Scorecard in hand, they approached the tee and carefully reviewed the layout of the hole. Selecting the right driver from their bag could make the difference between making par and being knocked out of championship contention.
If you assumed these were traditional golfers, youd be wrong.
They were competitors in the second annual Wooster Disc Golf Association (WOODGA) Treebangers Tournament held at Freedlander Park on Sept. 26.
Disc golfers, ranging from professionals competing on the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) tournament trail to novices competing in their first event, took part in this PDGA sanctioned tournament.
According to the WOODGA president and founder, Tabi Alltop, the club, which was founded in 2006, hosts three major tournaments each year.
Disc golf is played much like traditional golf. Courses like the one at Freedlander Park are set up like a traditional 18-hole golf course. For each hole, play begins from a tee from which players shoot towards an elevated metal basket. Like in traditional golf, the object of the game is to complete each hole in the fewest number of throws.
The real difference is the tools the golfers use. Instead of a ball and clubs, disc golfers use flying discs or Frisbees.
But these arent your traditional Frisbee. While casual disc golf players use inexpensive Frisbees, more serious players use a series of different discs, each specially designed to handle a particular challenge they face on the course. According to Alltop, most disc golfers carry a variety of discs, from drivers to mid-range discs to putters. Some are even designed to arc to the right or the left to enable golfers to avoid trees and other obstacles.
The first nine holes of the Miles Specht Memorial Disc Golf Course at Freedlander Park were installed in 2004. With financial assistance from Spechts grandson, Dan Kilgore, who is himself a disc golf enthusiast, a second set of nine holes was added the following year. The result is a short, tight, wooded 18 hole course that has become a favorite of disc golfers of all ages and experience levels.
With the popularity of the sport on the rise, new courses are being developed at a rate of six or seven each year in Ohio alone. Currently, there are more than 1,000 courses in the country, over a hundred of which are located here in Ohio.
What makes this sport so attractive?
In part, its the cost. While the course can be played by anyone who owns an inexpensive Frisbee, even a starter set of discs costs less than $25. With no greens fees, the only other investment is the couple of hours that it takes to play the course.
And besides being a great low impact workout, disc golf can be played by a wide variety of people in terms of age and ability level.
Alltop noted that WOODGA has seen a growing interest in disc golf in Wooster, with families, groups and even teens playing the course on a regular basis.
That growing popularity is to a large extent attributable to the work WOODGA has done, not only to support the sport but also to give back to the community. Its members have spent more than 200 hours picking up fallen branches and trash and have spread tons of mulch and gravel at Freedlander Park to make it more enjoyable for all of the parks visitors. The groups spring tournament is also a fundraiser for People to People Ministries.
Course maps and score cards for Woosters disc golf course and information on the Wooster Disc Golf Association can be found on their Web site at www.woodga.com.
