Lake Forest Footwork

Want to try something new, just for kicks this holiday season? Try a game of foot golf at Orange County’s first and only foot golf offering, Lake Forest Golf and Practice Center just west of the Saddleback Mountains at the intersection of the 5 and 405 Freeways. This par-29 course offers traditional disc golf, but it also has foot golf options on each of its 9 holes, making it the perfect introduction to the sport of foot golf. Check in with the clubhouse, pick up a course map, and rent a ball. Walk to the first hole, passing the driving range and going over a wild, shrub-dominated streambed.

Fragrant citrus trees flank the course, and signage leads to the tee-off spot. As you kick your way through the course, do your best to avoid punting your ball into one of two lakes. That’s not considered a hole in one, though the flowing fountains can help push the ball back to you, if a misfire does indeed happen. Hole 2 is home to one of these lakes, surrounded by a flowing creek and towering sycamores. Hole 5 is a beautiful open patch of green flanked by a stunning maple. It’s next to the second lake, often inhabited by local white herons, egrets, and cormorants. After the game, it’s now up to you to decide if foot golf is a habit you just won’t be able to kick!

To get to the Lake Forest Golf and Practice Center, take the I-5 to the El Toro exit and head east. After 1.5 miles, turn right onto Jeronimo Rd. Take the second right, onto Cherry Ave., and the parking lot will be on your left. $12 course fee, $5 to rent a soccer ball. No dogs.