The Range: Disc Golf and Guns (what could go wrong)
Just about a week ago I got a call from one of my buddies asking if I wanted to head out and go disc golfing with him and his son. It's an interesting story about this friend... Many years ago my brother in law was living down in Kentucky and he introduced me to disc golf. I came home and discovered that there were a couple of courses right near where I lived.
Somehow, I got talking to my friend about it and he expressed some interest in trying it out. He picked up on it fairly well and he and I spent many summer days and evenings playing a round or two through the summer.
Over the years I got a new job and moved to a different city, we still played occasionally, but not like we used to. We both got busy with life and you know how that goes. Fast forward to a couple of years ago and my friends son picked up the game. In that time he has become an excellent disc golfer competing in and placing in several tournaments.
By default, his dad has started playing more and now the guy who I introduced to the game can regularly kick my butt on any given day. While I might play once a week, they often play a round several times a week. I guess practice really does pay off!
So as I said, I got a call asking if I wanted to play a round. I love the game, so I was more than happy to join them. Unfortunately, the course we had planned on playing was hosting leagues on Wednesday night, so we decided to visit another course I had never played before.
"The Range" is on a piece of land that is actually fairly close to where I live. Oddly enough, it sits adjacent to a shooting range (hence the name), but you never actually come close enough to feel like you are in danger. There are actually other hazards on this course that you need to be more concerned about.
That photo above is my friends son getting ready to tee off.
The Range has a nice mix of open and wooded holes, but there are several holes that have a large amount of poison ivy around them. In fact, it is so much poison ivy that they had to put signs up to warn people. If you have ever played disc golf, you probably know that throws can be unpredictable at times. There are a dozen different factors that play into where your disc might go. Being able to avoid the poison ivy (especially around a blind turn) is just a matter of odds before you end up there.
Although the course was nice, I would be hesitant to ever play here again until they find a way to get the poison ivy problem remediated, which I know is no small task.
These bridge spans criss cross the course at several places to give you passage over the various drainage ditches that run through the property. Besides sitting adjacent to a shooting range, it also sits next to farm fields and a small river.
It was a beautiful evening when we played our round. The wind was a bit heavy, but the temperature was cool and the sun casting shadows behind us made it rather pleasant.
An average round of disc golf assuming you don't have to wait for other groups ahead of you takes about an hour to play 18 holes. Of course, it can take more or less time depending on how quickly you move, how many times you have to throw per hole, and how many errant discs you need to look for on each hole.
The photo above shows one of the more wooded holes on the course. If you look at the photo really closely, you can just make out the basket far off in the distance at the end of the "lane".
Given the amount of walking involved, I'm going to include this post as a #wednesdaywalk submission for the initiative started by @tattoodjay.
My round started off pretty rough to be honest. It was only the second time I have played this year and I was working on adjusting my form, so things were a bit out of whack. It drives me crazy that my friend is a better player than me now, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It drives me to improve my game and I am honestly happy for him that he is doing so well and still enjoying the sport as much as I do.
Somewhere on the second half of the course, things just started falling into place for me and while I don't consider all of my problems sorted out, I was throwing longer drives and I was burying putts that I normally would have struggled to hit.
For example, the photo above shows where I hit one of those putts from. I took the photo from the spot where my approach shot landed. You can see the basket in the center of the photo. It had to be a good twenty plus feet from where I was standing. I was shocked when those chains actually rattled!
As I was crossing over the last bridge I noticed this beautiful scene in front of me. I told them I needed to stop and take some photos for my blog. They just kind of laughed at me and continued on while I took these shots. The purple wild flowers really stood out well against the green.
I tried to get some close ups, but my phone decided to focus on the bridge instead of the flowers for the one above. It still gives a kind of cool effect. I think what I like the most about these photos is how the lighting turned out. The sun sitting lower in the sky added a real warmth to the photos that I don't think I would have gotten in the middle of the day.
After the final scores were tallied, my friends son shot a -3, my friend shot a +3, and I shot a +8 which for only my second time out this year actually isn't too bad for me. Plus, I learned some adjustments I can make to my technique that I think will help me improve this summer. I already applied some of them when @mrsbozz and I played a round this past weekend.
Sports Talk Social - @bozz.sports
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For a game I was only vaguely aware of before following your posts, I'm always kind of amazed by how many places there are to play this game.
It's pretty crazy when you look at the world map in the UDisc app.
Aha I was wondering how quick compared to golf. So you pretty much use the same terminology I see. The poison ivy, now, that does not sound too pleasant!
Yeah, it's really similar, just shorter distances, baskets instead of "cups", and discs instead of a ball and clubs. It's nice because most courses are free, the start up costs are far less (unless you get a second hand set of clubs like I did), and it doesn't take all day to play a full round.
Looks like a lot of fun. I found my favorite disc during the move and have it handy. I'll need to see if there are local courses close before the hot weather gets here.
If you don't have it already, download the UDisc app. It shows you all the courses near you and makes it easy to keep scores. I use it every time I play now. What's your favorite disc? Mine is a Stingray, I can throw that thing pretty consistent, but not very far. I have been trying to branch out into more distance drivers. The Sidewinder is my main tee off disc right now.
Thanks for the hint on the UDisc App, Will check that out. Google Maps shows at least one or two within 20-30 minutes. I'm old school and still like my old World Class Disc. I haven't done the golf in over a decade so it will take a bit to warm up. I was actually considering putting a few "holes" in the meadow back in Vermont before we moved. Glad I didn't put the time and money into that now.
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Looks like a nice day out on the course! Too bad there's so much poison ivy out there, but at least there's some distance from the bullets. It's nice to get out every now again isn't it?
!BBH
It sure is. My friend started a small league this year and I joined it, so I need to get out at least nine more times this summer!