Alternatives to Traditional Golf

Disc Golf, Foot Golf & Topgolf

Sports That Are Taking Tualatin Valley by Storm

To a new generation of players, “golf” isn’t just about tees, special shoes, clubs and buckets. Today’s golfers may be looking for alternatives to the traditional game, and we may have exactly what fits the bill.

Foot Golf

New sports seem to sprout like weeds sometimes, and here in Oregon footgolf is starting to gain traction. Footgolf, a hybird of golf and soccer, is played on a golf course. Simply swap out the clubs and the bucket golf balls with a soccer ball, and you have this fun new sport. Try this interesting hybrid sport at Meriwether Golf Club.

Similar to golf in rules, one to four players kick the soccer ball along the fairway in hopes to kick in a hole-in-one. This sport is played on existing golf courses (and, yes, you can rent a golf cart, too!). Also like golf, the winner is the person who scores the lowest after 18 holes.

Disc Golf

While historians don’t know for sure who invented the sport of disc golf, the game’s earliest origins may have been right here in the Pacific Northwest in the 1920s, when  a group of kids from Vancouver, British Columbia, started throwing the tin trash can lids, which they dubbed “tin can golf.”

Various incarnations in the 1930s-1960s were tested; however, it wasn’t until the early 1970s when “flying disc golf” became a formalized sport.

Today’s disc golf is played both recreationally and professionally, and uses smaller, weightier discs—putters, mid-ranges and drivers—designed for control, speed and accuracy.

Here are some of the many places disc golfers can fling their flying discs in hopes to walk away with a low score:

Miniature Golf and Topgolf

With more than 12 golf clubs to choose from, Tualatin Valley has earned its place as a premier golf destination. However, for those who would rather play golf on a smaller scale, two attractions are the perfect diversion for golfers and non-golfers alike.

Play 18 holes of miniature golf at Tualatin Island Greens, where each hole in the putting green is a miniature-scale version of some of the toughest golf holes throughout the country.

One of Tualatin Valley’s newest attractions is Topgolf, a premier, state-of-the-art entertainment complex in Hillsboro, featuring point-scoring golf games for all skill levels. Topgolf has 102 putting bays, encompassing three floors, plus a rooftop terrace, sleek bars and great music.