From its origins in the 1920′s through the development of organized leagues and, eventually, a professional association and competitive tour, the sport of disc golf has steadily grown in popularity. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, there are now disc golf courses in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and even Antarctica in addition to thousands of courses throughout North America.
And now disc golf has taken a firm hold of the Quad Cities.
Tuesday, May 17th, the Bettendorf Parks and Recreation Department held a disc golf clinic that introduced the sport to curious Quad Citians. The event, held at Lowry Field in Bettendorf, included several professional and skilled players showing techniques, demonstrating equipment and providing instruction.
Discs come in a variety of sizes to help skilled players hone their game.
“Disc golf is an amazing sport,” said Chris Sprague, a disc golf pro who has participated in over 450 tournaments all over the world (including Japan). Sprague, who has over 70 victories to his credit, says the sport is very similar to “traditional” golf in that the toughest aspects of the game are mental. ”The short game matters as much in disc golf as it does in traditional golf.”
There are plenty of life lessons to learn by throwing a disc and competing for fun or in a tournament. According to Sprague: “You learn a lot about yourself and your own failures along the way.”
A Healthy Habit
Tracey Lopez, with the Bettendorf Parks and Recreation Deparment, agrees. She started playing when Bettendorf built their first disc golf course at Devils Glen Park and has competed professionally, too. She cites the importance of the physical activity gained through playing a round of disc golf.
There is a lot of walking in the sport – players don’t ride in carts, like traditional golf. According to Lopez, a round of disc golf will take 1-2 hours (about half the time of 18 holes of traditional golf) and generate 5-6,000 steps – nearly half of the daily recommended requirement for a person’s physical activity level in a day.
Tracey reminds us that getting into disc golf is easy: “Just pick up the disc. Get out there. And play.”
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