Seaside venue holes ‘footgolf’ contest

Footgolf - which is played according to the same rules as golf and uses the player’s skill to kick a football into a hole in the least number of shots possible - only arrived in the UK last year.

But the UK FootGolf Association says it is fast-growing in popularity.

The two-day tournament in June will see international players competing for the title of UK Open Champion against the best home-grown talent.

The sport is already played in a number of countries after the first tournament was held in the Netherlands in 2009. The first UK competition was only staged last September.

Bridlington Links Golf Course will be hosting the event, which has a prize fund of £2,500, a cash prize of £1,000 for the winner - and involves digging 20 inch holes on the course.

UK FootGolf president and event organiser Mike O’Connor, who is from Bridlington, said: “We already have players booked from Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and Hungary and players have contacted me from Italy, USA and Argentina.

“For everybody who enjoys sport it is something new and interesting and exciting. If you are from a football or golf background you will appreciate the skill and technique involved in something like this.”

Organisers East Yorkshire Events run events including the European Open Beach Championships, the world’s largest beach angling competition.

Kieran Lawry, from EY Events, said: “We are delighted that, after a lot of negotiating with UK FootGolf, we are bringing yet another world class event to Bridlington, the ‘resort for sport.’ With Footgolf growing so quickly, I am confident that the region could be recognised as a national and international centre for the sport over the next few years.”