Q. Is disc golf a good way to get some exercise? Looks like fun! — B. McCoy, San Jose, Calif.
A."Golf is a good walk spoiled," said the irascible Mark Twain. Golf is also expensive, and with its continuing popularity, becoming a crowded venue. On many golf courses, electric carts are required, in order to speed the flow of people around the links. So much for that "walk." Disc golf, on the other hand, is a bit more physical (no carts; walking from hole to hole while carrying equipment is necessary) and a lot less expensive.
Disc golf courses are springing up all over the world, and in 1976, it even developed into a professional sport. Courses have become increasingly popular with municipal parks and recreation centers, because they are cheaper to install and maintain than tennis courts and are more inviting to larger segments of the population.
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 history of this sport goes back decades. In 1964, the late "Steady" Ed Headrick invented a flying disc for the Wham-O Toy Company, which 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 an upward opening basket. Disc golf was born.
Today there are almost 1,000 disc golf courses in the United States, with around 3 million regular players and over 30,000 members of the Professional Disc Golf Association. (The recreational flying disc is not used in competitive disc golf, where the discs are smaller and generally of an uncomfortable design for catching.) Just like with golf clubs, there are multitudes of differently designed discs with specially beveled edges that serve different flight functions.
The "driver" (thinner and more aerodynamically designed), the "mid-range" (thicker and more accurate in short distances) and the "putter" (which flies slower and straighter) are all regulated by size and weight through the PDGA. In addition to these general standards, there are even specific discs for flying straight, to the left and to the right. Discs can cost anywhere from $7 to $15 each.
"I usually tell new players to choose a weight that they feel comfortable with," suggests David Kendrick, president of the Colorado Disc Sports Association. "But youngsters and people with less snap tend to need lighter discs. 'Snap' is a term we use for how the disc leaves the hand with a sound or a lot of spin."
Kathy Hardyman, vice president of the CDSA, went from casual play for exercise in the late '90s to starting her own disc golf business in 2003. By 2006, she'd won numerous disc golf championships.
"Obviously we think this sport is a lot of fun," she says.
Linda Buch is a fitness trainer in Denver, Colo., and Lancaster County native. Please send your questions to: Linda@LJBalance.com or c/o "Body Language," Lancaster New Era, P.O. Box 1328, Lancaster, PA 17608.
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