FOLEY, Ala. — GlenLakes Golf Course in Foley had their inaugural Gulf Coast FootGolf Tournament Saturday. The sport of FootGolf is the same system as golf with the course and scoring system, but is performed with the actions and movements of soccer. There is still a golf course but instead of a golf ball, there is a soccer ball. The hole for the course fits the length and standardized scoring order similar to golf for a soccer ball of a 21-inch diameter. The drive of the ball is done by kicking it in a destined path instead of using clubs. The kicking motion is done similarly to penalty kicks or corner kicks in soccer.

FootGolf attracts of former soccer players including former Daphne Trojan (2002 to 2007) and tournament event organizer, Bryan Fulling. The former Trojan and Olympic development team member took interest in the sport last year where he participated in similar tournaments in Orlando.

There were multiple divisions of competition in this tournament including professional and amateurs which included a men, women and junior division. There were two rounds for the professional division with competitors who were of national and worldwide accreditation and fame. One of those players was 2015 U.S. National Champion in the sport of FootGolf, Jordan Godfrey, who was also on the U.S. FootGolf World Cup team last year. Another is Zak Matteoli, who is proclaimed as one of the world’s best players in the sport of FootGolf. He was on the 2016 U.S. World Cup team.

Rewards were given to the winners in each division in the tournament including prizes and trophies for the amateur division and a cash prize for the professional division. There were teams for each group, each group had at least four members. There were some where the teams came one group from a certain area and some that met up with each other and formed a team. Some of the groups and players come from all over the U.S. including Houston, Orlando, Austin and the Great Lakes.

This is not the first time that the GlenLakes courses have had a FootGolf tournament. Last summer, GlenLakes hosted a national qualifier for a major national tournament. The FootGolf courses at GlenLakes are open all year long so it is a great way for people to learn about the sport and play as they go.