Ian Waller and his family try out the new footgolf course at the top of Victoria Park in Bath
It was bound to get competitive. OK, no, none of us had ever played footgolf before, and similarly there wasn’t a single example of any golf or footballing prowess between the four of us. But that didn’t mean we weren’t each hoping to win…
Footgolf, as its name suggests, is a combination of football and golf, with participants looking to kick their football into big holes on a golf course in as few shots as possible. The good news is that a new course has recently opened up at the top of Victoria Park in Bath and with the sunny evenings demanding some outdoor fun at the end of working day, my family and I decided to give it a go.
After a very friendly welcome from Rhydian at reception, we were all given different coloured footballs, a score card and pencil, and that was it really… off we went. My 12 year old decided to start off, immediately kicking his football into the long grass at the side of the fairway, much to the amusement of us all watching on.
Which was immediately followed by us all doing exactly the same, followed by multiple efforts to get anywhere near the hole. Still, this immediately set a relative level in terms of lack of necessary skills and an acceptance that things could only get better. Just for the record, I managed ten shots on what should, apparently, have been a three shot hole.
Still, within a couple of holes, the scores were dropping, the skills were improving and we were having a really enjoyable evening out. Victoria Park is gorgeous place in any weather, but add in the summer sun and the gorgeous greens of trees creating a beautiful backing and it’s pretty unbeatable. Despite our lack of sporting skills, we were soon loving the footgolf, giving each other tips along the way, such as aiming for the long grass on the hills so that your ball does roll back towards you.
In fact, we even managed a few holes in just three kicks, which for us was enough for high fives and whoops of joy all around.
With just the nine holes to conquer, our family of four completed the course is around 40 minutes, with congratulations from Rhydian and ice creams and cold drinks all around from the course shop. It’s the sort of experience that is just perfect for a larger group of children or even a few oldies looking for giggle and tweaked hamstrings on the way into town.
Footgolf at Victoria Park Bath offers a great slice of family fun at from £6 per person. Apparently a new look par 3 golf course alongside the footgolf is due to open in the next couple of weeks. We’ll be back to give that a go too…
For more information and to book a tee time, go to www.futuregolfventures.com