A powerful football kick can send a ball more than 50 metres down a fairway, but that does not automatically make someone a good FootGolf player.
The real challenge begins with the next question: where should the ball actually land?
FootGolf combines the kicking technique of football with the strategic thinking of golf. Players use a regulation size 5 football and attempt to complete each hole in as few kicks as possible.
Courses commonly feature nine or 18 holes, with different par values and obstacles such as bunkers, water hazards, rough areas, and out-of-bounds zones.
That simple format creates a surprisingly tactical sport.
Football skills provide power, passing accuracy, curve, and touch. Golf-style thinking determines when to attack, when to play conservatively, where to place the ball, and how to avoid expensive mistakes.
Understanding that combination explains why an excellent footballer can struggle during a first round – and why a thoughtful player with less power can still produce a much better score.
FootGolf Uses Football Technique Inside a Golf Scoring System
The basic objective of FootGolf follows golf very closely: complete every hole using the fewest possible kicks.
According to the Federation for International FootGolf, official courses normally contain nine or 18 holes, with holes assigned par values from three to five. Stroke play and match play are both recognized competitive formats.
What changes is the equipment.
Instead of clubs and a golf ball, players use a regulation size 5 football. FIFG rules specify a circumference of 68-70 centimetres and a weight between 400 and 500 grams.
That immediately gives football players a familiar starting point.
A long tee kick resembles a driven pass. A controlled approach requires weight and direction similar to passing into space. Near the hole, powerful striking becomes much less useful than gentle touch.
The scoring philosophy, however, belongs to golf.
A player must think about the entire hole before making the first kick rather than simply trying to hit the ball as far as possible.
Long Kicks Need Accuracy, Not Just Power
Footballers are used to striking a ball hard, but FootGolf rewards useful distance rather than maximum distance.
Imagine a par-four hole where the fairway bends around a water hazard.
One player launches the ball as hard as possible and reaches an impressive distance, but the ball finishes close to the water with a poor angle for the next shot. Another player deliberately kicks 15 metres shorter and leaves the ball in the center of the fairway.
The second player may now have the easier route to the hole.
That is where football accuracey becomes more important than pure power.
Long kicks still matter because they reduce the remaining distance. But elite players need to control trajectory, direction, and rollout as well.
A good FootGolf drive is not simply a long football kick.
It is a kick that prepares the next kick.
Course Management Comes Directly From Golf Strategy
The biggest mental adjustment for new players is learning to think several shots ahead.
Golfers call this course management, and the same principle applies to FootGolf.
Before kicking, a player should consider the location of bunkers, water, rough, out-of-bounds lines, slopes, and the best angle into the green zone. FIFG rules formally recognize these course features, including penalty areas, bunkers, fairways, green zones, and out-of-bounds boundaries.
Suppose the direct route to the hole requires a difficult kick across water.
A confident player may attack.
But if missing the target leads to a penalty, a safer two-kick route around the hazard could produce a lower average score over an entire tournament.
This is classic golf stratgey.
The smartest decision is not always the most exciting one. Competitive players think in probabilities: What happens if this works, and what happens if it fails?
Over 18 holes, avoiding one or two major mistakes can matter more than producing one spectacular kick.
Bunkers and Water Hazards Change Kicking Technique
Course obstacles do more than punish inaccurate kicks. They can force players to change technique.
Under current FIFG rules, a player whose ball remains inside a designated penalty area may sometimes play it from where it lies. However, a special hazard kick must be used: the non-kicking foot is planted beside the ball and the player cannot use a normal running approach.
That dramatically reduces power.
The same basic issue appears in bunkers. A football sitting in sand behaves differently from one resting on a closely cut fairway.
Players therefore need to think before sending the ball toward danger.
A long kick that finishes inside a hazard may leave an awkward recovery even when no additional penalty stroke is required.
The better tactic can be positioning the ball short of trouble and attacking from a cleaner surface.
This is another reason FootGolf feels more like golf than a football shooting contest.
Where the ball finishes matters almost as much as how far it travels.
Short-Range Finishing Requires a Different Kind of Football Skill
Many football players discover that the final few metres are surprisingly frustrating.
From long range, being slightly inaccurate may still leave the ball somewhere on the fairway. Near the cup, a small directional error can mean another kick.
Players therefore need a controlled finishing technique.
Instead of using a full backswing, many FootGolfers use the inside of the foot in a movement closer to a short football pass. A practical FootGolf guide recommends this technique around the green because it provides more control than striking aggressively.
The slope must also be considered.
A ball travelling downhill needs much less power than one travelling uphill. Side slopes can cause it to curve after the kick, especially as it slows.
This is basically FootGolf’s version of putting.
Experienced players begin looking at the surface before kicking, judging speed and slope rather than simply aiming directly at the center.
A gentle kick can require more precision than a 40-metre drive.
Wind Makes Ball Flight Another Strategic Problem
A football is much larger and lighter relative to its surface area than a traditional golf ball, so wind can noticeably affect longer kicks.
