Janet Monk September’21_4

By Janet Monk

FlingGolf, now offered at four golf courses located in Scarborough and the West End, presents golfers with a new fun way to play. “You use one stick, a FlingStick, instead of a whole bag of clubs. You cradle the ball in the stick, and you fling it,” said the manager of Scarborough District Parks and the city’s golf courses, Goran Mitrevski. “FlingGolf is great for juniors and seniors because you are only carrying the one club, not a whole bag of clubs and balls, with you.” In FlingGolf, one plays using the same course, balls, and rules as traditional golfers do. It can be played directly alongside traditional golfers, too. However, when “driving”, the player uses their FlingStick to throw the ball down the green instead of hitting it. The head of the stick has a plastic cradle for throwing the ball, similar to a lacrosse stick, with flat sides which can be used to putt. FlingGolf sticks are currently included with the price of a round of golf (or you can bring your own FlingStick if you have one) at the Dentonia, Tam O’Shanter, Scarlet Woods, and Humber Valley golf courses. Child-sized FlingSticks are also available at the aforementioned courses. The FlingGolf style of play allows for a slightly faster game, and what Mitrevski describes as a more “athletic” approach – employing similar skills as one would in hockey, lacrosse, or baseball. If players are unsure about how to use a FlingStick, participating courses have support available. “Our pro will give you a quick lesson before you go out,” said Mitrevski. “Every one of our golf courses has CPG class A pros, and they all are familiar with FlingGolf.”

FlingGolf comes from a Massachusetts company of the same name, and while popular in the U.S.A, FlingGolf is still relatively new to Canada. At the moment, the only Ontario cities with courses that explicitly allow it are Toronto and Mississauga. Private Ontario golf courses do not yet unanimously allow FlingGolf. Regardless, a clear market for FlingGolf was found pre-pandemic. “We were seeing the popularity rise in corporate team-building events,” said Mitrevski. “That’s where we were seeing our niche in the market. Hopefully, with the pandemic subsiding or ending, we can get back to the norm where companies are doing that again.” To celebrate the integration of FlingGolf at Toronto golf courses, the City of Toronto held a FlingGolf tournament at Dentonia in 2019 that gathered approximately 36 players in friendly competition. Another tournament may be held when pandemic restrictions allow. Overall, FlingGolf proves to be a cheaper, faster, and more accessible alternative to traditional golf. With cooler weather incoming and restrictions permitting, this autumn will be a great time to get on the green.

~ Janet Monk is an Author and Copy Editor with an HBA in Creative Writing, History, and Music and Culture from the University of Toronto – Scarborough. To make an inquiry or leave a comment, please send an email to janet.monk@alum.utoronto.ca.