Por Tori Hahn | Pasante SDCNN

A “chip shot” has taken on a new meaning at Sun Valley Golf Course in La Mesa. Golf has made way for its newest spinoff sport, footgolf, in which players use their feet to launch a soccer ball from tee to fairway to green.

The latest two-in-one sport combines the footwork of soccer with the precision of golf. Normal golf holes share the green with 21-inch footgolf holes, just as traditional golfers share the course with footgolfers.

“You’ll see a lot of dads playing golf and kids playing footgolf with them because the dads are old-school golfers and the kids are soccer players, so it’s a great way for families to play together,” said Ariel Fajerman, founder of FootGolf San Diego.

FootGolf San Diego is an organization that works with golf course operators and local companies to grow the sport in the San Diego region.

Sun Valley is currently the only golf course in East County to welcome footgolf. The course held its first-ever footgolf tournament on Saturday, Feb. 6, in which players of all ages and skill level showed up to take a shot at the new sport. The result: a lot of missed shots and laughter.

“We tried to set it up so anyone can come out here and play … to make it family-oriented and for all ages,” said Patrick Shannon, co-owner of Sun Valley Golf Course.

Fourteen-year-old John Cook comes down to Sun Valley often to play footgolf with his friends. Cook has played soccer for seven years and said the added practice of the sport helps improve his accuracy.

Cook played alongside his older brother, Ian Cook, who earned the title of national footgolf champion in October 2015. Ian Cook, a lifelong soccer player and member of FootGolf San Diego, competed in a two-day tournament and defeated 25 of the top footgolfers across the nation to win the trophy.

Ian Cook said he fell in love with the easy-to-learn sport right away and encourages everyone to try it.

“It’s good for all ages. That’s the really important part,” Ian Cook said. “It’s great for communities because it brings people together and takes them outside.”

Footgolf works similarly to a normal game of golf, except feet act as clubs, soccer balls replace golf balls and the holes are almost five times the size. Scores are counted with birdie, par and bogey, and players are still entitled to play the ball where it lies.

Like traditional golf, footgolfers are encouraged to abide by a particular dress code outlined by the United States FootGolf Association, though it may not always be enforced for casual play. The code includes a flat cap, collared shirt, golf pants or shorts, knee-length argyle socks and indoor soccer shoes. No cleats – or, surprisingly, soccer jerseys – are typically allowed on the course.

Footgolf serves as a cost-effective alternative to golf for both the players and course owners.

It provides a chance for lower-income individuals to get out on a golf course when they otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity, according to Fajerman. At Sun Valley, footgolfers can play one round of nine holes for $6 and two rounds for $10.

Meanwhile, in the wake of California’s devastating drought, small golf course owners were forced to figure out a way to save water and keep their courses afloat; and smaller and more relaxed courses like Sun Valley are perfect places to add footgolf, according to Fajerman.

Shannon made the decision to bring footgolf to the La Mesa course because of the decreasing popularity of golf at the youth level.

“The golf industry as a whole is suffering … We had to think of a way to bring in more revenue,” Shannon said. “At first I laughed hysterically at the idea [of adding footgolf] and thought it was preposterous, but then I eventually liked the idea.”

After seeing a dramatic increase in traffic to the course from the addition of frisbee golf almost eight years ago, eventually footgolf didn’t seem so crazy to Shannon.

Footgolf began popping up 10 years ago across Europe, and made its way to America five years ago, according to Fajerman. Today, there are more than 400 footgolf courses nationwide and six courses in San Diego County.

Although the “Tiger Woods era” of golf might be over, noted by Mary Jane Gonzales, wife of Sun Valley co-owner Johnny Gonzales, a new, light-hearted era of golf is emerging.

–Tori Hahn is an editorial intern for SDCNN, the parent company of the La Mesa Courier. Reach her at [email protected].