Whether playing on the PGA Tour or wagering with buddies, a successful money putt in golf can cause a “cha-ching” sound inside a player’s head. In disc golf, that sound isn’t just the player’s imagination.
A disc golfer’s favorite sound is when the disc hits the target’s chains and settles into the basket.
Cha-ching!
Disc golf is played like traditional golf. The idea is to make the fewest shots, or throws — but a Frisbee-like disc replaces the ball and an elevated metal basket serves as the target, or hole. The basic rules and scoring of golf apply.
“It’s the fastest growing sport that nobody’s heard of,” said Calvin Hunsinger, manager of Dog Leg Discs in Aurora.
Courses are usually 18 holes and can be found in municipal parks or fields. Beginners need just one disc; advanced players use multiple discs for specialized driving, midrange shots and putting. Like traditional golf, players who exhibit strength, touch and strategy usually win.
“There are a lot of great things about this game,” said John Bird, president of Mile High Disc Golf Club. “I’ve met a lot of friends, it’s relatively inexpensive, and it doesn’t take as much time as ball golf. You can get through a round in two, three hours on most courses. And for a beginner, it probably has a much friendlier learning curve.”
The only required equipment — a disc — costs $12 to $24, and courses typically charge a fraction of what a regular golf outing would run.
“The sport has really grown by leaps and bounds in the past four, five years,” Bird said. “We’ve really hit more mainstream, appealing to 50-plus and older to keep active, and for young people to do something inexpensive.”
The Western Slope’s Grand Valley Disc Golf Club, part of the Gateway Canyons Resort, is hosting its first disc golf tournament this weekend. Fifteen divisions from beginner to professional are offered. For more information, visit or call 970-931-2458.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
Disc golf resources
Colorado Disc Sports Association
Mile High Disc Golf Club
The following Colorado venues offer disc golf:
Aspen Mountain
Badlands, Federal Heights
Bird’s Nest Disc Park, Arvada
Conifer Park Disc Golf Course
Copper Mountain Resort
Cottonwood Park, Colorado Springs
David A. Lorenz (Lighthouse) Park,
Littleton
Edora Park, Fort Collins
Exposition Park, Aurora
Fort Morgan Optimist
Frisco Peninsula
Grand Valley Disc Golf Club, Gateway
Harlow Platts, Boulder
Johnny Roberts Park, Arvada
Lakewood Dry Gulch
Pueblo City Park
Westminster City Park
Widefield Park, Colorado Springs
Source: Mile High Disc Golf Club
The following stores specialize in disc golf merchandise:
Dog Leg Discs, Aurora
(720) 748-2119
Phenix Disc Sports, Arvada
(303) 963-5647
The Wright Life, Fort Collins
970-484-6932
