Get out on the course and carry a big stick

American Classic Golf Club, located near the Postal Lane-Route 1 intersection between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, has become one of the top courses promoting a new way to play.

The course hosted the 2022 New Swarm FlingGolf Classic Tournament May 21-22, the first World Fling Tournament for the relatively new sport. The event featured the New Swarm FlingGolf Open May 21 and the Longest FlingGolf Shot Tournament May 22. The tournament was filmed and will be shown on an ESPN segment in August.

FlingGolf, which attracted national attention after a “Shark Tank” episode, was created in 2012 by Alex Van Alen in Woburn, Mass.

While the sport uses the same golf courses, it’s a far cry from traditional golf. Players use one club called a FlingStick with a small bucket on the end. The object of the game is to throw or fling a golf ball instead of hitting it off a tee. The ball must be flung on every shot that’s not on the green. The stick has a driver-like head used for putting. Top golfers at the tournament could fling a ball from the tee close to 200 yards, but for most flingers, shots average less yardage than traditional golf shots.

There are some rules unique to FlingGolf, including a Reggie under the Van Alen scoring system. If a player hits the green in regulation, one or more strokes can be deducted: par 3, one stroke; par 4, two strokes; par 5, three strokes. Players who land in a sand trap have an option to remove the ball and take a one-stroke penalty or play the ball in the sand using a side-car fling.

The nine-hole golf club brought the sport to the area in 2019, and it rents FlingSticks and has a Friday night FlingGolf league open to anyone.

The course includes par 3, 4 and 5 holes with gold, red and white tees with a par of 32 for nine holes and 64 for 18 holes. A café is open and carts are available, but the course is designed for walking. For more information, go to americanclassicgolf.com.