My Brand of Golf

[volklgirl]

Since hubby has been off the bike due to his shoulder surgery, we've been looking for other ways to stay active for a couple of months. We've lived about 1/2 mile from the local Disc Golf course for almost 5 years but had never tried it until last week. Turns out it's Waaaaay more fun than I had ever expected! Yeah, I know.....just one more equipment intensive sport we don't have time for ..

Fortunately, a full set of discs and a bag can be had for less than $60! Geez, until we started doing this, I didn't even know you needed special discs for disc golf. Just like regular golf, they make long distance drivers, mid range drivers, approach discs (chippers) and putters. They have totally different rim profiles and flight characteristics than your traditional "Frisbee" and are made of softer, more durable plastics to better weather the inevitable and sometimes frequent tree hits . They even fly differently than my old Tournament and Ultimate Frisbees.

Our first round last Thursday we started with hole scores ranging from 5-7, slowing improving with each hole. We played again Friday, Sunday, and today, with scores tonight averaging closer to the 3-5 range (par on our home course is 3). What a great, rewarding, aggravating, frustrating, and thoroughly entertaining way to spend an hour or two with friends and family! I HIGHLY recommend giving it a try! (Yes, you CAN play with a disc from the dollar store, or whatever!! )

 

[Consuela]

DH looooves frisbee golf! Sometimes I come along as his caddy.

Disc golf is to DH, as MTB is to me.

 

[Shannon D]

In college, DH and I lived right next to a disc golf course and we used to play all the time. Brett is really good so he used to give me a stroke on every hole. He played par 3 and I played par 4. It was fun because it made is competitive for the two of us. There used to be a course on the Colorado State campus that ran along one of the busiest streets in Ft. Collins. Unfortunately, the road was on the right side of the "fairway" and cars used to get hit by errant frisbees all the time. Needless to say, that course no longer exists.

This is such a girlie thing to say, but if you have long fingernails, cut them before you go out. I've broken many a nail and it hurts!!!

Colorado Divas - There are ton of fun courses all over the front range. They have one in Interlocken that I see people playing at lunch all the time.

 

[volklgirl]

A few pics from the last couple of days

Hubby about to tee off at Mt Holiday

A view of Lake Michigan from the top of Mt Holiday

A tree lined fairway at Kalkaska (both our closest courses look a lot like this)

Me making a twilight shot at the top of Crystal Mtn

Me teeing off on a long shot at Kalkaska (see how the disc is tipped nose up and a little left? That means it's about to fly left)

And the very stunning view of Munson Medical Center's rooftop and the rest of Traverse City Downtown through the haze from the top of Hickory Hills

Finally, one of my very favorites! Hubby's disc about to slam into the tree directly in front of him while making a putt (see the basket also dead ahead? )

 

[tradygirl]

Me and a few friends actually created our own 18-hole super-secret frisbee golf course on the U of U campus as undergrads. We used standard plastic frisbees since that was what we were used to, and pins were anything from garbage cans to street lights to trees.

Tee-off was always 11:00PM or later, with a backpack full of beer. So much fun.

That being said, I haven't tried "official" frisbee golf. Solitude has a course that I've wanted to try, but alas another summer is slipping away. Maybe next year.

 

[volklgirl]

New pics!

More pics from our latest adventures:
Chet hiking along the ridge line at Mt Holiday at twilight

And teeing off

You really, really, really want to stay in the fairway right now. Searching through the leaves for a lost disc sucks!

Hubby making a beautiful putt!

Stunning fall colors everywhere!

 

[volklgirl]

So what if there's snow on the ground??

Just because it's winter, it doesn't mean we've stopped playing disc golf! The trick to playing in the snow is taping a 4 foot or longer piece of curly ribbon to the bottom of the disc. It affects the disc's flight very little and if the disc burrows itself into the snow, the curly ribbon sticks out so you can still find it. As the snow gets deeper, snowshoes come into play . This whole thing is fun, fun, fun!! Take note of all the other tracks in the snow! No, we're not the only crazies out here!

Playing on Thanksgiving day at Central Michigan University:

Friday after Thanksgiving at Cadillac, after a day of skiing:

Cadillac #11's Tunnel of Trees....this short-cuts a dog-leg right, and you don't want to miss your drive if you take this route. The brush here is DEEP!

Sunday after Thanksgiving at Kingsley, again, after a day of skiing. Why wasn't it snowing like this while we were skiing???:(

 

[SnowHot]

U B Nutz!

 

[volklgirl]

Another new one!

I'm pretty excited that I'm going to play in my second disc golf tournament this year.......this time in the dark!

We'll be using "glow" discs, made of glow-in-the-dark plastic, and carrying UV flashlights to recharge the discs and see our way around. They will also be putting glow sticks on each basket so we'll know where the basket is. I've wanted to play glow golf all summer - what better time to do it than Devil's Night????

Sweet!

 

[volklgirl]

Devil's Night was a riot!!!

So,

Our buddy and his girlfriend and my Mom and her friend all met us for the tournament on Devil's Night. About 24 people in all showed up about 8pm for the festivities, and all but the 6 of us played for money. We played as our own group, following the money players at our own pace.

The baskets were lit from below with flashlights pointing up and glow sticks around the top or woven into the chains. Trees in and along the fairways were delineated with glow sticks, and most of the people were wearing glow sticks so they could be seen by the other players. Everyone had either "glow" discs or clear plastic discs with little mini glow sticks designed for fishing bobbers taped to the bottom.

As we started out it began to pour down rain yet no one backed out of playing. By the end of the night (near midnight!) it had quit raining and the moon peeked out, but it was very, very windy! Watching the discs glowing and flashing in the dark during flight and being pushed up, down, and all around by the wind was an amazing visual experience. I really, really wish I'd taken my camera with me, but I think this was one of those "you had to be there" experiences.

In the end, despite the rain, it turned out that this was strangely the funnest thing I've done in a VERY long time!! If you get a chance to do this, even just walking along with a group or caddying for someone, I highly recommend the experience!!!

 

[volklgirl]

So....
We've played 2 more rounds of glow golf at night and continued playing throughout the winter. I'm now gearing up for 2 tournaments in the next couple of weeks at my home course. I'm mostly playing well, so I'm pretty excited.

Here's some pics:
Hubby putting at our favorite course

Kingsley in February (my disc is on the left side of the pic)

Mom challenges the snow man!

Thank goodness we put ribbons on the discs before playing in the snow!!

Getting ready for night golf:

 

[SnowHot]

I saw this link on someone's facebook page and thought of Volklgirl.
https://www.unofficialsquaw.com/index.php/home/4/5772.html