Golf is a staple sport for a number of reasons. Many can continue to play it into old age. (Getting grandpa off the football field at Thanksgiving gets harder every year.) There's just a peaceful easy feeling that comes on a warm day when the breeze is light, birds are singing and you're about to tee off into a clear open fairway on Hole 7. Plus you can drink beer while playing this sport. Try doing that while running an out route.
The appeal of golf is understandable. But it can also come with some downsides. Country club memberships and golf clubs are expensive. The game can be hard to keep track of on television since the camera is always bouncing around to different golfers. But most of all, some people just stink at smacking that little white ball.
Stop us if this sounds familiar. You get all teed up, take a swing and zoom! Your eyes go to the sky to track your progress. But wait a minute. Where's the ball? Well, it's still on the tee because you took your eye off it. You're told to slow your swing ("don't try to murder it"), but that gets harder as you get angrier with each miss. Before long, you're on the green, millimeters above the grass, asking the ball if it's too good for its home. Why didn't it go home?
Some people aren't going to be good at playing golf. It's a precision sport that takes years to develop a skill for playing. But there is an alternative for those that still love getting fresh air on the course and yes, drinking a beer or two while playing. It's called disc golf.
Disc golf is all the rage among certain demographics. The courses are usually free to play, the discs used in the game range from $10-$30 on average, and the rules are pretty similar to normal golf. It's just that instead of hitting a ball into a hole, people try to throw a disc into a basket.
It's lighter on the budget, and the sport is much easier to pick up. Tossing a disc into a nearby pond or lake can still prove frustrating, but that's why they make floating discs and rope, so they can be retrieved. Now that spring has sprung, if you're tired of stinking at regular golf, maybe try the disc type. If you still stink, at least you'll stink at a more affordable game.
Editorial on 03/25/2019