Disc golf is growing in popularity among students
Walter Lesczynski
Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: Features
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But since the mid-70's, many people have been enjoying a similar sport offering similar challenges, nearly all of the same rules and none of the traditional drawbacks.
Disc golf is just that golf played with Frisbee-like discs on a course laid out like a standard 18-hole golf course. The jargon is intact: players putt, drive, hook, slice and may even take a mulligan should the need arise.
Differences are as obvious as the similarities'. There are no golf carts, clubhouses or funky regalia; disc golfers dress in casual, comfortable attire, with none of the ridiculous knickerbockers or funny hats associated with golf.
"You cuss just as much," said Seth Hart, a senior from Burlington, N.C., "but it's a lot more peaceful." Hart plays four or five times a week at the Camp Catalpa course in Richmond.
In addition to the course at Camp Catalpa, there are two courses in Lexington at Veterans' Park and Shillito Park.
"Those are nice, but I like this one the best," said senior Paul Radman from Wytheville, Va. of the relatively new course. "It's really nice, and a lot closer to home."
The course was installed last October by members of the Richmond Disc Golf Club, and is in danger of being displaced by an RV park.
"My dad can't understand why I don't play golf," said Chris Aruin, club secretary. "He knows I like nature, but a golf course is fake nature. This is the real deal."
It might seem like a simple sport as far as equipment goes, right? All you need is a Frisbee, and there's usually one somewhere in the garage or under your little brother's bed. But as we all know, the true sports fanatic is never satisfied with minimal equipment.
While somewhat limited in available paraphernalia, disc golfers can carry a surprising number of discs upwards of 30 for professionals. To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, "That's a lot of discs."