murfreesboro initiative to expand opportunities for sport and exercise.

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For more information, please contact the Golf Department at 615-896-2448.