By Lou Webb
Published: November, 2007
It probably wasn’t too long after the Frisbee was introduced that someone figured out it was a fun idea to fling one towards a target. In the 40 years since then, the simple task of tossing a Frisbee at something has morphed into the growing sport of disc golf. With specialized equipment and year-round tournaments, disc golf has become an international sport with a large core of professionals and millions of recreational players. In the Bay Area, there are a dozen different courses, with many more around California and across the country. Most of these are located in parks and forests, where there are plentiful obstacles in the path of the perfect throw.
Disc golf is much like its more celebrated namesake in that the object is to go from start to finish in as few shots as possible. Most courses have either nine or eighteen holes, with each hole having a tee to stand on while launching the first throw, and a special disc-golf basket to aim for on the last one. You start with a driver Frisbee and end with a putter, and there’s also a mid-range, which is the equivalent of an iron in golf and is used for approach shots. Discs can be thrown in a variety of different motions including overhand and sidearm, and can even be rolled down a slope like a runaway tire. Since the object is to throw your disc into the basket, and there are usually many trees in the way, different throws can come in handy. Serious players usually have several discs that they can use to set up a variety of shots. Companies such as Innova market an entire line of the three kinds of discs, each of which has different advantages. Some fly farther, and some fly straighter, though none of that matters if they fly into a tree.
One of my first disc-golf excursions, over a year ago, was to Skyline Wilderness Park in Napa. This is a challenging course with plenty of elevation, which means a good hike with nice views, but also guarantees a trek down the hill at some point to retrieve an errant disc. Not only do bad drives become soaring discs, but good throws might also roll back down the hill when they land. Sometimes they keep on rolling, as I’ve had the misfortune of helplessly watching on far too many occasions. Needless to say, there’s a lot of trudging up and down the hills at Skyline. Thankfully there are also many spots to kick back along the course, and because in disc golf there are always trees around, there’s also plenty of shade. Just past the final hole is a secluded little spot tucked amongst the trees with several chairs to sit in, and it’s the perfect place to stop and relax with a cold one after a round. Even though I was hot and tired after that first time out under the hot July sun, I was hooked. It didn’t take long before I had my own discs and a bag to carry them in.
When the course at Berkeley’s Aquatic Park, known as the Pebble Beach of disc golf, was first established back in 1980, it was only five years after Ed Headrick invented the basket that is now the universal symbol of disc golf. Not only did Headrick, who’s referred to as the father of disc golf, invent the basket, he’s also the guy who created the Frisbee back in 1966. It didn’t take long for the concept of Frisbee golf to take hold, and it was being played in Berkeley as early as 1970. With a tradition dating back to the early days of the sport, Berkeley is still a hotbed of disc golf; Aquatic Park plays host to weekly tournaments that are open to the public. A quick glance at the website for the East Bay Disc Golf Association gives the time and dates for the tournaments, as well as all pertinent information. Do yourself a favor and check out this exciting sport.
