JAYPLAY
entertainment news
page 1B
September 7,2000
For comments, contact BriAnne Hess at 864.4810 or email jayplay@kansai.com
James Barden, Pittsburg senior, tosses a shot on the pin on the 18th hole during a frisbee game. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
Throw it!
Disc golf puts new spin on competitive sports
Bv Andy Samuelson
hey call themselves the "Dog Pound."
Four University of Kansas students, Brian Adkins, James Bardeen, Luke Bauer and Caleb Hensley, are willing to back up their moniker — taking a bite out of any sport they take on.
Last week, the foursome began a new recreational endeavor: disc golf.
"At first I didn't know if I'd like it or not," said Hensley, Pittsburg senior. "But I played for a while and just got into the game."
The members of the Dog Pound (the nickname comes from the guys always calling each other "dog") aren't that different from other KU students who enjoy the game mostly because of its affordability and social setting.
"It's free, basically," said Bardeen, who also is a Pittsburg senior and has been playing the sport for four years. "It's a good time. It's just something to do other than watch TV or study."
Lawrence's Centennial Disc Golf Course, 600 Rockledge Road, is just one of several highquality courses in northeast Kansas and one of nearly 30 courses in the state.
Just off Ninth Street and Rockledge, Centenial Park features an 18-hole course with movable baskets that offer players different hole formations.
A more experienced player can upgrade to a tougher challenge such as the Pro Par 54-par course.
Beginners need not worry, however, as a 72- par course also is available. Each hole has at least two different hole settings, and four
The A course is 4,704 feet in length, and the B course is 6,266 feet.
holes have three placements.
In a Course in 4700 feet it
Don't think for a minute that in all the serenity and leisure of the game that there isn't a competitive side to Disc Golf.
"Now they have specialized Frisbees for distance and putters for layups and close range," said Rich Smith, a 1986 KU graduate who was playing at Centennial last week with friends.
Smith and his friends started playing Disc Golf a couple of years ago when they were working at Henderson Engineers of Kansas City, Kan. He said the group would go around once a week to the different courses in the area.
"I think people enjoy it because of the camaraderie," Smith said. "It's not very expensive, and doesn't take much time."
When Smith was a student, there was no course at Centennial Park. But that didn't keep him from enjoying the sport. He said everal people played an objective-style disc course around Potter Lake. Instead of aiming for baskets, players picked out trees and light posts to use as holes.
The game continues to evolve for Smith and his buddies as they seek out different courses on which to play.
Centennial is in the process of a three-phase renovation, and several holes have to be relocated during park construction.
But according to Ernie Shaw, superintendent of park facilities and management, the changes all are for the greater good of the course.
The east side is under construction as another shelter, more restrooms, a playground and a new parking lot are being developed. New sidewalks, a bike path and more handicap accessibility are being considered.
A couple of years ago, a skate park with half pipes was added to the center of the park. Earlier this year, a shelter, restrooms and parking upgrades were done on the west side of the park.
"Everything is operational; it's just sort of temporary," Shaw said of the course's condition. "I don't know that it will do a lot more for people, but I think this will just beautify it and make it more usable."
That's what disc golf tournament director John Huntington is counting on.
"I played a couple of new holes, and I think it's going to be a little more challenging," said Huntington, a former member of the now-defunct Lawrence Flying Disc Club. Huntington still coordinates about two tournaments each year to which Centennial Park plays host.
While the club folded about eight years ago, Huntington said the sport still seemed to be thriving.
"There are a lot of college kids that play it,"
he said. "It's very cheap, and you can play a round in about 45 minutes. And then they can go and do it again."
At least that's what the "dogs" are counting on right now to satisfy their appetites for the sport.
"I love it," Adkins said. "It's something different. It's kind of just us guys out there tossing a disc around."
— Edited by Erin McDaniel
Luke Bauer, Lawrence sophomore, tees off on the first hole at Centennial Park's frisbee golf course. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAS
JAYPLAY inside
Horoscopes . . 2B
Crossword . . 4B
Music . . . 3B
Fine Arts ...6B
Movies ...2B
Classifieds ...5B
Creepy character
Keanu Reeves hits the big screen once again, this time as a murderer in The Watcher.
See page 2B
Hootenanny!
Barbara Kessler will be one of many folk musicians in Lawrence this fall.
See page GB
1
BigGirl gets the blues
Slide guitarist Joanna Connor's latest CDs show she's mastered the blues.
See page 3B
V