Golf Alternative, FlingGolf, Takes SD by Storm

In late February, the World League FlingGolf kicked off its inaugural tour in San Diego, CA, despite the weather curveballs that were thrown all week. With heavy rain (and over 6 feet of snow in the Sierras!) forcing some changes, JC Golf's The Welk Golf Course and Twin Oaks Golf Course played host to two days of competition amongst FlingGolfers from across the USA.

FlingGolf is a sport that can be played at any golf course around the world. As a cross between lacrosse and golf, FlingGolfers ‘fling’ the ball in a number of ways (overhand, underhand, side arm) using a custom stick manufactured by the New Swarm FlingGolf company. The same stick is used to putt, meaning that you only need one stick for the entire round! FlingGolf has been featured on Shark Tank and now on ESPN, with last year’s tournament broadcast a number of times throughout the year. 

SDSU SMBA ‘23 students Liam Shaw, Nathan Hall, Zeke Camarena and Joshua Himbury were involved in facilitating scoring, live updates, operations, media production and more. While the event had to make major changes due to the weather, SMBA students were also involved in helping build sponsorships in the lead up as part of a fan village. In particular the San Diego Gulls supported the event, including providing a custom jersey for local FlingGolfer Jake 'Island Hopper' Anderson, who ultimately finished in second place in an extra hole playoff behind Sam ‘Scantron’ Scanlon. 

Stay tuned to ESPN for the full coverage of the event where you'll catch all the action from a very exciting 4-hole final with bonus playoff round! Thanks so much to Alexander Van Alen and John Pruellage for having us involved, and we look forward to continuing to be a part of FlingGolf's continued growth!

To learn more about the SDSU Sports MBA program, visit us on LinkedIn or Instagram. To speak to our admissions team, chat with a current student, or sit in on a class, contact us at [email protected].