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Sports enthusiasts seek to generate interest in disc golf
One by one, the players stepped forward and tried their best in the hopes of winning the tournament. With bragging rights on the line, each of them teed off before moving down the fairway to continue toward the goal.
While the terms they used during the day seemed to indicate they were playing on a traditional golf course, the equipment they used said otherwise. They were playing a variation of the sport they hope others in the Mountain Home area will find equally enjoyable.
William Jenkins and Brian Gow represent a group of a dozen people in town hoping to draw others to the world of disc golf. They meet regularly at a course set up at Optimist Park that provides plenty of challenges and fun, they said.
Like traditional golf, the disc version uses similar rules and objectives established by the Professional Disc Golf Association. Instead of a ball and clubs on the fairway, players use a flying disc similar to a Frisbee.
Just like regular golfers, disc golf requires players to complete each hole with the fewest throws versus strokes.
The golf disc is thrown from a tee area to a target which serves as the "hole." One of the most common is an elevated metal basket.
As players head down the fairway, they make each consecutive throw from the spot where the previous one landed. Among the challenges is keeping the discs from landing in trees and shrubs before sinking the "putt."
"Disc golf shares the same joys and frustrations of traditional golf, whether it's sinking a long putt or hitting a tree halfway down the fairway," the national organization said.
It's fairly easy -- and inexpensive -- for people to get started in the sport. All they need is the basics -- a set of golf discs, which are readily available at local retailers.
While more devoted fans of the sport will sometimes break down and buy more expensive discs, it's not necessary, Gow said. Even devoted fans of the game tend prefer the simpler gear versus the more expensive professional-grade versions.
Best of all, players don't need to worry a lot about arranging tee times or golf cart rentals, Gow added.
There's no wrong way to send a disc down the fairway and are based on a person's individual preferences. They can toss it underhand, overhand or can even use their feet if they prefer.
"If you feel you can accurately kick it, you can kick it," Jenkins said. "It still counts."
Best of all, the sport is geared for people of all ages, Jenkins said. Since it doesn't have the physical demands associated with traditional golf, players ages 5 to 80 years old can equally enjoy it.
Among them is Jenkins' dad, who at age 63 enjoys the camaraderie associated with the sport. Others that have tried the sport were students at Mountain Home Junior High School, whose teacher is also a regular disc golf players.
Unlike traditional golf courses, people can use the one at Optimist Park throughout the year. Originally a nine-hole course, local fans helped essentially double the course by setting up two different tees for each hole.
On average, each hole spans 300 feet from the tee to the basket. The tees set up in the "back nine" are a bit shorter with one spanning just 207 feet. This helps keeps people's scores a bit lower, Jenkins said.
About the only challenge they have to contend with is the weather -- the wind to be exact.
The steady breeze common in the Mountain Home area "definitely does" affect play, especially given the wide open spaces in this course, Jenkins said. In comparison, a similar course in Glenns Ferry has trees lining the pathway, which tends to cut down on the wind.
"Mountain Home lacks trees," Gow added.
As the sport's popularity grows, both men hope this will lead to additional improvements at the local course. To date, they've been able to have flags and distance markers to help novice players navigate the field.
Gow would like to see other improvements, including diagrams showing the direction of each hole on the course.
Earlier this month, local players gathered at Optimist Park to try their hand at improving their game while encouraging a bit of competition between one another. Their goal involved winning metallic tags the top players are allowed to display on their equipment bags with the top player going away with the number one tag.
The challenge is simple. Each player puts their tag in a bag that remains closed until after the round. The player with the lowest score comes away the winner with that top-ranked tag with the remaining tags handed out in rank order.
Winning a higher-ranked tag serves as source of motivation and increases the level of competition among the players, said Jenkins, who currently carries one he received from one of the state's top disc golf players.