A strong crosswind may move a high ball away from the intended target. Headwinds can reduce distance, while a tailwind may create extra rollout.
Players have several choices.
They can aim away from the target and allow the wind to move the ball back. They can also use a lower trajectory to reduce exposure to strong wind.
This is where football technique becomes especially useful.
Players who can strike different parts of the ball may produce controlled curves or lower driven kicks rather than using the same technique every time.
But the tactical goal remains golf-like.
A beautiful curling kick is valuable only when it finishes in a useful position.
Sometimes the best decison is a simple low pass down the middle.
Playing With Both Feet Creates More Options
In football, players often develop a preferred foot.
FootGolf quickly reveals why improving the weaker side can be useful.
Imagine the ball stops near a tree or at the edge of a bunker. The ideal kicking angle may favor the player’s weaker foot.
A one-footed player might be forced into an uncomfortable stance or attempt an unnecessary curve.
Someone comfortable on both sides has more options.
Being two-footed also helps on dogleg holes. A player can choose the striking foot that naturally produces the safest shape for the fairway rather than trying to force every shot with the dominant side.
This makes FootGolf a useful technical challenge for footballers.
The sport rewards the same short-passing precision that matters in football. One small experimental study involving youth football players even examined FootGolf as a method for improving short-pass accuracy.
The competitive benefit is straightforward: more reliable kicking techniques mean more possible solutions.
Risk Versus Reward Defines Competitive FootGolf
Many holes deliberately tempt players into difficult choices.
A direct kick may shorten the hole but bring water or out-of-bounds into play. A conservative route may require an additional kick but reduce the chance of a damaging penalty.
This creates the classic risk-versus-reward problem.
Imagine a par-five hole where a powerful player can attempt to clear a hazard with the second kick. If successful, they may have an easy opportunity for a low score.
If the ball lands in the penalty area, the advantage disappears.
The correct choice depends on ability, wind, lie, tournament situation, and confidence.
A player who desperately needs to gain shots near the end of a competition might take the aggressive option.
Someone protecting a lead may choose the safer route.
That strategic flexibility is a major part of the game’s appeal.
FootGolf may use a football, but mentally it often feels much closer to golf.
The Tee Shot Should Set Up the Entire Hole
Beginners often stand on the tee and immediately aim toward the flag.
Experienced players look at everything between the tee and the flag first.
The FIFG defines the tee zone as the designated starting area for each hole, and players must begin with the ball positioned legally inside it.
From there, placement should be intentional.
On a straight hole, the obvious strategy may be driving toward the center.
On a dogleg, however, players might deliberately aim toward one side of the fairway to open a better angle for the next kick.
A long tee shot into the wrong side of the course can actually make the hole harder.
This is exactly how golfers think.
They are not simply asking, “How far can I hit it?”
They are asking, “Where do I want my next shot to come from?”
That small change in thinking can produce a major diference in FootGolf scoring.
FootGolf Rewards Consistency Over Spectacular Shots
One brilliant kick rarely determines an entire round.
Consistent controling of distance and direction is usually more valuable.
Suppose one player regularly produces huge drives but sends several balls into difficult positions. Another player kicks 10-15 metres shorter but repeatedly stays on safe parts of the course.
Over 18 holes, the second player can easily win.
FootGolf Holland notes that the sport has been played competitively in the Netherlands since its first national championship in 2009, helping establish the modern competitive format that later expanded internationally.
Competitive growth has shown that the sport involves far more than simply being able to kick a football.
Players need patience.
They need to accept that a safe par can sometimes be an excellent result and that chasing a miracle recovery may turn one mistake into two.
That mentality is familiar to serious golfers everywhere.
From Football Game to International Sport
Modern FootGolf emerged in the Netherlands around 2009, with Bas Korsten and Michael Jansen associated with its early development. FootGolf Holland records the sport’s introduction that year and the creation of early national and international organizations.
The format expanded rapidly because the basic idea was easy to understand.
Football players already knew how to kick the ball. Golf courses already provided fairways, obstacles, varied terrain, and a scoring philosophy.
Combining the two created a sport with a low equipment barrier but a surprisingly high skill ceiling.
Today, the Federation for International FootGolf establishes international rules and works with member organizations around the world.
The sport’s development makes sense because it offers something familiar to both audiences.
Football fans recognize technique and ball control.
Golfers recognize patience, etiquette, strategy, and the constant battle against unnecessary strokes – or in this case, kicks.
FootGolf successfully combines football accuracy with golf course strategy because neither skill works particularly well without the other.
Powerful kicking can shorten a hole, but accuracy determines whether the ball remains in a useful position. Short passing skills help around the green, while course management teaches players when to attack hazards and when to choose the safer route.
Wind, slopes, bunkers, penalty areas, and different lies add another layer of tactical difficulty. The result is much deeper than simply kicking a football toward an oversized cup.
If you want to try FootGolf, approach your first round like a golfer rather than a striker. Look at the entire hole before every kick, plan where you want the ball to finish, and remember that the best shot is often the one that makes the next shot easier.
