SINCE the commencement of the recovery movement control order (RMCO) on June 10, most industries have reopened. But some remain closed, such as the entertainment industry and certain contact sports.
According to FootGolf Malaysia (FGM) general manager Jeff Cottam, football players are now turning towards the previously unknown sport called footgolf.
“There is [currently] a ‘footgolf pandemic’, because there is nowhere else to kick a ball except on a golf course. Basically, there is an uptick in people coming to play,” he said.
Footgolf is exactly as its name implies – it’s a combination of both football and golf.
“98% of the game is played exactly like golf. The only difference is you’re using size 5 balls and the holes are 21 inches,” Cottam explained, further claiming that the sport essentially helps golf courses, the way snowboarding helps ski resorts.
“Footgolf helps bring a new revenue stream and a new demographic, because we know that golf courses in Malaysia and globally are struggling with numbers, as [golf] is an expensive sport.”
Though the sport itself has been around in the West for over ten years with over 500 courses, in Asia footgolf is relatively new, with Malaysia being the newest country to establish the sport.
“It’s just a good sport that no one’s really played. For the 18-holes we have at Bukit Jelutong, it was an ideal setting to introduce footgolf because Malaysia is known to have a lot of passionate footballers,” Cottam claimed.
The initial idea to bring footgolf to Malaysia came from Cottam’s business partner, who wanted people to see the golf courses that he designed, so that they could experience the sport of golf and attempt to play footgolf.
Further explaining the macro aspects of footgolf, Cottam pointed out that the age of players ranges from the low 20s to an upwards of 50 years. He also spoke about the sport’s global nature, and competitive facet.
“There is a World Cup. We do go to the Asia Cup too, which we [attended] last year and placed fourth,” he said. “These are global competitions. A lot of professional footgolfers that take this on full-time, get sponsors and climb the ranks to be the best.”
Prior to the MCO in March, ranking tournaments were held every month to find top players who were to represent Malaysia in Japan at the end of the year.
“[The] sport has been struggling to garner popularity [despite being] around for ten years, and no one knew about it. Then suddenly Covid-19 came around and sprouted new roots around the world with new players,” Cottam said.
During the current RMCO period, the playing of footgolf under FGM has been given the green light.
“We spoke to MITI officials, spoke to [the Malaysia National Security Council] and local authorities to see whether or not we could go ahead. As we operate exactly like a golf course – four people per group, social distancing and all that – they said there was no reason for us not to operate.”
