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315007101 <br />VARIETY <br />Footgolf growing in popularity <br />in Twin Cities <br />The sport marries golf and soccer and appeals to families and players of all skill <br />levels. <br />ByLIZ ROLFSMEIER <br />JULY 15, 2015 —10:55AM <br />LIZ ROLFSMEIER, SPECIAL TO THE STAR TRIBUNEIn a round of footgolf at Inver Wood Golf Course in Inver <br />Grove Heights, Elliott Gonsioroski kicked the ball just shy of the cup as Sam Nord watched. <br />Minnesota’s first footgolf course opened in April 2014. Now, less than two years later, there are 21 courses <br />operating statewide, according to Maciek Gralinski, the founder of FootGolf Minnesota. <br />The game’s rules mirror those of golf, except that players kick a regulation soccer ball into a 21-inch hole. <br />Courses install the cups off the greens, and to protect the courses, soccer cleats aren’t allowed. <br />Elliott Gonsioroski, of Inver Grove Heights, playing recently at the Inver Wood Golf Course, said he found the <br />sport “a lot less mentally demanding” than golf. Gonsioroski played for the first time at the Bloomington course <br />last spring. <br />“It was just really, really fun,” he said. “Soccer is a flat surface. This is just all kinds of levels. Sometimes, the <br />ball goes nowhere near \[where\] you thought it would go.” <br />Gralinski, who has consulted on the design for about half the courses in the state, cited various reasons for its <br />growth. <br />Courses like that it brings in extra revenue without many start-up costs or much additional maintenance. <br />Players, he said, like that it appeals toall skill levels. <br /> <br />