Disc Golf...

How do you go to the links and play eighteen without a ball or clubs? Simple... you head out and play disc golf.

Disc Golf, sometimes called Folf (short for Frisbee(R) Golf) is played with a set of flying discs (not Frisbee(R)s) in much the same manner as regular golf. You take your first shot from a tee (usually concrete, rubber, or dirt) towards a pole-hole a bit of a distance away.

The distances are shorter than in ball golf (with holes being measured in feet instead of yards) but it can still prove to be an experience that gets you all the excercise you need in a day.

Here in the Indianapolis area, I have played on two courses, Brookside Park and the course at the Avon Town Hall. Kristen and I plan to hit the course at George Washington Park on Friday night.

This afternoon, I played eighteen at Brookside Park. There were a pretty good number of golfers out playing, and almost all of them were quite friendly. The low cost of equipment (one could, in theory, play with a single disc... though different discs are designed to do different things) makes Disc Golf one of the most egalitarian sports out there.

I actually birdied a few holes, made par on several, but on the whole its too early for me to be keeping score. Right now the fun and excercise is enough for me. Let me share a bit about my experience today.

I got a really good shot off the first tee, but cut my second shot too close to the woods. After catching a tree-branch, my driver went deep into the woods. I took solace in knowing that I wasn't alone. While looking for my driver, I found two other drivers (and I called their owners... one had just been lost the day before!) in the underbrush. I hope the owners of those drivers don't care, but I played out my round with their drivers in my bag.

Anyway, my best hole of the day was my first birdie, #5, thanks to the best approach shot I have ever thrown in my life (It was my third round and I took up the game last Friday... that kinda puts it in perspective).

I was starting to get a bit discouraged around #9 and considered packing it in and heading home... but my walk to the tenth tee calmed me down. I really picked up my long and midrange game from #10 through #14, with fatigue and a touch of dehydration hitting around the fifteenth hole. My longest drive of the day was on the tenth hole...

By the time I got to the bowl (a large depression on the west side of the park) I was just plain getting tired and sloppy... all I wanted was to refill my water bottle and lay down... but I trooped through.

IndyParks has done a pretty crappy job of providing for maps at this particular park... and I would offer the very serious complain that there are no places to sit down between holes (with the exception of around 5 and 7, where basketball court benches are avalaible).

Well, that's my little trek for today...