Shoe Golf

# of Players: 2+
Equipment Needed: A shoe that you don't mind scuffing up
Time per Game: Varies
Age Group: 10+

I remember playing Shoe Golf with Jeff Keating, a childhood friend from Churchill, PA. For some reason, it never really took off with our other friends, but Jeff and I had many a good round. For those who are familiar with Frisbee Golf (or traditional golf), this game is played pretty much the same way, but with an old sneaker or shoe. I think there's a business idea in setting up Shoe Golf driving ranges across the Midwest!

For each hole in a round, there is a specified target. Typically, the target chosen might be a hundred yards or so away, and is an easily identifiable stationary object like the base of a street sign, a tree, a building fixture, or a lamp post. Obviously, you can vary the target creatively based upon your surroundings. You can also pick targets that are different distances away, maybe to simulate a par 5 or par 3.

Each player dangles his shoe from the edge of his foot -- my technique was typically to keep the laces tied and insert my foot about halfway into the shoe. Each player then takes a "shot" by flinging his shoe off his foot using a kicking motion in the direction of the target - for a little momentum, we allowed players to take a step with the other foot before firing the shot. Players walk to where their shoes land and take another shot towards the target. The objective is to hit the target with your shoe in as few shots as possible.

Since you're not playing the British Open, etiquette is a little less important than with traditional golf, but typically the player who shoe is farthest from the target is the one who takes the next shot.

You can define the entire golf course (say, 9 or 18 holes) before the round starts, or simply allow the player who wins a hole to pick the target for the next hole. As with golf, there are many ways of scoring: for example, lowest total score over an entire round or most holes won over an entire round.