Posted on: June 5, 2009

Cheap Fore-play

Forget green fees. Save a few bucks by playing your golf disc-style

By Jeff Schnaufer
CTW Features

If the economy has you eBaying your golf clubs to pay your bills, donï¿½t despair ï¿½ disc golf is here.

ï¿½Itï¿½s a good way to be outside, get a little bit of exercise and socialize with friends,ï¿½ says Bruce Buonauro, an educational specialist who tried his first game of disc golf at the 18-hole course at Veteranï¿½s Park in Sylmar, Calif. ï¿½Itï¿½s fun and the cost is reasonable.ï¿½

Just as traditional golfers drive a ball through a course in search of par or better, disc golf players hurl inexpensive Frisbee-like discs around a course dotted with metal baskets ï¿½ the ï¿½holesï¿½ ï¿½ mounted on poles about five feet high. Like golf, players aim for the fewest attempts to get their discs into the basket. And disc golf also has professional players, complete with tournaments and purses (though much less than the PGA).

ï¿½Itï¿½s still the game of golf. Positioning and mental self-control are still as important as getting off a good distance drive. A great player still has to be able to handle the pressure putt,ï¿½ says Joe Mierzwinski, a member of the disc golf club at the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho.

Of course, there are some differences.

ï¿½In golf, the club is the leverage. You are the leverage in disc golf. You use your hips, shoulder, elbow, wrist,ï¿½ says Gary Sandoval, co-owner of 19th Hole Sports, which operates the course at Veteranï¿½s Park in Sylmar.

Disc golf throws, which can travel several hundred feet, include a backhand shot, a sidearm and even one you throw over your head, called a thumber, Sandoval says. Beginners can rent a disc for a few dollars or, if they get serious, buy a driver, a mid-range driver and a putter for as little as $25. Some professional disc golfers carry as many as 35 discs in their shoulder bag.

And then thereï¿½s the environment. Disc golf drives can be more susceptible to wind, which can literally blow discs off course. Baskets may be harder to spot, hidden behind trees and bushes found in public parks where many courses are located. Nor will you pay through the nose for a greens fee. Unlike ball golf, most of the thousands of U.S. disc golf courses charge no fee or only a few dollars per game.

You also wonï¿½t find yourself surrounded by snobs who scoff at your t-shirt, flip flops and pet dog you bring to the course. The grassroots game of disc golf originated in public parks, unlike ball golfï¿½s origin on privately owned property, says Rick Rothstein, managing editor, DiscGolfer magazine and president of Disc Golf World, Kansas City, Mo.

ï¿½Iï¿½ve always marveled and enjoyed the diversity of people in disc golf,ï¿½ Rothstein says. ï¿½At a tournament, there might be foursome that includes a physician, an 18-year old phenom, a guy who canï¿½t hold a job and a bank examiner.ï¿½ And while the recession may be hurting ball golf courses, ï¿½it might actually be helping the growth of the (disc golf) game,ï¿½ he says. ï¿½As peopleï¿½s incomes decline, they may not be able to afford ball golf clubs or racquetball clubs, and disc golf just might fill the competitive/exercise void.ï¿½

According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, there were 2,354 disc golf courses in the U.S., from Alaska (15) to Florida (62), Texas (177) to Pennsylvania (66) and practically everywhere in between. An estimated 8 to 12 million people have played disc golf.