CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Part golf! Part lacrosse! FlingGolf is a sport gaining popularity in the Coastal Bend.
I spent the day with a couple who say it's their favorite way to exercise and help strengthen their relationship.
Lonnie Gaither tells me he heard about FlingGolf on TV more than a year ago. But he didn't know it reached the Coastal Bend until he saw a post on social media.
"I had no idea that anybody else in the Corpus Christi area had even heard about it before," Lonnie Gaither, Fling Golfer, said.
From there, Lonnie says he decided to give it a try.
"So, I talked my wife into going in there with me one day," Gaither said.
Lonnie says he wanted a way to exercise and spend quality time with his wife.
At first, Bonnie tells me she wasn't too sure.
"I really wasn't interested in getting to it. But when I actually tried it, I liked it," Bonnie Gaither, Fling Golfer, said.
Both would tell anyone now FlingGolf is their favorite way to stay active together.
"I was really surprised at how much my wife enjoyed it. To the point now, she'll ask me, 'Hey, can we go play some FlingGolf?'" Lonnie said.
Del O'Kelly, whose post got Lonnie's attention about FlingGolf in Corpus Christi, trains new players.
He describes the sport as a blend of golf and lacrosse.
"We throw the ball, instead of hitting it," Del O'Kelly, FlingGolf South Texas, said.
I decided to give FlingGolf a try. O'Kelly says the equipment is more affordable. A fling stick costs less than $200 compared to golf clubs which can run $500.
The best part, he says, the sport is growing fast in South Texas.
"Texas is always last on any kind of new thing," O'Kelly said.
But Del says he's already seen about 30 new players pick up the sport just this summer.
Del O'Kelly with FlingGolf South Texas says with the sport growing so quickly, fans should expect a regional competition in the Coastal Bend within the next year.
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