After not seeing any action for four years, the former Walnut Ridge Golf Course is expected to be back open for business later this month — but with a bit of a different look.
Woodside Community Church, which purchased the 35-acre Center Grove property last year, has transformed the 18-hole par-3 layout into what will be the only stand-alone footgolf course in the state of Indiana.
The church hopes to get the course approved by the Johnson County Plan Commission on July 24. Until then, Woodside pastor Mark Petty is inviting residents to try it for free.
“We’d love to have people come out and play and check it out,” Petty said, “even before the county approves it.”
Footgolf is, as the name suggests, a combination of golf and soccer. Players try to get a soccer ball into the hole in as few shots as possible using their feet. The cup is 21 inches wide.
The Indiana Footgolf Association currently lists eight accredited courses in the state, four with 9 holes and four with 18. All of them are located at golf courses, including The Legends in Franklin, which introduced its footgolf course last year.
FootGolf at The Ridge would be the ninth, and the only one not located at a golf club.
Once clearance is given to open for business, Petty anticipates a playing fee of $5 per round, with unlimited-play memberships available for $20 a month.
“We’re not looking to make money,” he said. “We’re a church.”
It has taken Woodside several months to get the course ready — Petty said that with the course having been closed since June of 2013, it took two to three months just to get the grass back under control.
The church hopes to make additional improvements to the course over time — including a disc golf layout that Petty hopes will be in place by the fall. Sand volleyball courts may also be in the works in the near future.
“We want to make it one of the most unique ones around,” Petty said. “We want to be one of a kind.”
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FootGolf at The Ridge
Where: 1811 S. Morgantown Road, Greenwood
When: The course is expected to open for business later this month, but players are welcome to try it for free in the meantime.
For more information: Contact Mark Petty at 317-258-6363.
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