Disc Golf vs. Ball Golf

An article in today's Chico Enterprise Record discusses the pros and cons in a debate over whether a disc golf course can peacefully co-exist on a ball golf course in Bidwell Park in Chico, CA.

In the Chicago area, we're lucky to have two such courses: The Edgebrook Disc Golf Course and the White Mountain Rec Center are both located on existing ball golf courses.

I've had the pleasure to play Edgebrook, and it was one of the most enjoyable disc golf experiences I've ever had.

One concern mentioned in the article is cost. Disc golfers are used to playing for free, which is one of the great advantages of disc golf.

But at Edgebrook, a round with a cart costs only $12. To me this is a great deal, especially when you're playing on a beautifully maintained course with amenities like a pro shop, concessions, bathrooms, and water coolers. And you get a cart! If you haven't had the pleasure of playing with a cart, let me tell you, your legs will thank you!

Still, times are tough right now, and $12 may be out of reach for many disc golfers. It would be interesting to know what the attendance has been at the two Chicago fly 18 courses.

I take issue with a couple of points raised in the article: One is that having two sets of players on the course could be dangerous for the players, and the other is that older ball golfers don't like younger disc golfers on the course.

Based on my experience, I see no reason to worry. Playing the course with discs was no more dangerous than playing with clubs, and the older gents seemed to get a kick out of us younger disc throwers. In fact, last the last time I played I ended up giving throwing lessons to some old timers.

My biggest gripe in this article comes from disc golf advocate Lon Glazner who said "local disc golfers probably wouldn't be happy on manicured lawns." This guy obviously doesn't have a roller in his shot repertoire. In my opinion, there is no greater thrill in disc golf than throwing a roller 600 feet or more on a perfectly manicured fairway. Does he think we'd be happier in weeds up to our ankles?

The article also misses a big advantage of mixed courses: You can play ball golf and disc golf in the same group! The last foursome I played with at Edgebrook included two of my ball golfing buddies. We played seamlessly, and had a great time!

Read for yourself and let me know what you think:

Will disc golf work on the regular links?
Enterprise-Record - Chico,CA,USA

Is there room at Bidwell Park Municipal Golf Course for disc golf?

Randy Abbott and Christina Aranguren, members of the park's Citizen Advisory Committee for the master management plan, suggested the city investigate that option.

Aranguren told the commission she had talked to Michael Belchik, the professional course designer and professional player who worked on a possible redesign of the upper park disc golf course.

Belchik had told her combining the golf games has been done at other courses.

In a phone conversation with the Enterprise-Record on Wednesday, Belchik said there are pros and cons to combining play.

Read more...

Prairie Park Disc Golf Course Opens in DeKalb

Northern Illinois University students finally have a place to play Disc Golf, as the Prairie Park course officially opened last week:

Getting into the swing of disc golf
Dekalb Daily Chronicle - Dekalb,IL,USA

DeKALB - It's a sport that doesn't require special shoes, clothing or a lot of equipment, and participants don't have to break a sweat.

“Anyone can do it,” DeKalb resident Bill Flaherty said of the area's newest sport - disc golf.

He and friends played a nine-hole round Thursday afternoon at the county's only course.

DeKalb Park District officially opened the course at Prairie Park, on Glidden Avenue and Clifford Drive, last weekend, although Flaherty and others have been using it for about the two months it has been in place.

Kevin Kaminski and Robyn Ann Vardo, both of DeKalb, have been using the course since about mid-summer. They learned of it from a friend.

Vardo said she learned to play at an 18-hole course in Round Lake.

The availablity to a wide range of particpants, the easy learning curve, and the relativley low cost of installing and maintaining the course is what finally convinced park disctrict officials. And they couldn't be happier with the results. Assistant parks director Brad Garrison said:

"It's a great way to get people in the park,” he said. “Once they're out there for disc golf, they'll see the trail and other things we have available. It's also a good sport for a variety of people."

