I came across this really intriguing sport very recently. Like the name suggests, disc golf involves throwing frisbee like discs in baskets. Moreover, this takes place on a disc golf course. There are usually 9 or 18 “holes” i.e baskets. The course also has hazards like water bodies, sand pits, trees a few others- much like golf.
Origins:
The early form of disc golf was invented in the early 1900s in Canada – most likely by Ronald Gibson and his school buddies who competed by throwing tin lids in 4 foot wide circles drawn on sand. Alas, they grew up and the sport lay hidden for a few decades (as far I know – and I don’t know much)…..
….until the 1960s that is when a slightly modern form of the game arose – but not without some dispute around who came up with it first. Eventually, most people agreed that a form of disc golf was played throughout the decade in multiple places.
For example, students at Houston’s Rice university (go owls!) held tournaments of throwing frisbees at trees, starting in 1964. Having studied at Rice for 2 years, I can assure you this is far from the weirdest thing that takes place in the university.
Not to be left behind, players in Atlanta’s Pendleton King Park played by tossing frisbees in 50-gallon trash cans. I guess creativity and boredom can lead to some amazing things, especially in college.
The game itself:
Players start by throwing the disc from a “tee off” area or pad. They throw again from where the previous disc landed until they score the basket. The number of throws taken to complete a hole are eventually tallied to decide the winners.
The discs are made from a variety of plastics, but polypropylene is the most widely used. The baskets are also quite interesting -they are stationed on a short pole completed with wires with hanging chains over the basket. The chains allow for the incoming discs to be caught and land in the basket.
Disc golf also has its versions of drivers, mid-ranges discs and putters. This is largely decided by sharpeness of the edges, thickness and mass distribution. The material also plays a key role as does the throwing technique. All of these dictate the distance a disc can travel and the stability of the direction.
The stroke play (count of throws – least wins) is the most widely used scoring system. Like golf, disc golf also has par score (number of throws or “strokes” and expert will take to score a hole). No points for guessing that it also has birdies, eagles and bogeys.
The courses, in addition to golf course like hazards, also have out of bound areas and some also have mandatories. Mandatories require the path of the disc to be above, below or to the side of a line that is indicated by a sign. https://www.pdga.com/rules
Popularity:
As per the Professional disc golf association (PDGA) in America, there are over 10,000 disc golf courses worldwide. Over 7,000 of them in the US alone – where the sport is growing in popularity. Other countries with courses include Canada, Finland, Estonia and Sweden. In Asia-Pacific, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea lead the way.
Disc golf has been the 4th fastest growing sport in the USA. Multiple pro-tournaments are held through the year. Some of the pro tournaments have also been live streamed on youtube. All in all, it is poised for growth in many corners of the world as more dedicated courses come up.
I think the concept is quite good and you can very easily have a poor man’s version of the sport. All you need is a frisbee, some distance and a target.