Intro:

FootGolf kicked off on fairways in the American state of Michigan on Friday (20 June).

Script:

Kurt Tyszkiewicz and his wife enjoy golf, and their daughters are football players.

On a recent weekday, the Detroit-area family played both sports at the same time - with 18 holes of FootGolf.

Their FootGolf round was played at Fox Hills Golf & Banquet Centre in nearby Salem Township, which started offering the sport at its Strategic Fox par-3 course in May.

Fox Hills added larger FootGolf holes - 21 inches in diameter - but other than that, the course looks the same.

The rules are largely the same as well.

Players tee off by kicking a football from the tee box.

They follow the basic rules of golf, advancing the ball until it drops into the oversized hole.

Natalie Tyszkiewicz thoroughly enjoys the sport:

SOUNDBITE: (English) Natalie Tyszkiewicz, first-time FootGolfer:

"I'd never heard of it before. I thought it was really different, but it was really fun. My parents play golf and I play soccer."

Fox Hills FootGolf Clubhouse Manager Philip Taucher believes the sport also makes sense financially:

SHOTLIST: (English) Philip Taucher, Fox Hills FootGolf Clubhouse Manager:

"It's changed our business. It's changed the par-three."

The football-golf hybrid has gained a foothold in the US, where officials at a number of courses say it's helping them financially and drawing a younger and more diverse crowd.