This isn't the first time someone approached Garrison about disc golf. Somebody tried 8 years ago, but the park district didn't know what the sport was all about. This goes to show how important it is for local disc golf clubs to get involved with park districts to develop courses.

Huntington Beach Course Celebrates 28 Years

At 28years-old, the Huntington Beach Calif. Disc Golf Course is the second-oldest disc golf course in the United States. The course course draws up to 50 players a week for weekly tournaments. Many former ball golfers come because the game is cheaper, the rounds are shorter, and it's more fun!

New spin on old game
Canton Repository (subscription) - Canton,OH,USA

The putting greens are bumpy, the “holes” stand five feet above ground, the fairways are far from pristine, and yappy little dogs are allowed to roam the course. But, hey, the green fees are under $3, and shirts are optional.

The Huntington Beach Calif. Disc Golf Course won’t remind anyone of Pebble Beach. But for thousands of devoted disc golfers, the 5,600-foot-long course of tall trees, scraggly grass and sloping fairways in Huntington Beach’s Central Park are magical.

Read More...

Disc Golf UK, Chico Could Lose Course

If not for the internet, this UK gent never would have discovered disc golf. Now he has an 18 hole course, his first tournament, and a website. Read on:

Wood makes a flying start
ic Croydon - UK
... After all, without having twiddled his satellite television channels, Wood might never have discovered the game of disc golf, or frisbee golf, which has become his major sporting passion. So much so in fact that Wood has even become a course designer for this little known minority sport and he is also keen to establish Croydon Disc Golf as an official club within the next month. For further details on joining Croydon Disc Golf contact Wood on 07881 585379 (mobile) or log on to www.croydondiscgolf.bravehost.com

The future of a disc golf course in Chico, Ca. is in question as park commisioners debate a park master plan:

Park recreation: Is this all there is?
Enterprise-Record - Chico,CA,USA
... did not put the question to rest, they did have a discussion about preventing future development in the park - an issue triggered by the disc golf course. ...

Ohio Ball Golfer Hooked on Disc Golf

Golf by any other name is still . . .
Bucyrus Telegraph Forum - OH, United States
... I had wet feet, dirty pants thanks to a successful retrieval from the Sandusky River and a great time playing disc golf. My sincere thanks to Ken Rollins and two brothers from Marion, whose names escape me, for the formal introduction to the sport. When Rollins asked them if it was all right if a "newbie" filled out the foursome, they wanted to know how new -- months, weeks, days or hours?

None of the above, I told them, "Minutes." I had watched others play several times at courses elsewhere. I had even tried my hand at throwing regular Frisbees at golf targets. But Saturday was the first time I played a hole, much less a complete round.

I'm hooked and as soon as the city is able to commit to making the course permanent at Aumiller Park, I'm going to buy a couple of my own discs. I know I've got some pars and birdies somewhere in this arm.

Feldberg and Jenkins Go Back To School

Community Sports: Spotlight, Notes & AnnouncementsThe Register-Guard - Eugene,Oregon,USA David Feldberg, 28, of Springfield, capped his most successful year on the professional disc golf tour this month by winning the United States Disc Golf Championship held in Rock Hill, S.C. The $11,000 prize brings his winnings to more than $27,300 for the year, with several smaller tournaments left to play. To date, he has won seven of the 21 tournaments entered in 2005, never finishing out of the top nine. Feldberg, who took up the sport in Michigan in 1997 and turned pro in 2000, arrived at the University of Oregon three years ago to work on dual undergraduate degrees in business and education. Although his professional career takes him throughout the country and occasionally overseas (he is also studying for a minor degree in Japanese), Feldberg and roommate Avery Jenkins, also a professional disk golfer, aim to expand the local community's understanding of the sport. The duo are establishing a club team at the university and will organize an on-campus tournament in mid-January that is open to the public as well as UO students. The tournament will include an introductory clinic and entry details will be announced following the holidays.