The Other Golf

During recent hikes into the woods, I found several nice pieces of wood that I plan on turning into carved walking sticks. I was also playing golf at the time. No, it wasn’t that my golf balls were slicing deep into the woods. I wasn’t even using any golf balls. My sons and I have discovered disc golf.


Forget Big Bertha drivers for over $300. Three throwing discs and a carrying bag will cost you about $60, and that’s all the equipment you will need. Forget $80 greens fees. Disc golfing is free. The set courses are in public parks and woodland preserves.

My sons and I have been playing on local courses. I find the sport very enjoyable and rewarding, even though I’m not very good at it. Perhaps it’s the “hiking in the woods” aspect of the sport that appeals to me. We have played on a local course which makes its way up and down hills through an open forest on a mountaintop. Even if you are staying on the course, you are walking over rocks and small logs. If your disc spins off course, you will find yourself rambling through bushes and thickets. No manicured fairways and “carpet” greens. It’s my kind of golf course.

Teeing off through the trees

For me, there has been the added benefit of finding nice pieces of wood for carving when I’m traipsing through the woods.  What could be better?  A competitive sport of skill which costs next to nothing, and a chance to acquire some found wood for creative projects.