[dropcap type=”circle”]S[/dropcap]ave the date! On March 19 Footgolf comes to Arrowe Park!
Footgolf?
Yes, footgolf, the sport which combines football and, you’ve guessed it, golf.
What sounds at first as weird as some human-alien hybrid has proved very popular abroad and at home but, until now, local players have had to journey to Liverpool and Cheshire to play a round.
Footfgolf players attempt to complete 9 or 18 holes of a golf course in as few shots as possible, with larger holes to accommodate footballs. Footgolf holes are shorter than traditional golf holes, at only around 100 yards long.
And soon Heswall Today readers will have the chance to show off their silky skills. The pitch and putt course at Arrowe Park will feature modified holes and tees that can be quickly converted to suit the new game.
New mats and tee markers are being fitted along with the larger footgolf holes, which will sit alongside traditional golf holes so that the sports can be played together.
At first glance the potential health and safety risk seems high. There you are, playing traditional golf and lining up a putt, when someone dives in with a two footed, off the deck challenge worthy of an instant red card.
That said, Heswall Today is confident common sense will prevail.
Cllr Chris Meaden, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture said: “Footgolf is an emerging sport that attracts all kinds of different people to use golf courses. We are very sensitive to the effect this will have on our municipal courses, and that is why we’ve researched how to implement this without any detriment to our fantastic facilities.”
Neil Price, Community Golf Coach for Wirral Council added: “We have taken advice from the UK Footgolf Association and from other councils who have brought in the sport, and hope eventually to have leagues, competitions and kids clubs playing footgolf in Wirral. This is a real growth sport and something we hope to attract a lot of Wirral people to try out.”
Arrowe Park’s Pitch and Putt course will be available for use for footgolf as well as pitch and putt from 8am to 3pm, Monday to Fridays, and 7am to 3pm at weekends until the end of March. From 27th March, the course moves onto Summer opening hours and will be open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 7am to 6pm at weekends.
To book your place, call 0151 606 2010, email arrowe@wirral.gov.uk or visit ukfootgolf.com. Prices range from £5 for an Adult or £3 for a Junior to play 9 holes, with special rates for families.
As a matter of urgency, Heswall Today has patented GolfFoot, a new sport for 22 players on a green rug who try to put a Subbuteo ball in a tiny net.
Watch this space!
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