Three years ago, Jesse Clark was walking through Holiday Hill Park in Michigan when something piqued his interest. A group of people playing a game had caught the eye of Clark, a junior business logistics major at The University of Memphis.
When Clark approached the group to relieve his curiosity, he had no idea it was the beginning of an intense infatuation.
The unique game was called Frisbee golf, or the preferred “disc golf.”
“After seeing them play, I was inspired to give it a try,” Clark said.
Now, weather permitting, he plays disc golf at least once a week.
Entrepreneur “Steady” Ed Headrick, who was the owner of the Disc Golf Association until his death in August 2002, invented disc golf in 1976. In addition to inventing disc golf and running the DGA, Headrick also received the mechanical patent for the modern day Frisbee, which has sold more than 200 million units to date.
The sport is now played and enjoyed by an estimated two million recreational players in the United States and is rapidly growing in popularity, according to the DGA Web site.
Clark said he has even seen some ski resorts that cash in on disc golf popularity by converting their ski slopes into disc golf courses to make money in the summer.
Getting started in disc golf is easy and the rules of the game are not hard to learn, aspects that appeal to many beginners, Clark said.
Each hole has a designated par, determined by difficulty and distance of the hole, Clark said. Score wise, it is played identically to golf. To complete the hole, the player lands the disc in the basket.
Penalties can be incurred when the disc is thrown out of bounds or there are water hazards, like rain puddles. The object of the game is to complete the course with the fewest number of throws, similar to golf.
Clark said size and weight are two distinct differences between a regular Frisbee, which cannot be used for disc golf, and a disc.
Frisbees are only designed to be thrown, while discs are designed for more specific purposes.
For instance, there are three specific types of discs used in the game. There is the driver, which is used for long range throwing, usually at the beginning of each hole. The mid-range driver is used for mid range throwing, and the putt-and-approach disc is used for short-range approach or when the player is close to the basket.
The type of disc can depend on a player’s ability and skill level, and they range in cost from $8 to $17, according to Clark. The price of the discs can depend on the material, the sponsor or durability, and can be bought at any stores that sell athletic equipment.
Sport creator “Steady” Ed loved his invention so much that he insisted his cremated ashes be incorporated into discs so that he could fly. A memorial “Steady” Ed disc, with his ashes in the material, can be purchased for $210.
Clark normally plays at Shelby Farms but said there are also disc golf courses at Shelby Forest State Park and Germantown Park.
Disc golf is not only a recreational sport; it can also be competitive. Two weeks ago Clark watched a tournament at Tishomingo State Park in Mississippi. The Professional Disc Golf Association, with a membership of nearly 16,000, also has tournaments. In 2001, the PDGA Worlds Championship, held in Minnesota, had 785 players and a prize of $64,000, according to the DGA Web site.
“It’s free to play, you’re outdoors, and I love a challenge. And it’s fun,” Clark said.
And his love for the new sport is inspiring others to take it up.
“After Jesse (Clark) suggested it to me, I was hooked right away,” said Andrea Clark, senior special education major at The U of M.
Andrea, no relation to Jesse, loves to compare her scores from each game to see how her skill level is increasing.
