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Helping keep numbers up <br />Inver Wood Golf Course manager Matt Moynihan said golfing numbers have been down since 2001. Now, his <br />course gets about 50 people per week playing footgolf, which helps. <br />Sloan Wallgren of the Mendota Heights Par 3 said it installed the footgolf course lastyear right after Labor <br />Day, and the course has had an additional 1,500 customers this season since mid-May, due to the sport. <br />“And they’re buying pop and candy bars, so it’s really helping increase our revenue this year,” he said. <br />Footgolf typically playsa little faster than golf, which can mean that footgolfers often need to play through <br />regular golfers. <br />Some courses set aside special hours, like Inver Grove Heights, where footgolfers play from noon to 5 p.m. on <br />weekdays, slower times for golfers. In Mendota Heights, footgolf is off limits on most weekdays due to golf <br />leagues. <br />However, most courses intermingle the two sports, said Gralinski, which has caused some friction. <br />“The major issue where there’s problems is people who are new to this, meaning the footgolfers, and they don’t <br />know the rules and etiquette of golf,” said Gralinski. <br />Jesse VanRiper, head pro at Majestic Oaks Golf Course in Andover, where they’ve had about 675 rounds of <br />footgolf played this season, said they now talk etiquette to everyonewho signs up for a tee time. Now on their <br />second season, he said, they are considering doing leagues next year. <br />An entry point to golf? <br />At Brookland Golf Park in Brooklyn Park, course manager John Lindman said they have had about 190 total <br />footgolfers this year. They tried to launch a league night this June and didn’t have enough interest but will try <br />again starting in August. <br />Lindman said he hopes the sport encourages young people to eventually pick up a golf club. “It’s a nice avenue <br />for people,” he said, “kind of an entry point.” <br />Warren said he’s a bit skeptical about that. “They are similar,” he said, “but they are pretty different.” <br />“I don’t know if it will be a fad or a trend that continues,” he said. <br />Still, some courses have already rebranded themselves. <br />“We’re a dual-purpose course,” said Watrud. “We’re not just a golf course.” <br />Liz Rolfsmeier is a Twin Cities freelance writer and photographer. <br />holstj <br />JUL. 15, 15 <br />9:15 AM <br />"Itellya,golfcoursesandcemeteriesarethebiggestwastesofprimerealestate" <br />-AlCzervik <br /> <br />