THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 2006
10D OFF THE HILL
RECREATION
Doug Moler, Lawrence resident and 1991 KU alumnus, displays the various types of discs used when playing disc golf. Discs take the same names as golf clubs, being either a driver, mid-range or putter. Different discs fly through the air differently, with drivers used for long-distance throws and putters used for shorter, more accurate throws.
Kansan file photo
Just disc it
Golfers take to the course as game gains new popularity
BY DANI HURST
Josh Levine stood on the concrete slab marked with a large painted 17 and clutched the orange disc in his right hand, squinting against the sun toward the disc golf target.
"It's just fun," Levine said, the front and back of his grey
He took a few steps back, ran forward and flung the disc into the air. It sailed a little too far to the left and hit the grass, finally rolling to a stop.
His disc didn't land nearly as close to the target as any of his friends' discs — it almost landed in the street — but he didn't look disappointed. He simply trotted over to the grounded disc, picked it up and flung again.
This was the first day in four years that Levine, Omaha graduate student, had played disc golf. So why hop back on the wagon?
t-shirt soaked with sweat.
Disc golf is nothing new. People have been chucking flying discs at targets in disc golf fashion since the '70s, but the sport has gained momentum in
Lawrence in recent years.
"It's just fun."
The name of the game alone hints at its similarities to golf as far as as the struc-
metal pole with chains descending from the top and meeting at a ridge about a foot below the top that surrounds the pole and catches the disc.
So just throw a disc and land
JOSH LEVINE Omaha graduate student
ture of the game and rules are concerned.
Each player stands at the "tree," or a designated spot for the start of every hole, and throws the disc toward the "hole," which in this case is a
a tires, and land it in a metal basket? Is that all?
According to the Professional Disc Golf Association Web site, the goal of the game is to complete a course in the fewest number of throws of the disc.
Eager beginners, beware. Disc golf courses are usually laid out in
a place that poses natural obstacles. These are a huge part of the game because they increase the difficulty of each hole and thus cannot be altered.
Participants must play around trees and shrubs and in ditches and through weeds to play the game well.
Kansan staff writer Dani Hurst can be reached at dhurst@kansan.com
Keith Lake, Lawrence resident and 1907 KU alumnus, prepares to throw his disc during a round of disc golf Thursday night at Centennial Park. Lake said playing disc golf was a cheap sport that allowed him to spend time outside with his friends and get exercise.
Kansen file photo
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