Once again in a new series, time to hit the links and throw some discs. What, discs you say? Not clubs and balls? What sort of sorcery is this?
Many parks today are placing disc golf on their grounds. For the uninitiated, this combines then fun of throwing a Frisbee or similar brand disc with the challenge of a golf course. Mind you, a typical Frisbee-brand disc is not used in playing, as there are specially made discs made for all different sorts of distances and curves for any throw you wish to make. Instead of your traditional hole you'd see in golf, the "hole" is a metal bowl-like structure with suspended chains above, all mounted on a short pole or hung from a tree. Hazards range from tall grass to tree branches and trunks, and sometimes a small stream. The course length is a bit shorter because throwing the disc covers less distance than hitting a ball, but there's a good amount of ground to cover for a full 18-hole course.
We first tried disc golf a few years before getting the RV. Picking up a good deal on a starter pack of discs at the Mall of America during one of our road trips, between hectic work schedules, home improvements, and inclement weather, time was finally found to play a bit. The first ever match was at Clay Park Central in Liverpool NY. Located within a municipal park, this is a much more challenging course to play, even more so when there were no maps or signs explaining the course along the path. If it wasn't for painted hole numbers on the tees, we would have been completely lost. Plenty of hazards exist, and the course is designed to play the entire 18 holes in one go, meaning an awkward hike was awaiting for us, when we only wanted to play 9 holes.
Although each hole has a "par", for us, Match Play is the way to go. During match play, the "winner" of the hole is determined by who gets the disc in the "hole" in the fewest number of throws. If each player uses the same number of throws, the hole is "halved". Unlike James Bond and Goldfinger, there aren't any big prizes for winning a hole, not even who has to dump and flush the black tank. However, we'll keep score during the series so you can root for who you want. Each "match" is going to consist of 9 holes since that's what we usually play at a time, although we may be inclined to go for all 18 at a course, whether across two sessions or all at once. For those curious, a "starter pack" consisting of a distance driver (Innova Sidewinder, 9/5/-3/1), mid-range (Discraft Hawk, 0^), and putter (Innova Colt, 3/4/-1/1) are what we are using, and we'll make an update if we get new discs. She gets the distance driver while he gets the mid-range disc as the handicap, and the putter disc is shared as desired.
Not too much of specifics are remembered with this match other than her winning, and there's some question as to how many holes were actually won, but we have agreed to the following score:
Front 9: His holes: 1 Halved: 5 Her holes: 3
Back 9: Not played
Course Record: Him 0 - 1 Her Holes Record: Him 1 - 3 Her
Looks as if she has the advantage. How long will she be able to hold this? Stay tuned as we Follow our Internal Compass points towards the next course.
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