Football legends launch Scottish Footgolf open

Celtic legend Murdo MacLeod (2nd right) and sports pundit Chick Young. Picture: SNS

The sport, played in 22 countries around the world, sees competitors complete rounds of a golf course by kicking a football rather than hitting a golf ball.

The two day event, taking place at Cowal Golf Course in Dunoon, was launched by a host of former footballers including Scotland internationals Murdo MacLeod, Stuart McCall, Alan Rough and Tom Boyd.

MacLeod said: “As a big fan of both sports I think this is a very imaginative concept and one I can see really taking off in Scotland. It’s loads of fun while requiring a lot more skill than you might think and the Scottish Footgolf Open is bound to be typically competitive as Scots look to win the inaugural title.”

Footgolf ambassadors Paul Doherty and Gary McGregor, who have helped bring the sport to Scotland, said: “It’s already huge in other countries, such as Holland where it is popular with former professional footballers, so the potential is there for Scotland to repeat this success. There’s even a Footgolf World Cup in a couple of years so it would be great for Scotland to qualify for one of those.”

Donald MacKay, club captain at Cowal Golf Club, added: “We believe that Footgolf shows that a golf club can provide more than just one use for its community – with any additional revenues generated being available for reinvestment into the course for the benefit of our members.”

The event will take place on 11 and 12 April.