In my continued quest to be bad at all possible varieties of golf, I visited Beaver Meadow to play a few holes of FlingGolf this week. Having already experienced mega-fails playing regular golf, mini golf and disc golf – all shared in great detail on the pages of the Insider, by the way – it just seemed like the inevitable next step.
My introduction to FlingGolf came last weekend, with everyone else’s, when the inventor of the game, Alex Van Alen, came to Beaver Meadow for a demonstration. Van Alen created the sport in his barn and is rolling it out across the country as we speak, so it’s super brand new. So we figured why not be the first to embarrass ourselves in print? We at the Insider like to be ahead of the curve on public humiliation.
It’s a pretty unique game, with pretty simple equipment. All you need is a FlingStick, which is sort of like a funky lacrosse stick with a much smaller head that’s just big enough to hold a golf ball. That’s it – one stick for the entire game. You can fling shots overhand, lacrosse style, or sidearm, almost like a baseball swing, or any other way that’s comfortable for you. The stick acts as a driver, a wedge and a putter, the latter by lining the ball up with a “putting notch” in the head and pushing it toward the cup. And the game is played on traditional golf courses.
In the interest of full disclosure, I actually wasn’t terrible at all parts of FlingGolf. After only a few practice throws, I was able to get some serious distance and keep the ball straight using the lacrosse style throw. It’s actually a pretty sweet feeling, taking a few running steps and launching a straight drive.
On my first hole at The Beav, for instance – a par 4 – I was on the green in 3 throws.
And that’s where things went sideways pretty quick.
I’ll boil the analysis of my FlingGolf game down to the most basic level: long shots, good; short shots, bad.
Very bad. Putting would seem to be the most similar aspect of the game between FlingGolf and traditional golf, and yet for the life of me I could not get the touch right. Because you are pushing the ball and not lining up and tapping it, I found achieving the appropriate amount of force to be very difficult. Like, seven-putting-the-first-hole tough.
Yup, on the green in three, on to the next hole with a 10 on the scorecard.
It got better. Kind of. I only two-putted on hole 2, tied for my best on-the-green performance of the day, but it took me five throws to reach the green on a 500-yard par 5. Hole 3 was a short 168-yard par 3, and I threw the drive long enough to reach the green – it just happened to land in the bunker directly to the right.
Let’s just say it was an up-and-down day, if you count a few satisfying tee drives as up. I was the proud owner of an 11 on hole 4, an admittedly long par 5 that I five-putted, prompting me to consult a quick YouTube video of FlingGolf between holes 4 and 5 to see if I could pick up any short game pointers.
It didn’t work. I five-putted hole 5, too.
It wasn’t just putting that proved challenging, though. Touch shots from near the green were also difficult, as I had a hard time tossing the ball gently out of the FlingStick. Shots either sailed well over the green or landed two feet in front of me.
All of which made my tremendous pitch to the green on hole 6 that much more satisfying. I still scored a six on the par 3 hole, though. But it was progress, and that continued on hole 7 with what I would call the best trio of throws I had all day to start a hole, putting me on the green of the 376-yard par 4. Putting woes still produced a 7, but hey, parts of my game were coming together.
And, in typical golf fashion, they came together most on the final hole of the day. Playing from the 315-yard tee on a par 4, I managed my best approach shot of the afternoon, gently tossing the ball to within 15 feet of the cup, and proceeded to two-put for a two-over 6. This is where I confess that two-over was my best score on any hole all day long.
Another confession: golfers were confused by my presence all afternoon. Although it is probably a little jarring to see someone hucking golf balls like a Jai-alai champion and walking the course with one stick in his hand. Several golfers on the course asked me what the heck I was doing, and most seemed honestly intrigued by the game.
You can give it a shot anytime you want at Beaver Meadow. Van Alen left plenty of FlingSticks in the pro shop to rent. Prices aren’t official, but are likely to be $10 for the FlingStick for nine holes and $15 for 18 holes. We’re not sure if greens fees or anything else apply, so hit up The Beav for more info at beavermeadowgolfcourse.com or call 228-8954. And check out flinggolf.com for a YouTube video and other rules and information.
For what it’s worth, my poor scores should be taken as no indication of the level of fun that was had. Firing a 150-yard drive is immensely satisfying, the game moves quickly and you have control over every shot you take. It really is a blast, and something I intend to try again.
In the meantime, if anyone thinks up another golf spinoff in the near future, I’d be happy to be terrible at it for the newspaper anytime.
