Thursday, July 12, 2007

Fore-get about it!

My family became interested in golf at least five years ago, thanks to a golf program that came with our computer. Eventually, actual golf clubs would replace the computer mouse, as my dad, sister, and I would visit a local nine-hole golf course. Instead of a round of golf, though, we usually played at the driving range and putting green. Years later, none of us play golf anymore (unless you count my dad who plays golf on the computer with a more sophisticated program than the one we first encountered).

On Tuesday, for a story, I got to play a little bit of golf. However, instead of clubs or even a mouse, I used discs (Frisbee-like, round objects, though they're totally different than a Frisbee). Instead of trying to get a ball into a hole by hitting with clubs, you toss a disc into a metallic cage-like basket on a pole. Other than that, both sports have the same objective: trying to reach your targets in the least number of attempts.

At Elk Grove Regional Park, there's a new nine-hole disc golf course. I met two disc golf enthusiasts (one of whom is a former national and world amateur's masters disc golf champion) at the course. These two guys, who also teach a beginning disc golf class, not only showed me how it's played but tried to teach me too (remember, it's all in the wrist). Let me tell you that it's harder than it looks, and by the end of the interview (Yes, this was still an interview), my wrist was temporarily a little sore.

One of the men brought aong his 14-year-old daughter, who has been playing the sport for about five years. She brought up a great point: one of the things she likes about disc golf is the price. Discs can cost about $9-16, and there isn't a green fee for the Elk Grove course. Meanwhile, just imagine the hundreds or even thousands of dollars a person can spend on the other type of golf. Just imagine what you could be doing with the money you save, such as buying more discs to replace the ones that end up in the lake at Elk Grove Regional Park.

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