"How the Soccer Ball Could Save the Golf Course"

"In 2012, footgolf appeared in the United States. By the end of that year, there were two footgolf courses in the United States, each one installed on the existing green of a traditional golf course.

Then, the sport exploded. By the end of 2013, Estevez says, there were 50 American footgolf courses, and by the end of last year, 300. This year, Estevez—who is also a board member of the U.S. FootGolf Association—estimates there will be at least 750 footgolf courses, and possibly as many as 1,000. It may now be the fastest growing sport in the world.

The objective in footgolf is simple: Players try to knock a regulation size-5 soccer ball (a little over 8.5 inches in diameter) into a 21-inch-wide hole in as few kicks as they can. Since a person cannot kick a soccer ball nearly as far as one can hit a golf ball—which even amateur players can drive hundreds of yards—footgolf courses are made smaller than traditional golf courses. Eighteen footgolf holes, for example, can be played on the same expanse that covers a nine-hole golf course. This means the game generally plays about twice as fast as a round of golf."
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-soccer-ball-could-save-golf-course-180955701/?utm_source=twitter.com&no-ist

I really don't care if golf goes away forever. But something about the pivot to footgolf appeals to me.