Cupertino crowns first FootGolf champions at Blackberry Farm

Cupertino Parks and Recreation crowned the city’s first FootGolf champions at Blackberry Farm Golf Course, and the winners came from three separate age groups: Alexis and Vincent in the 10 and Under division, Ada and Azan in the 11 to 15 group, and Yanlin and Troy in the 16-plus division. The spread across children, teens and adults turned the debut into more than a novelty finish list, showing how FootGolf can work as a shared recreational format for families and first-time players.

The tournament was built as a family-friendly evening of nine-hole FootGolf, with check-in at 4:30 p.m. and a 5 p.m. shotgun start. Registration included soccer ball rental, green fees, snacks and prizes for top overall scores, keeping the entry simple for players who did not need much more than a pair of shoes and a willingness to kick. Cupertino said it plans to bring the event back in May 2027, with registration opening in February 2027, giving the city a clear path from one-off debut to recurring calendar event.

The setup fit Blackberry Farm well. The course is a nine-hole facility with a par of 29, seven par 3s, two par 4s and 1,544 yards from the men’s tees, a compact layout that lends itself to a shorter FootGolf format. FootGolf itself is played by moving the ball from the teeing zone to the hole in the fewest kicks, and the Federation for International FootGolf says the sport is played on 9- or 18-hole courses. That makes the five-to-nine-hole recreational model in Cupertino a natural fit for casual competition.

The sport’s local showing also fits a wider growth pattern. The American FootGolf Federation says it introduced FootGolf to North America in 2011, and the game has since been pushed through organized pathways that include national federations and international rules. In Cupertino, though, the most striking detail was simpler: a municipal course, a small evening field and three age-group winners on the first try. That is the kind of entry point that can turn FootGolf from a curiosity into a regular stop on the city recreation schedule.