Footy on the links: Foot golf course opens in Yorkton, Sask.
People who love soccer and golf will probably want to make a quick trip to Yorkton, Sask., before winter returns.
Saskatchewan's first-ever foot golf course is opening in Yorkton on Aug. 27.
If you know the rules of golf and how to kick a soccer ball, foot golf is pretty easy to understand.
Tom Seeley with the York Lake Golf Course was part of a group that made the new course a reality.
"It just combines the skills of soccer and golf and you start off at a tee and there's a hole down the way a bit -- the holes are a little shorter than on a regular golf course," Seeley told CBC Radio's The Morning Edition. "You kick the ball and try to get it into the hole in as few kicks as possible. It's, of course, a larger hole that will accommodate a soccer ball.
"I kind of wish that they were that big for the golf ball actually."
Course opens after flooding
Seeley said the foot golf course is a solution to a problem they've had in the community for about six years.
"We had a flooding issue on part of our golf course. So nine of our 18 holes have had kind of a chronic flooding problem ... quite disastrous actually," he said.
After one of the golf course's members found foot golf online, Seeley said it was a perfect solution.
"It can be a really fun, affordable activity families," he said.
When the course opens on Saturday, Seeley said they will charge $5 for people under 16 years old, and $10 for adults. People can bring their own soccer balls or rent one there.
"We thought it would take off and we're pretty sure it really is going to," he said.
"I think it's absolutely awesome. It's totally a win-win, where we can provide affordable fun for families, reclaim part of our golf course that was not being used, and add something to the recreational activities in and around Yorkton."
The course is kicking off on Saturday at 10 a.m. CST. It will be open from 7 a.m. to dusk until the end of the golf season.
According to the Canadian Foot Golf Association, there are more than 37 accredited courses across Canada — which does not include the new course in Yorkton.
Learn more about foot golf in Canada here.
