FlingGolf joins tradition at the Old Course at St. Andrews

Jonathan Bellingham and his FlingStick on the Swilcan Bridge at St. Andrews

November 12, 2024. St. Andrews, Scotland.  Golf's (much) younger cousin has been welcomed on the traditional sport's most hallowed grounds.

Just less than two months after New Swarm announced that its alt-golf-sport FlingGolf had been played on 2000 golf courses globally, and only weeks after it completed a partnership that will see the sport grow throughout the UK, the company has now announced that one of the sport's leading ambassadors has been welcomed and played the first round of FlingGolf on golf's most traditional grounds of the Old Course at St. Andrews.

Jonathan Bellingham, an owner of the Capon Springs Resort and golf course in West Virginia, had a business trip on his calendar for a conference in Scotland and decided to take his FlingStick along with him in order to play FlingGolf on some of the famed courses in the area, including possibly the most storied golf course in the world.

On November 7, the stars aligned and Jonathan with his FlingStick joined two other traditional golfers and a St. Andrews caddy and experienced a day that no other FlingGolf player had to this point.

"It was surreal, to be honest.  We all know that FlingGolf and golf are so easily compatible, but that doesn't necessarily translate right away for some traditional courses.  So to be welcomed, and honestly with really no concerns just curiosity, from my group, was so cool.  Very quickly we were talking about the fact that I was setting the course record for FlingGolf at St. Andrews! It was an amazing day that I won't forget." 

Alex Van Alen, New Swarm's CEO, weighed in on the significance of the moment. "Jonathan and his round on St. Andrews embodies the movement we are seeing in FlingGolf on so many levels.  Firstly, he is a ridiculously good ambassador for the sport, whether it is hosting regional tournaments at his home course, competing successfully in the WLF Master's Division, or promoting the sport proudly throughout the state of West Virginia."

"Secondly, he is a leader in the player community, and it is that community that has brought the sport to be played on over 2000 courses at such an early stage in its existence. And that is only able to happen because of how easily the sport meshes with traditional golf, as we saw with Jonathan's round alongside two traditional golfers.  This is a moment that will go down in the annals of FlingGolf's story and I couldn't be happier than to see Jonathan be the player to "liberate" St. Andrews."

Jonathan played the course from the 6037 yard tees and shot a 92 with his 47 inch Ballistick FlingStick.  The day was unusually sunny for November in Scotland and Jonathan made the most of it, even recording a Reggie Par on the 8th hole.

"Knowing there were only two par threes on the course, I wanted to make the most of the first one. So I really leaned into it to have a shot at getting on the green and landed within 15 feet of the hole.  A nice Clean Sweep gave me an easy tap in for the Reggie Par.  That was an incredible sense of accomplishment providing sincere fist bumps from my golfing partners."

Following his round at St. Andrews, Jonathan met with FlingGolf UK President Paul Barran to play FlingGolf at other courses in the area, including the Duke's Course, St. Andrews.  "What a thrill it was to hear that Jonathan was playing St. Andrews.  I've managed to play some of the best courses in the UK, including the Woburn Golf Club, Marquess Course, Morton Hall in Edinburgh and Ardglass in Northern Ireland, but to know that the Old Course is on the FlingGolf map is really exciting.  It bodes well for where the sport is headed over here."

Bellingham felt a real sense of the history of the moment and left his FlingStick for the St. Andrews staff to hold as a memento. "It was an amazing thought that since the 1500s, this course has been the beacon of golf and it's incredible traditions.  Now, and for the entire FlingGolf community I have been fortunate to be a part of, perhaps this could be the beginning of a new tradition on the Old Course."

With the momentum that FlingGolf has seen over the last few years, it seems clear this wont be the last round seen at the birthplace of golf.

Jonathan with his group of 2 traditional golfers and St. Andrews Caddy

 92 is the present Old Course FlingGolf course record