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The Swedish Golf Federation welcomes footgolf as a new discipline

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The Swedish golf family is broadened when footgolf – a hybrid between soccer and golf – becomes an official sport within the Swedish Golf Federation.

As the first golf association in the world, the Swedish Golf Federation (SGF) has decided to include footgolf as a discipline within its organisation. In footgolf, the objective is to kick a ball from tee to hole in as few kicks as possible. The game follows many of the common rules of golf, but with a size 5 football and a bigger hole.

– We are extremely excited to expand our organisation with the growing game of footgolf. It creates a new way into the game of golf which can be promoted in new places and to entirely new audiences. In addition, footgolf provides a great opportunity for golf clubs to expand their offer and increase their income, said SGF's Deputy General Secretary Bo Bengtsson.

– There are natural synergies between footgolf and the regular activities on a golf course, as footgolf with few modifications can be played on the existing golf course and be practiced by individuals who have no prior knowledge of the game. Footgolf can also easily be combined with our Golf Adventure training concept with three types of short range courses, average 30, 50 and 100 meters, for children, continues Bo Bengtsson.

SGF has applied to and received membership in the Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG), where now 36 countries are represented. SGF thereby takes national responsibility for the game of footgolf in Sweden and will work towards broadening the sport by encouraging existing golf clubs to build footgolf courses, promoting arrangements of national competitions and providing information and guidelines for the sport.

– As a footgolfer and course designer I am thrilled that the Swedish Golf Federation as the first golf association in the world has decided to include footgolf, says Tommy Svensson, one of the initiators of the sport in Sweden. Everyone knows how to kick a football and the simple concept of the game makes footgolf well positioned to become both popular and widespread. There is a fast growing international interest and I look forward to further develop the sport in Sweden with SGF as a strong organisation behind it.


For images in high resolution, please visit:
https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/sgf/search?query=footgolf&type_of_media=images


For more information, please contact:

Bo Bengtsson, Deputy General Secretary, Swedish Golf Federation
Phone: +46 8 622 15 59, email: bo.bengtsson@golf.se

Susanne Persson, Communications Manager, Swedish Golf Federation
Phone: +46 70 969 46 06, email: susanne.persson@golf.se

Tommy Svensson, course designer and Swedish footgolf enthusiast
Phone: +46 733 32 33 00, email: tommy.svensson@t2flag.com


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About footgolf

The game of footgolf consists of kicking a football from tee to hole in as few kicks as possible. The game follows many of the rules of golf but with a larger ball (a size 5 soccer ball) and a larger hole. Water hazards and out-of-bounds are common obstacles and penalty strokes and dropping the ball are similar to golf rules. Footgolf can be played on courses exclusively designed for footgolf, but also on traditional golf courses.

Footgolf is coordinated internationally by the Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG) which has established global rules and guidelines for the game. A FIFG footgolf course generally consists of 9 or 18 holes between 50 and 200 meters in par 3 to par 5 and a hole size of 53 cm in diameter.

Footgolf is a relatively young sport, and the first official competition under the FIFG standard took place in 2008. The first world championship was held in 2012. Internationally the sport is growing steadily, and at the same time the connection to traditional golf grows stronger. For example, the PGA of America has started to market footgolf as an entryway to golf, and the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) are collaborating with American Foot Golf League (AFGL) to set up courses.

In Sweden the game of footgolf has so far been driven by enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, and there are currently about 30 dedicated facilities. A few golf clubs have also built footgolf courses on or in close proximity to the golf course. More information at:

Tags:

Swedish Golf Federation football golf footballgolf footgolf fifg

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