Atlanta opens first city FootGolf course at Candler Park

Atlanta’s first FootGolf course inside the city limits opened at Candler Park on May 16, a 9-hole pilot at 585 Candler Park Dr. NE that city officials have paired with regular golf instead of replacing it. The setup is walking-only, FootGolf and golfers are never on the course at the same time, and the city has built the schedule around its existing public golf operation.

That matters because Atlanta is testing FootGolf where people already live, not in a suburban venue that asks newcomers to make a special trip. Candler Park is the city’s first in-city location for the hybrid sport, and its layout is built to be approachable: the holes run roughly 45 to 140 yards, play begins up to six feet behind the tee markers, and the rules page bars cleats in favor of indoor soccer shoes or turf shoes. Balls must be identifiable, and groups are told to keep moving while they record scores and walk to the next tee.

The city previewed the project at a virtual public meeting on March 26, when City of Atlanta Golf’s Keith Flemming and Rachel Maher joined Roberto Balestrini, the founder of the American FootGolf League, to take resident questions. The message was straightforward: the pilot was intended to broaden access to city recreation space, not carve out a separate lane for a niche crowd. That fits Atlanta Parks and Recreation’s broader mission, which includes equitable access and a goal of putting all Atlantans within a 10-minute walk of a quality park.

Candler Park is also a small but important addition to a city golf system that already includes Browns Mill, Chastain Park and Tup Holmes, giving Atlanta four public golf properties in all. By placing FootGolf at one of those municipal sites, the city has found a way to layer another sport onto existing land without forcing a wholesale change in how the course operates.

The timing is no accident. The Federation for International FootGolf is the sport’s world governing body, and it has a 2026 FootGolf World Championship scheduled for Acapulco, Mexico. The sport’s previous World Cup in Orlando drew 972 players from 39 countries in 2023, a reminder that FootGolf has moved well beyond novelty status. Atlanta’s pilot lands in that same current, giving the city a real test of whether a first in-town course can turn curious soccer players, families and golfers into repeat players instead of one-time visitors.