Jonathan Bellingham was supposed to be winding down. Third generation running Cacapon Springs and Farm Resort in Hampshire County — a property where mineral waters have flowed through American history since the 1700s — he figured maybe retirement meant playing more golf. He doesn’t like traditional golf. So he created the first flingolf PE curriculum in the country, licensed it into West Virginia middle and high schools, equipped every state park in WV with gear, and became the first person to play flingolf on the Old Course at St. Andrews. Retirement is apparently a flexible concept.
Flingolf is a crossbow-golf hybrid: one stick, same course, same par, same holes, different motion. The learning curve runs about twenty minutes. Entry cost is one stick at around $150 — a fraction of what traditional golf requires to get started. What Bellingham saw was an access and engagement problem: a sport that could get kids outside without the intimidation factor, that families could play together, that PE teachers could teach without a specialized background. He built the curriculum, created a club-to-tour pipeline, and is now taking it international, with a UK team coming to the U.S. for a competition.
Learn more about: Fling for All / Cacapon Springs and Farm Resort / WV State Parks
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