FlingGolf—the Future of the Fairway?
Some people are intimidated by golf and rightly so. Just figuring out what club to use can be perplexing. There are the woods, the hybrids, the irons, the wedges, and the putter. It is sometimes hard to know which to use in any given situation.
FlingGolf solves that problem because there is only one club. It’s called a FlingStick. It resembles a golf club, but it has a metal pocket at one end to hold a regular golf ball. The pocket sides are flat. It serves as the tee box club, fairway club, and putter. Immediate benefits include lower cost than a set of clubs and no heavy golf bag to lug around. Numerous FlingStick models are available, and costs range from $90-180.
FlingGolf is played on a regular golf course using the FlingStick. There are two basic techniques to the swing. One is called the Overhead. It entails keeping the wrists hinged above the shoulders and dropping the FlingStick down the back.
The Sidearm is more like swinging a baseball bat. Either the Overhead or the Sidearm is acceptable on the course so the choice is a matter of what works best for you. Either way, it is important to keep the head tilted up and forward. This simple detail better enables the ball to sail farther.
FlingGolfers can play with traditional golfers. Depending on one’s level of proficiency it is possible to hurl the golf ball about 200 yards.
Sounds relatively easy but there is a learning curve—though it’s perhaps not as great as the one in traditional golf.
The New Swarm FlingGolf web site (flinggolf.com) offers a plethora of pointers and videos on rules, techniques, and how to play the game. It offers a vast array of tutorial videos. It also includes a list of courses where FlingGolf is offered and there are several in Delaware—although at various levels of involvement. Two nearby examples are The Rookery and Shamrock.
One of the more engaged courses is the American Classic Golf Course (ACGC), a public course in Lewes. ACGC started offering the sport in 2019 and the nine-hole course is perfect for beginners. (ACGC may already be familiar to many readers: the CAMP Rehoboth Ladies (traditional) Golf League plays there on Thursday evenings from May through September. Contact CAMP Rehoboth for details.)
ACGC’s management is all-in for the FlingGolf. Golf Operations Manager Austin Ebersole is a FlingGolf enthusiast and has been playing for four years. He currently is the Number 1 ranked World League FlingGolfer. His handle is “Showtime.” He teaches both FlingGolf and regular golf at ACGC.
FlingGolf rentals are less expensive than a regular set of clubs. The ACGC rents a FlingStick for $3 and the greens fee to play nine holes of FlingGolf is $12. That’s $15 total. The cost is $12 for those who have their own stick.
For those who might just want to observe, American Classic is one of five stops in the US for the 2023 World League FlingGolf Tour. More than 50 athletes from across the US are expected to compete. The event is scheduled for May 20-21. Local sponsors include Revelation Brewing Company and Britt Marie Fitness. Other tour stops include locations in California, Colorado, Virginia, and a yet-to-be-determined stop In New England.
ACGC also organizes local FlingGolf events. FlingGolf Fridays is offered each week at 6:00 p.m. starting the Friday after Memorial Day and continuing through Labor Day. “Attendance averages anywhere from 10-30 players depending on the weather and weekend,” according to Ebersole. He claims that it typically only takes players three to five holes—or 15-minutes’ worth of throwing—to pick it up.
He adds, “It’s a great way to get exercise, a fun way to play golf, and super easy to learn as it is extremely adaptive for all types of players”.
Massachusetts inventor Alexander Van Alen created FlingGolf after developing his first prototype in 2012. He and business partner John Pruellage appeared on Shark Tank in Season 12 (2021). The two offered 10 percent equity of their company in exchange for a $300,000 investment and ended up walking away with a deal from Kind snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky for $300,000 and 25 percent equity.
FlingGolf is now played in 27 countries on more than 1,200 courses.
Want to give it a try? Austin Ebersole is available for personal lessons at $20 for a half hour. He can be reached at ebersole1992@gmail.com. Or call 302-703-6662 for lessons or to book a tee time. ▼
Mary Jo Tarallo is a former journalist and public relations professional for various non-profits including a ski industry trade association. She won a Gold Award for a United Way TV program starring Oprah Winfrey.