FootGolf Courses Kick Off in Plymouth and Bellaire

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FootGolf, a sport where players kick a soccer ball into a hole using as few kicks as possible, is making its way to Michigan this spring with the opening of the state’s first two accredited courses — Fox Hills Golf Course in Plymouth Township and Shanty Creek Resort in Bellaire.

“There are a lot of soccer and golf players in Michigan,” says Julia Grelak, a spokeswoman for Fox Hills Golf Course. “We want to marry the two and bring in a lot of different people to the golf course.”

Since 2011, the American FootGolf League, a member of the Federation for International FootGolf, has worked with courses to organize tournaments to promote and develop the sport. Fox Hills, for instance, will host a tournament on May 10, Grelak says.

To prepare for the tournament, Fox Hills will add 21-inch holes near the greens of its Par-3 Strategic Fox course given the holes are shorter in length and more reasonable for a game that requires kicking a soccer ball. Fox Hills also offers the 27-hole Fox Classic and 18-hole Golden Fox for golf.

The FootGolf course at Shanty Creek will be located within an existing golf course, which will be open whenever weather allows, says Chris Hale, vice president of the resort. In addition, Shanty Creek plans to promote FootGolf as a teambuilding activity for businesses and organizations.

The American FootGolf League has established and accredited nearly 90 FootGolf courses throughout North America to date. As to why Michigan seems so far behind California, which claims 18 courses, Gerlak says trends tend to spread from the west coast, and the national league is relatively new.

For more information about the FootGolf kick-off tournament at Fox Hills Golf Course, call 734-453-7272 or visit foxhills.com.