The Disc Golf Sensation
Story by Brian Sullivan
Golfing with Frisbees is the hot new park activity.
It's a beautiful spring day, and you're enjoying it by visiting
a park in a
neighboring city. You spot an odd looking steel-and-chain contraption
sticking up out of the ground, and as you approach it for closer
inspection,
somebody yells "fore!" before an even stranger looking
Frisbee comes
fling out of nowhere and lands near the contraption.
Welcome to the world's new golfing passion. Here comes disc golf,
and it's headed your way.
No clubs, balls, or funny Knickers, but the concept is the same:
toss a
Frisbee into a sturdy steel target in the fewest number of throws.
The
uninitiated grasp the concept faster when the game is called “Frisbee
golf”,
but since Frisbee is a registered trademark, the name “disk
golf” will
have to suffice. Regardless of what you call it over 500,000 players
on
nearly 1000 courses in the United States are already enjoying
this hot new
game, with many more in at least 18 other countries.
The object of the game is to send a golf disc into the target,
commonly
called the "basket” in the fewest number of throws.
Players shoot for par
by driving from a designated tee area and throwing each consecutive
shot
from the spot where the previous throw has landed. A successful
putt
sends the disc into the basket to complete the hole. Each hole
is 150 to
500 feet in length, with typically 18 holes per course.
If your park has 30 or so acres of underutilized space, or your
simply
looking for a new revenue source, disc golf can quickly fill up
your parking
lot with enthusiastic patrons.
The Disc Golf Experience BACK
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Disc golfers enjoy an experience similar to traditional “ball”
golfers--- the
camaraderie of friends, the enjoyment of the great outdoors, and
the
excitement of harnessing personal speed and accuracy to propel
an object
toward a target --- without any of golf's prohibitive cost.
There are no expensive green fees, since nearly all the disc
golf courses
are in public parks. Instead of investing in a set of clubs and
a pile of balls,
disc golfers need only a disc or two, which retail between $7-
$12 each.
The courses designed for disc golf are environmentally friendly
and tend
to fit into a park's existent flora, rather than requiring clear-cutting
of trees,
filling of wetlands and over-fertilization of fairways which occurs
on to
many of today's ball golf courses. Trees, shrubbery, water and
terrain
changes offer plenty of hazards to avoid, and it becomes possible
to lose
a disc in areas with thick growth, tall trees or (SPLASH!) deep
water.
Traditionally dominated by 18 to 49 year-old men, disc golf has
greatly
expanded in recent years to include men, woman, and kids of all
ages.
And unlike their ball golfing neighbors, disc golfers play in
just about any
weather. Rain, snow, sleet, and mud... these are mere distractions
for your
typically obsessed disc golfer.
In short disc golf is big fun for nearly every potential park
user, regardless of
their age, sex or socioeconomic status.
The Equipment BACK
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Golf disc have little in common with the bulky freestyle Frisbees
you've thrown
at the beach. Each type of disc weighs about the same (generally
between 150
and 180 grams, or 5 to 6 ounces), but golf discs are smaller in
diameter and
made of denser plastic, with a tendency to have narrower edges
for greater
aerodynamic performance. The current world record toss stands
at 712 feet.
A recreational player can have a great time with only one disc,
but you'll see
experienced players toting a bag full of plastic, carrying up
to twenty discs at
a time. Each disc, like the traditional golf club, is intended
for a different
purpose. The typical golf disc falls into one of three categories:
driver,
midrange or putter. There are dozens of golf discs to chose from
depending
on a player's style and level of experience.
The other major component of disc golf equipment is the target,
also known
as the basket. Constructed of vandal-resistant galvanized steel,
disc golf
baskets are occasionally misidentified by casual observers as
strange
baroque pits or new angled animal feeders. It's the basket that
provides
the key to disc golf fun, being a true indicator of completing
a hole, and
providing a satisfying “ching” sound as the disc strikes
the chains before
being deposited into the basket. Finally, tee pads are critical
to an enjoyable
day of disc golf. These are typically self-draining concrete pads
measuring
approximately 12 feet long by 6 feet wide, and provide stable
footing for
“driving” the hole. Giving golfers the option of playing
from a `long' or
“short” pad on each hole will help to ensure that all
players will find an
appropriate challenge for their skill level.
Enthusiastic parks looking to cut costs will sometimes trim
the tee pad
budget, leaving golfers to drive from gravel or dirt. While this
might cut
costs in the short term, it will lead to further headaches in
the future. Dirt
or gravel tee pads can quickly turn to water-collecting pits,
creating an
unsafe environment and additional erosion problems as golfers
continually
expand the tee area in search of firm ground to throw from. Just
as you
wouldn't build a tennis or basketball court with a dirt base,
it is recommended
that you make the commitment to a quality disc golf course that
includes
at least one concrete tee pad per hole.
