NEWS FROM STONEHEDGE GOLF COURSE
May 1, 2014
Contact: Shawn Bendig / (860)324-6497 / [email protected]
FootGolf Makes Vermont Debut at Stonehedge Golf Course
FootGolf, which combines the popular sports of soccer and golf, will make its Vermont debut at Stonehedge Golf Course in North Clarendon, VT. Stonehedge recently received accreditation from the American FootGolf League (AFGL) and will become the first sanctioned FootGolf course in the state of Vermont (and only the second such course in the New England region). Local soccer players are invited to join enthusiasts from Vermont and the surrounding New England states in an entertaining, golf-like sport where athletes use soccer balls on a traditional golf course with 21-inch diameter cups.
“We’re extremely excited to bring the new sport of FootGolf to Stonehedge and be the first FootGolf operation in Vermont,” explained Shawn Bendig, an owner at Stonehedge and long-time soccer enthusiast. “It’s a perfect fit for our facility and we think it is going to be a real hit! If all goes according to plan, our new 9-hole FootGolf course will be operational in June 2014 and be incorporated directly into our existing golf layout with separate hole locations setup specifically for FootGolf. We remain a golf course, first and foremost, and our plans are to integrate the two sports slowly, but the hope is to eventually have FootGolfers playing in regular rotation with our traditional golfing clientele. I’m confident that Stonehedge golf customers will openly embrace this new game and the FootGolf community as well.”
FootGolf is governed by the Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG) and was originally limited to South American and Europe. The sport was more recently introduced to the United States over the past 2-3 years with popularity growing in parallel with the nationwide rise in interest for the game of soccer. The game uses golf’s basic model including tee boxes, greens, and 9-to-18 holes of play. Scorecards display par scores for each hole as in regular golf and the game itself follows rules that largely correspond to that of traditional golf – with the goal of getting your ball, in this case a soccer ball, into the FootGolf hole in as few kicks/strokes as possible.
“As a former soccer player and current youth soccer coach, I am fascinated by the combination of the two sports. No referees and definitely no flopping – it’s the precision and elegance of golf combined with the energy and passion of soccer. And with the World Cup being hosted in Brazil this summer, I see FootGolf as a great way to further celebrate the game of soccer.”
The sport is played in the traditional format of up to four players per group with FootGolfers either walking the course or using golf carts. Holes are roughly half the distance of a regular golf hole. While a soccer ball doesn’t travel as far in the air as a golf ball, it will roll much farther in the fairways.
"The AFGL is very excited to see FootGolf spread to Vermont and the New England area. As this sport grows across the US we have many players looking for courses close to where they live. When we received the call from Shawn and Stonehedge Golf Course we knew that they had the right vision to introduce FootGolf to players in Vermont. It is always a good day when we get to add a new course to the map, but with Stonehedge we also got to add a new state, which makes us that much closer to our vision of having at least two courses in each of the 50 states." Laura Balestrini, President American FootGolf League.
To officially kickoff its FootGolf operation, Stonehedge will be conducting an Open House event in June 2014 that is free to the public and will allow interested FootGolfers to see demonstrations of the game, tour the course and even play a round of FootGolf as well. Event dates and updates will be posted on the Stonehedge website (www.stonehedgegolf.com).
For more information about Stonehedge FootGolf, visit www.stonehedgegolf.com or call Shawn Bendig at (860)324-6497.