There’s a new sport gaining popularity in the Kootenays, and it’s kind of like golf.
And no, it’s not disc golf. It’s played on the ground rather than tossed through the air.
Mission Hills Golf Course, near Cranbrook, has opened the region’s very first foot golf course — a sport that combines the best of golf and soccer. The objective is to try and kick a soccer ball into a hole in the fewest amount of shots.
“The course is hilly and it’s got lots of trees on it. It’s got the distance and the undulating fairways and sand traps. It makes for a really tricky game because the ball can just roll and roll if you’re not strategically shooting in the right direction,” said course owner Chris Carrier. “It seems like everybody who’s played has pleasantly enjoyed themselves.”
The green is set up like a typical course, with nine soccer-sized holes, par 28. Carrier said part of the new space was built on an old section of the golf course that had been closed for many years.
The new sport has gained a fair bit of popularity with locals of all ages, from young children to seniors. They’ve had teams play rounds at the course, and they’ve hosted birthday parties and welcomed a few out-of-town visitors.
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Carrier said out of the hundreds of people who’ve played so far, they’ve already had seven holes-in-one.
“We’ve got a lot of people who don’t play golf, but love soccer, so we’re attracting a brand new group out to the golf course,” he said. “We’ve got some youth and young adults that will play a round of par three golf and then they’ll finish up by going to the foot golf course, so they’ll get two golfs in one day.”
Carrier and his wife, Kimberly, came up with the idea for foot golf while kicking around a soccer ball at the course. It wasn’t until they began researching the design, that they realized the sport is popular in other areas of the world and that there’s already a few dozen courses in Canada, mainly in Ontario. Carrier said this sold them on the idea of offering it locally.
Now they’re the first to introduce the sport to the Kootenays.
The course already has a mascot (a cheerful fox) and the area is affectionately nicknamed “the den”, inspired by a resident fox that lives in the area that has been spotted by golfers on numerous occasions. Carrier said they may give the public an opportunity to name the friendly critter.
Carrier said the plan is to keep the course open to the public well into the fall, and possibly even the winter.
“We’re pretty excited to have the Kootenays first foot golf course. It’s been well-received,” he said.
Learn more at missionhillsgolf.ca
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