Matthew at the '˜fore' front as footgolf continues to grow

Footgolf is one of the fastest growing sports in the country - and a young Cupar player is at the forefront of it.
Matthew Morgan - Cupar footgolf ace.Matthew Morgan - Cupar footgolf ace.
Matthew Morgan - Cupar footgolf ace.

The sport originally started out as a bit of fun for stag parties and groups of friends, but has now started to grow a more competitive edge to it.

Footgolf is played the same way as golf, except players use a football instead of a golf ball, and the ball is kicked rather than used with a club, working towards a 21-inch cup in place of the usual golf hole.

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Just like traditional golf, there are par 3s, 4s and 5s albeit with reduced hole lengths due to the shorter distance a ball can be kicked

There’s a course at Elmwood, where, more often than not, you’ll be likely to bump into Cupar’s Matthew Morgan, the Scottish footgolf champion, ranked number 21 in the world and footgolf coordinator at the club.

Matthew enjoys the competitive side to footgolf, and at the end of July will be Scotland’s vice-captain for their Auld Enemy clash against England at Muckhart Golf Club.

He said: “It’s an honour to be selected as vice-captain for Scotland.

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“This is my third time representing my country against England.

“After winning my previous two matches I am confident going into the event, however, the England squad contain some of the strongest players in the world including world number one Ben Clarke and number two Jamie Cullum.

“Normally I team up with these guys representing the UK around the World however on Saturday, July 28 I will be solely focussed on maintaining my 100 per cent win record.”

The player who plays the 18 holes with the fewest shots wins.

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The first shot has to be played from the tee box and to reach the hole.

Bunkers, trees and hills have to be crossed or avoided.

This means a powerful shot is useful but not decisive as the holes are varying in length.

Reading the course, a smart approach and accurate putting are more important.

A size 5 football is used for adults and a size 4 for juniors.

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Matthew added: “I took up playing footgolf socially in June 2016.

“I attended a footgolf event after seeing an advertisement online.

“I fell in love with the sport immediately.”

For more details visit www.elmwoodgolf.co.uk/footgolf/