60 Before 60 Project: #48 - Try Playing Disc Golf

Near our cottage, there is a disc golf course. We have driven past it for years and always thought we should stop one day and give it a try. The concept seemed easy enough to me, you just get a frisbee and try to aim it towards a metal basket that had chains on it to catch the frisbee. 

Boy – turns out I was wrong. This is a much more skilled game than I had thought. 

When my husband and I showed up with our dollar store frisbees to give the game a try, we were very fortunate to meet a gentleman named Stewart who was there waiting for his friend to play a round. He was kind enough to teach us a few things about disc golf.  

First thing I learned; this isn’t called frisbee golf. It’s actually called disc golf not golf frisbee (frisbee is a brand name – sort of like the Kleenex / tissue thing). I also learned that our dollar store discs were probably not going to serve us so well. 

Stewart showed us his extensive collection of discs that he plays the game with. Each of the discs were a different size, weight and shape and depending on where you were throwing from determined the disc he would use. There were ones used for distance and others used for putting. He compared it to having different golf clubs. Each one had a specific use. 

Stewart then shared with us how to throw the disc (and was also kind enough to agree that I could share his tutorial with you in the video below). He showed how it was more of an arm and twist motion than a flip of the wrist thing. I tried it a couple of times and found that it’s quite a different motion than what I was used to. I imagine that if I did it my way, I probably would experience some wrist pain by the end of the course. 

But I decided to give it a try. I found my dollar store disc was flying all over the place. I then realized that some practice is definitely necessary for me. I attempted a hole but do think I’ll need to invest in some discs to really enjoy the sport a little more. 

I learned a few things about disc golf.

First, this sport could be a great way to socialize while getting some exercise. It does require some skill but it doesn’t seem nearly as challenging to learn how to play golf. It’s also quite an inexpensive sport. You can get a starter set of discs for about $40 and is which makes it quite accessible to many people of any age. I also learned that there are leagues that you could join and there are courses all over the place. I found one website (UDisc) where you can search for disc golf courses near you. 

Who knows, maybe this is the next sport to rival the popularity of pickleball?

It’s a little late in the season for me to take up the sport now. Mind you, I have heard that some people play in the winter. I guess that is one of the benefits of the hole being above the ground. But this is definitely something I plan on considering playing next spring. 

How about you? Have you ever played disc golf? 

My 60 Before 60 Life Lesson: Just because something looks easy, it may not actually be easy

Interested in seeing all my 60 Before 60 experiences? Click here.