Disc Golf: A Totally Different Spin on a Familiar Sport

By Torin Yeager
Sun staff writer
In an area populated by more than a few picturesque golf courses, it is generally not surprising when yet another large expanse of neatly tended greens appears. However, when a course is created that puts an entirely new spin on a time-honored sport, interest grows substantially.

A disc golf course has sprung up in the heart of Leelanau County’s Myles Kimmerly Park near Maple City, and draws a surprising number of players from the entire Grand Traverse region and beyond. The course was designed and built by Cal Benke, an avid disc golfer from Kalkaska. Benke approached the Leelanau County Parks and Recreation Commission in April of 2001 with his idea of a disc golf course at Myles Kimmerly. He brought along a basket, some discs and let the Commissioners try them out on the courthouse lawn in Leland. The response was extremely positive. The members of the Commission agreed that a course could be a terrific asset to the park, providing another recreational activity for many people. As well as County funding, local businesses gave money to sponsor holes. During 2002, Benke designed and constructed the course. Several of the holes are in the open, while most wind through the hills back in the woods. He prefers to leave the large trees and obstacles, such as fallen logs, while removing only the small brush that would hinder the flight of the discs. This makes for quite a scenic and challenging course. The holes vary in length from approximately 250’ to over 400’. The new course officially opened in the spring of 2003 and is immensely popular with area disc golfers. The parking lot is rarely empty.
“But, what exactly is disc golf?” asks the uninformed. Unlike conventional golf, with its long metal clubs and small dimpled balls, disc golf equipment consists of an assortment of Frisbee-like discs of varying weight and balance. Otherwise, the basic concept remains the same: move from the tee to the “hole” with as few tosses of the disc as possible. The rules of etiquette are similar as well. The tees typically consist of a 4×4 anchored in the ground, which you must stand behind when you throw your disc. The “hole” is actually a heavy metal basket about 3 feet in diameter, attached to a 5-foot tall metal pole. Lengths of chain are suspended above the basket to cause the disc to drop down into the basket.
My first experience with disc golf was a very enlightening one, as I had never played any kind of golf before. John Lee, a 13-year-old friend, enthusiastically acted as my mentor. John first learned the game at Camp Hayo-Went-Ha, a YMCA camp on Torch Lake he attended two years ago. He took an immediate liking to the increasingly popular sport. The next year, when he discovered the new disc golf course at Myles Kimmerly Park, a mere stone’s throw from his home, he was hooked. John jumped at the opportunity to share his knowledge with me. My passing familiarity with Frisbees had given me the basic skill of throwing a disc, but everything else was new.
We walked to the first tee, studied the sign showing the “hole” map, and observed that it was a par 4. I watched intently as John stepped to the board, took up his stance, and threw his disc toward the unseen target. It sailed straight as an arrow. Next came my turn. With confidence, I moved into position, aimed, and flung my disc into the air. I suddenly noticed the gusty wind out of the West. Maybe that’s what caused it to hook to the left. John instructed me to locate my disc and continue on toward the basket, which remained elusively out of sight beyond a small group of trees. I searched in the tall grass and realized the importance of having a brightly colored disc. After another two heaves of my disc, the basket was finally in view. John, of course, was already within putting range. He took out his “putter”, a slightly heavier disc that willingly drops into the basket. He achieved par with no problem. My fourth toss landed amazingly close to the basket. I was sure I would finish my first disc golf hole ever with a bogey. However, as I released the disc with a little too much force, it bounced off the chains and I watched in agony as it rolled further away. I finally made it into the basket with a score of 6.
After my first few “holes”, I became aware of the fact that the tilt of the disc was causing all of my drives to fly off course to the left. This gave me no choice but to employ some difficult tomahawk shots to get through the trees. (A tomahawk is a shot where you throw the disk overhand, on its edge.) Sometimes my curving disc would ricochet off a large tree and actually land in a good position. To improve my control, John showed me how to hold my disc level as I released it, thus allowing it to fly satisfyingly straight. The more spin I could put on the disc, the more stable its flight as well. My drives continued to get better as I progressed through the course. John and I completed the entire round of 18 holes in less than two hours. I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon and definitely planned to play again soon.
If you would like to try disc golf yourself, you can start with just one long-range driver disc as I did. You can expect to pay around $12.00 for a starter disc. Disc golf discs differ from your garden variety Frisbee in that they are smaller, heavier and made of a different type of plastic. I bought mine at Tillie’s Party Store in Traverse City where they have a good selection of discs and knowledgeable people to help you make a selection. You can also purchase discs online from a number of suppliers. If you like the game as I did, you may eventually choose to add other discs to your collection. Some discs are weighted to curve to the left, some to the right. They sell long-range drivers, short-range drivers and everything in between. They even have discs called “rollers” which start out with a level flight and roll onto their edge. (I haven’t figured out what they are used for yet.) Then, of course, there are numerous putters from which to choose.
If you wish to learn more about disc golf, visit the Professional Disc Golf Association web site at www.pdga.com. The site is loaded with information and links to related sites. Additionally, a tournament is scheduled for Saturday, August 28 at the Myles Kimmerly course if you’d like to see experienced disc golfers in action.