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| NewsSaturday, March 31, 2007 6:13 PM CDT |
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Spring brings disc golf
NORMAL — Dan Nagle adjusted his grip and let the disc fly. Nagle’s smooth stroke propelled the disc nearly 250 feet, only a few feet from his target. | Photo gallery “Not bad for a windy day,” he said. Nagle not only was feeling good about his throw, but of his choice to usher in spring by playing disc golf. Others at Maxwell Park had the same idea. For instance, Jeremy Orr, a senior at Illinois State University, also found disc golf the perfect spring activity. Orr said he’s “fallen in love” with the sport. While Nagle and Orr are disc golf enthusiasts, the growing sport, also called Frisbee or Frolf golf, doesn’t get a lot of publicity. Disc golf is like traditional ball golf, except players use specially made plastic flying discs — resembling Frisbees — instead of balls and clubs. The object is to throw the disc into a target, typically a steel basket over which chains hang. Like ball golfers who use different clubs, disc golfers use different types of discs for different purposes. For example, there are discs for long distance, mid-distance and close-in. Each successive throw comes from the spot where the previous throw has landed. There are disc golf leagues as well as individual play. Nagle plays three or four times a week and directs a disc golf league. Normal built the Maxwell Park course where Nagle was playing in 2003 in response to requests from residents, said Doug Wiggs, assistant director of Parks and Recreation in Normal. Wiggs said people travel from as far as 50 miles away to play at the Normal course. Nagle, 52, a junior high school teacher, doesn’t have to travel far since he lives in Normal. He began playing disc golf while at ISU in the 1970s, and said the fast-growing sport is fun because it’s competitive and gets him outdoors. It also allows him to interact with others, which he enjoys. That interaction means he knows a lot about disc golfers. “Most players have at least a dozen discs,” Nagle said. Discs, which have sharper edges than Frisbees, run about $10 apiece and can be found at retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods in Normal. “We sell more towards spring. I think it’s a growing sport,” said employee Brandon Patrick. Patrick said Dick’s sells a pack of nine discs for about $45. Patrick is among those who believe the advent of spring and Frisbees go hand-in-hand. He has fond memories of Frisbees being tossed around the quad at ISU. That was casual fun. Disc golf is competitive fun. The object is to traverse a course in the fewest number of throws, Nagle said. Many disc golf courses are located in public parks and are free. While some have metal baskets as targets, others use natural objects like trees. Bloomington has two disc golf courses. Dean Kohn, director of Parks and Recreation for the city, said the city’s 18-hole disc golf course at PJ Irvin Park opened last fall and cost about $10,000. That compares to the millions it costs to build a regular golf course, Kohn said. Besides the new 18-hole course, Bloomington also has a nine-hole disc golf course at Miller Park. Currently under repair, the course should be in use again by fall, Kohn said. Kohn suspects the sport is growing because it makes a challenge out of ever-popular Frisbee. Smaller cities are recognizing the growing popularity of disc golf, too. LeRoy, for instance, will have a nine-hole disc golf course open by spring, said City Administrator Jeff Clawson. He expects the course, at the southern tip of LeRoy, to eventually expand to 18 holes. “It’s needed because, as in all small communities, there are limited recreational activities,” Clawson said. He plans to use the course, adding, “I need the exercise.” E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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