“Golf is a good walk spoiled,” observed Mark Twain. Yet fans of golf played with plastic discs rather than clubs and balls would disagree with him. Some 3 million disc golfers enjoy their walks along scenic courses – there are about 70 in Colorado – carrying backpacks loaded with plastic discs. They test their throwing ability and mental concentration in hitting their targets.
Courses are an increasingly popular feature in municipal parks as they are relatively inexpensive to install and maintain and have wide appeal. What’s not to love? You get to walk around a park, practice and perfect your disc-tossing abilities, and, unless you are signed up for a competition or are using a private course, you can enjoy it for free.
The object is to throw a golf disc into the target, typically a steel basket hanging from chains, in the fewest number of throws. The player begins by “driving” from a designated tee area and continues toward the target, throwing each consecutive shot from the spot where the previous throw has landed, until a “putt” sends the disc into the target.
Courses are usually 18 holes, but there are nine-hole courses too. Hole lengths vary, but generally fall between 150 and 500 feet each. Hazards to avoid include trees, shrubbery and water – it’s easy to lose discs.
John Bird, who has been playing disc sports since 1972, enjoys the strategy side of the game. He is president of the Mile High Disc Golf Club, which has more than 200 members in the Denver area. The demographics of disc golf is changing and attracting young families as well as baby boomers, says Bird, who teaches clinics and gives private lessons.
The history of this sport goes back decades. In 1964, “Steady” Ed Headrick invented a flying disc for the Wham-O Toy Co. we all know as the Frisbee. Since Wham-O owns the Frisbee name, and since Headrick wanted this sport to be a separate entity, in 1975 he invented the “Disc Pole Hole,” a catching device, consisting of 10 chains hanging in a parabolic shape over a basket. Disc golf was born and became a professional sport in 1976.
Disc golf provides a gentle level of upper and lower-body conditioning and encourages mental concentration. People whose fitness levels are either limited or at nascent stages of improvement can still get into the game and find fun and enjoyment with little risk of physical injury. For the millions who have enjoyed tossing a Frisbee around for the past 50 years, disc golf is a logical progression.
The recreational Frisbee is not used in competitive disc golf, where the discs are smaller and generally of an uncomfortable design for catching.
Just as with golf clubs, there are a variety of discs with specially beveled edges that serve different flight functions. The “driver” (thinner and more aerodynamically designed), the “midrange” (thicker and more accurate in short distances), and the “putter” (which flies slower and straighter) are all regulated by size and weight. In addition to these general standards, there are even specific discs for flying straight, to the left and to the right. Discs typically cost $7 to $15 each.
“I usually tell new players to choose a weight that they feel comfortable with,” says David Kendrick, president of the Colorado Disc Sports Association. “But youngsters and people with less snap tend to need lighter discs.” Snap refers to how the disc leaves the hand with a sound or a lot of spin.
Kathy Hardyman, whose motto is, “You wish you threw like a girl,” went from casual play for exercise in the late ’90s to playing her first tournament at the end of 2001. She won the masters division at the Amateur World Championships in 2003 and started a disc golf business that same year, disc-diva.com.
So what hooked her?
“It’s something my husband and I like to do together; we like to be outside,” Hardyman says. “And like any sport, it’s addictive. You challenge yourself to see if you can play better the next time. Other than that, I just like to see it fly.”
Linda J. Buch is a certified fitness trainer in Denver and co-author of “The Commercial Break Workout.” Write her at linda@LJbalance.com.
Disc golf rules for recreational play
Disc Golf is played using a flying disc, with one point counted each time the disc is thrown and when a penalty is incurred. The object is to get the lowest score.
Tee throws: Tee throws must be completed within or behind the designated tee area. Lie
The spot where the previous throw has landed, marked with a mini disc or turn over the thrown disc, directly towards the hole or dogleg.
Throwing order: After teeing off, the player whose disc is farthest from the hole throws first. The player with the fewest number of throws on the previous hole is the first to tee off on the next hole.
Fairway Throws: Fairway throws must be made with the foot closest to the hole on the lie. The other foot may be no closer to the hole than the lie. A run-up and normal follow-through, after release, is allowed.
Dogleg: A dogleg is one or more designated trees or poles in the fairway that must be passed as indicated by arrows. Until the dogleg is passed the closest foot to the dogleg must be on the lie when the disc is released.
Completion of hole: A disc that comes to rest in the Disc Pole Hole basket or chains constituted successful completion of that hole.
Unplayable lie: Any disc that comes to rest above the ground is considered an unplayable lie. The disc must be thrown from the lie on the ground, directly underneath the unplayable lie.
Out of bounds: A throw that lands out of bounds must be played from a point 3 feet in bounds from where the disc went out of bounds.
Penalties: Recreational players will not be penalized for rule infractions. Other players will keep you honest.
Course courtesy: Please pick up trash and help new players play by the rules. The most important rule: The one who had the most fun wins! Tee off and fly freely.
-Disc Golf Association
Disc golf groups
Colorado Disc Sports Association,
Mile High Disc Golf,
