With the number of golfers teeing it up decreasing, Eaglequest Coyote Creek is promoting a non-traditional sport to lure people back to the green.
FootGolf is now offered at the Guildford course, an 18-hole sport that sees participants kicking a soccer ball as opposed to swinging a club.
“We’re excited, we have received lots of positive feed back from a lot of people who are playing,” said Coyote Creek spokesperson Janette Richardson.
“The first (FootGolf) course to do this was in Salmon Arm, we’re the second.”
Currently there are just three courses in B.C. offering FootGolf through the Canadian FootGolf Association. And more are expected as fewer people take up traditional golf.
“Golf numbers are declining,” said Richardson. “It’s down seven to 10 per cent all over. We’re just guessing, but we think the younger generation is getting caught up in video games and don’t get out as much as they used to.”
Coyote Creek, located on 152 Street near 77 Avenue, launched FootGolf last week and has received plenty of response.
“There’s positive feedback, and there’s the negative,” said Richardson. “There are some people who think we’re taking away from golf, the traditional game.”
But there are many who enjoy the newer sport. It costs just $15 to play a round. At the official opening, roughly 100 people registered to play, and several businesses have inquired about hosting a company FootGolf tournament.
“It takes just two hours to do 18 holes,” said Richardson. “You just aim for the big pots, marked by the yellow flags.”