By Jake Derry
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just months away from kicking off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta is finding creative ways to channel the city’s soccer energy, and one of them is headed right to our neighborhood. City of Atlanta Golf is launching a FootGolf pilot program at the Candler Park Golf Course, bringing a new sport and a new crowd to the historic 9-hole course on Candler Park Drive.
FootGolf is exactly what it sounds like: a hybrid of soccer and golf where players kick a soccer ball around a course, aiming to land it in oversized cups in as few kicks as possible. The holes at Candler Park will range from 45 to 140 yards in length. The program is part of a broader effort by City of Atlanta Golf to expand the reach of the city’s recreational facilities so that more Atlanta taxpayers can enjoy the spaces their city maintains.
At a virtual public meeting on March 26, City of Atlanta Golf’s Keith Flemming and Rachel Maher fielded questions from residents and laid out details of the program. Roberto Balestrini, the Argentine-born founder of the American FootGolf League, also presented at the meeting. Balestrini founded the AFGL in 2011 and has spent over a decade growing the sport across all 50 states, earning recognition as one of the “10 Most Innovative People in Golf” from Golf Inc. magazine. His presence underscored the credibility of the program and the sport’s growing national footprint.
Flemming emphasized that the goal is to welcome new users to city-owned courses, not to displace existing ones. Maher confirmed that the program will currently only be offered at Candler Park and not at the city’s other golf facilities. Why Candler Park? Flemming pointed to practical reasons: it’s a walking-only course with no carts, and at nine holes, it’s well-suited for a pilot. Clayton Craig, Golf Course Superintendent at Candler Park, added that the course has a good amount of unused space.
Some golfers have raised concerns. At the NPU-N meeting on March 26, chairperson Amy Stout noted that some golfers had expressed frustration about the program. Those concerns deserve to be heard, and the city addressed several of them directly.
The city confirmed that foot golfers and golfers will not be on the course at the same time. The windows set aside for FootGolf are no longer than two hours and fall during off-peak times. One golfer asked whether digging new holes would damage the greens. The city explained that the FootGolf holes will be located off the greens, so the only interaction would be the occasional golf ball rolling into a FootGolf hole, in which case golfers would take free relief, just as with any man-made obstruction. Since FootGolf players wear sneakers or turf shoes rather than cleats, the city does not expect any impact to course quality. On safety, officials noted that a soccer ball poses less risk than a golf ball.
Importantly, this program is entirely self-funded through City of Atlanta Golf’s own revenue, with no cost to taxpayers.
Construction of the FootGolf holes is expected in mid-to-late April or early May. A grand opening date has not yet been announced, but Maher said it will coincide with a future community open house. The city plans to run the pilot through the summer and will collect community feedback throughout. The pilot is timed to be live as Atlanta hosts games for the World Cup.
FootGolf is not yet open for play, but once it launches, reservations can be made by calling the Candler Park Golf Course pro shop at (404) 371-1260.
Candler Park Golf Course is located at 585 Candler Park Dr. NE.