August is National Golf Month and while the Triangle has many options for partaking in a friendly competition of the game where chasing a little white ball up and down green pastures (OK, maybe not pastures per se) brings tireless fun to those who play it, we thought we’d focus on an up and coming, very popular variation of the game played right here in the Triangle – disc golf.
What is disc golf, you ask?
If you like tossing a Frisbee® around and you enjoy a challenge, you’ll like this game. Partaking in disc golf is beyond playing catch. Rather, you throw the flying disc towards a target (hole; usually a basket high up on a pole) with the idea that you actually get the disc into the hole. It’s a game very similar to golf only instead of clubs and a ball, you use your hands and a flying disc. To get a more substantial understanding of the game, visit the Professional Disc Golf Association’s website.
The concept of the sport dates back to the early 1920s when it was first played as a school-age child’s game, only they used tin lids. Throughout the years the tin turned to plastic flying discs (Frisbees®), but it didn’t truly become an organized sport until the 1970s. At that time, the first official disc golf association organization was born thanks in part to a fan of the game by the name of Ed Headrick (read Ed’s story). Since then, it’s gotten more and more popular and as a result, the Professional Disc Golf Association was eventually formed. The PDGA has a robust presence in the sport including a detailed website that follows professional players through their tournaments, highlights volunteers each year, and so on.
Where can you play disc golf in the Triangle?
Do a web search for Disc Golf in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and surrounding areas and you’ll find a plethora of news articles and resources. As we were researching this article we learned about a recent tournament held by Midtown Chiropractic that included disc golfers from across the state. We also learned about the efforts to revive a disc golf course in the eastern Wake County in the town of Knightdale.
Our own Tony Miller, Assistant Manager of the Fonville Morisey Highway 54 Office in Durham regularly competes in disc golf tournaments and had this to say about his passion for the game -
I discovered disc gold about 4 years ago when my oldest son ask me to join him and a friend to play. I had no idea what the sport was or how to play it. After 18 holes at Kentwood Park in Raleigh, I was hooked. The sport can be played at any level by anyone. I love it because I can spend quality time with my sons, be outdoors and get great exercise. Or, I can compete at the Pro-am level in tournament play at over 70 courses throughout North Carolina on most any weekend year round. As for my favorite course, that would defiantly be Valley Springs Park Durham. The course was built and is maintained by our club, Bull City Disc Club (BCDC).
Sounds like fun to us!
If you agree, go out and celebrate National Golf Month a little differently and be sure to check out DiscGolfCourses.org’s list of North Carolina disc golf courses for the nearest course to you. If you play, let us know what you think too!
If you’re a local disc golfer, tell us about your favorite disc golf course below. We’d love to learn more!
Image taken from Creative Commons.
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