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Team Ballyowen wins footgolf championship

| 12 Nov 2013 | 03:16
    Photo submitted by John T. Whiting Golfers from the seven Crystal Springs Golf Resort’s courses pose for a photo prior to playing in the 17th event.
    Photo submitted by John T. Whiting Golfers from the seven Crystal Springs Golf Resort’s courses pose for a photo prior to playing in the 17th event.
    Photo submitted by John T. Whiting Crystal Springs Employee Cup golfer tees off playing the 9th hole following FootGolf format.
    Photo submitted by John T. Whiting Crystal Springs Employee Cup golfer tees off playing the 9th hole following FootGolf format.
    Photo submitted by John T. Whiting Andrew Tarentino removes his ball after scoring a birdie on the 9th hole to share the win
    Photo submitted by John T. Whiting Andrew Tarentino removes his ball after scoring a birdie on the 9th hole to share the win
    Photo submitted by John T. Whiting Team Ballyowen Golf Club won the 17th Crystal Springs Employee Cup championship
    Photo submitted by John T. Whiting Team Ballyowen Golf Club won the 17th Crystal Springs Employee Cup championship

Hardyston — Just when people think Art Walton, the vice president of Golf Operations at the Crystal Springs Golf Resort, has run out of ways to make the annual Employee Cup championship more fun he comes up with a surprise, and this year was no different.

When the qualifying teams from each of the resort’s 7 golf clubs and Mountain Creek arrived at Ballyowen Golf Club and were advised of the rules for this year’s 17th Employee Cup championship they learned that the ninth hole would would be played following a footgolf format.

Footgolf was sanctioned as an official sport in the United States in 2011 and is governed by the American FootGolf League The traditional golf ball is replaced by a soccer ball, the golf clubs are replaced by the player’s feet and the golf holes are 21 inches in diameter. Otherwise the game is played following the same basic rules with the number of strokes required to hole out replaced by the number of kicks.

Andrew Tarentino, Frank Barile, Jeff Hilbert and Pat DiNicholas, who each birdied the hole with just three kicks on the footgolf hole, won the top prize for the hole.

The Ballyowen team of Jamie Connolly, Nick McWilliams, Andrew Tredinnick, Corey Mitchener, Dave Kretzschmar, Mike Harris, Frank Gallichio and Kevin Wagoner carded a 21-under-par to beat the second-place Black Bear Goldf Club.

Great Gorge was third; Team Crystal Springs was fourth; Cascades was fifth; Wild Turkey was sixth; Mountain Creek was seventh; and Minerals was eighth, which won a golf lesson at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy.

Tom McCAnn won closest to the pin on hole No. 4, at 4'3" and Bob Neubig won the honors on hole no. 6, landing 15'5" from the hole. Ken Bracht won the competition on hole No. 11 at 3'6" from the hole.