3/5/2014 8:03 AM
The Sierra Nevada GCSA held its annual GrassRoots event two days ago at Cherry Island GC in Sacramento. The GrassRoots is an annual event when annual awards are handed out and we hold it at a club that is willing to help keep costs down in order that a Golf Course Superintendent can afford to bring a couple guys off his crew to the meeting. Vendor sponsorships also help keep costs down, enough that some Supers brought several guys from their crew.
Cherry Island's front 9 is set up for golf golf and foot golf. On the front 9 golf golf course there are 18 foot golf holes. The back 9 is golf golf only.
Our members and their guests had the option of playing golf golf or foot golf. I didn't take a count, but if we had 60 total, then maybe 1/3 to 1/2 played foot golf. I played golf golf, but so poorly that I should have played foot golf. I almost holed out a drive on a par four, putting my drive within a couple feet of the hole, unfortunately it was a foot golf cup. No way I would have missed that putt since the cup is nearly 3 feet in diameter.
Foot golf tee markers were a different color and set in an area that you would not confuse them with golf golf tees. Flagsticks in the "greens" were also color-coded differently than golf golf sticks, but to someone who has never played either game at the course it could be a little confusing standing 170 yards out in the fairway as to which green is yours.
The low gross foot golfer, with a score of 68, said he had never in his life even kicked a soccer ball. Some of the foot golfers actually took golf carts, and that was kind of funny watching them drive about 12 yards to a poorly kicked shot, get out of their cart briefly, then do it again. Not too dissmilar I guess to some golf golf golfers, actually. They pretty much played ready foot golf.
All you need is a soccer ball to play, but apparently in the foot golf world many take carts.....to carry their beer.
I thought that they should be required to wear knee high colored socks and shin guards, but no, most showed up looking like golf golfers. Brightly colored satin striped and checked shirts? No, but they would have blended in with some of the golf golfers if they had. Most actually used their hands to carry the ball to the next hole, probably upsetting a few soccer purists.
All in all it was a fun day for everyone. I could see going back and playing foot golf, but more for the novelty of it all. I have a pair of knee high fluorescent orange socks I don't know what to do with.