Successful Parks Say Yes BACK
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One of the most touted disc golf regions is Michigan, which
now offers
more than 48 courses.
“Disc golf has been very beneficial for the Kalamazoo Parks
system”,
says Bob Gregersen, the County Parks Director in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
“We've received a lot of extra visitors and attention because
of the game“.
Gregersen continues to be amazed at disc golf's impact. “Disc
golfers are
in the park 365 days a year. Whatever the season, whatever the
weather,
I see players on the course. That's what is exciting to me. We
have
something that attracts people all year round. We've had ice fishing
and cross country skiing for years, but disc golf is now our biggest
winter activity. If you build it they will come”. Kalamazoo
has recently
added a fourth disc golf course to serve its growing player base,
with an
additional two courses in the planning stages.
Hudson Mills Metro Park outside of Ann Arbor is another Michigan
disc
golf hot spot, and is counted as one of the finest disc golf facilities
in the
in the world. Today, Park Superintendent Kimberly Jarvis oversees
two side-by-side 24-hole courses.
“The original disc golf course was built in 1992”,
Jarvis says. “With the
success of the first course, we decided along with our local club
(A3 Disc)
that to attract major tournaments such as the Great Lakes Open,
we
needed a second course”. As a result, a second world-class
course
was installed in 1997, helping to attract - among other events
- the
week-long Disc Golf World Championships, which brought over 800
disc golfers from around the world to Hudson Mills last summer.
A Solution For Problem Areas BACK
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A number of parks around the US have persistent problems with
unsavory characters on park property, and are often looking for
inexpensive solutions to unwanted activity within unsupervised,
low-traffic park areas. Today, more and more of these parks are
putting
disc golf to work.
Troublemakers are usually looking for quiet, secluded areas
where
they can operate away from public scrutiny. When a group of disc
golfers
is passing through every five or ten minutes, these un wanted
guests
will quickly will find a new gathering place besides your park,
or
learn to behave.
“We had a problem with vandalism in certain areas of the
park, but after
the disc golf course was built, the increased activity in the
park really
decreased vandalism”, says Rich Dippel, Director of Parks
and
Recreation for South St. Paul, Minnesota. “It also takes
a piece of
park space e that wasn't being used and makes it an important
part
of the park system”.
The Benefits Of Fostering A Club BACK
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Whenever a new disc golf course installed, it's not unusual
for a club
to materialize soon after, as golfers interact more closely with
each
other. Group competition leads to the formation of one or more
leagues,
and small tournaments can evolve to PDGA sanctioned state and
regional
events, drawing positive media attention and new players from
When their are club activities surrounding your disc golf course,
you
will suddenly find dozens of enthusiastic volunteers to help with
installation and maintenance. Club members generally take great
pride
in ownership in their courses, often scheduling litter pick up
days and
providing other general maintenance. Some clubs have even created
elaborate landscaping designs for their signature holes.
You can foster your club by listening and responding to their
suggestions
and concerns, encouraging club communications by providing a quality
message board, and building good will by donating small prizes
for their
events such as discs or season passes. Once you get the players
on
your side, you will lock into a strong symbiotic relationship
that will grow
into an additional benefit for you and the community you serve.
How To Get Started BACK
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When you are getting ready to install your disc golf course,
you'll need a
couple of things: approximately one or two acres of land available
for each
hole , and a budget in the neighborhood of $22,000. This budget
should
cover the expenses you'll incur in hole preparation, basket acquisition,
concrete tee pad installation, and obtaining or creating other
important
items like a message board, tee signs, garbage cans, and picnic
tables.
It is recommended that you hire the services of an experienced
course
designer for assistance in the design phase of development. The
designer
will provide valuable input in optimizing your land for the best
course
possible, and will cast a critical eye toward a number of important
goals.
These include logical flow, hole-to-hole safety, erosion control,
hazard
management, and creating a well-rounded mix of shot possibilities.
A course designer can also help you create a course that will
appeal to
both novice and advanced players through the careful placements
of
multiple tee pads and basket positions.
Contact the Professional Disc Golf Association for help in finding
a
course designer in your area.
Published by The Trades Publishing Company.
Printed by Gannett
For More Information:
One of the major motivators behind disc golf's growth is the Professional
Disc
Golf Association, an international nonprofit organization that
serves
over 17,000 members as the sport's sanctioning body and sponsor
of
an annual tour, which included over 300 events and delivered a
pay out
of nearly one million dollars in 2000. Under the PDGA, disc golf
has
been enjoying consistent annual growth of 15 to 20 percent across
the board over the past five years.
The PDGA offers information and a number of programs to assist
you
in building disc golf in your community.
Call or write:
115 Front Street East Suite 485
Toronto, Ontario CANADA M5A 4S6
phone :(416) 203-9628
fax: (416) 203-9629
e-mail:office@pdga.com
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