Michigan State Games spotlights FootGolf at Royal Scot in Lansing

The State Games of Michigan put FootGolf front and center in Lansing, posting that the summer slate was not over and that the sport would take center stage at Royal Scot Golf & Bowl on Saturday, Aug. 8. Athletes played over 18 holes with gold, silver and bronze on the line, a format that gave the event the feel of a medal round rather than a side attraction.

The state games’ FootGolf listing placed the competition at Royal Scot Golf & Bowl, 4722 West Grand River Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906. A 2026 event page showed a 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. window for the tournament, and the American FootGolf League schedule also had MI State Games FootGolf at Royal Scot, tying the Lansing stop into the wider competitive calendar.

That placement matters because FootGolf has long been more than a novelty in Michigan. The sport’s State Games profile dates to a May 8, 2018 blog post calling FootGolf the newest sport added to the Meijer State Games of Michigan Summer Games, which that year featured more than forty sports. The sport was already established enough to merit a formal results sheet, too, and those 2018 standings at Stormy Creek FootGolf Course in Kentwood offered a clean snapshot of the competitive ladder.

In that June 24, 2018 event, Scott DeBruin won gold in the 17-and-under division, Kyle Fitzgerald took silver and Mason Harth earned bronze. In the 18-and-over division, Kerry Bestrom claimed gold, Charlie Mulliner took silver and Paul Carbone finished bronze. Those names show how the Michigan State Games has used FootGolf to create a real medal chase, not just a participatory showcase.

The Lansing slot gave the sport another public stage at a venue with enough room for a proper 18-hole competition and enough visibility to draw in golfers, soccer players and curious spectators. By putting FootGolf in the State Games rotation at Royal Scot, organizers kept it in the same summer conversation as the rest of Michigan’s amateur sports calendar, and the repeat appearance on the schedule points to a format that has moved beyond one-off exhibition status.