Ed Headrick, Ken Climo, Timothy Gill, Barry Shultz, Chris Meyer. Stop me when you see a name you recognize. No. Ok, well, how about Bruce Willis, or Kurt Russell? Bet you recognize those names. Although these names seem to share absolutely nothing in common with each other, they all have this in common---they are all avid Frisbee golfers. Well, what is Frisbee golf, you might ask. It’s only one of the fastest growing sports in the world, according to credible sources such as Amazon.com and the Professional Disc Golf Association. Widely considered a relatively new sport, not many people know of disc golf, but in actual fact it dates back to the mid 1960’s, which is where the names at the beginning of this paragraph come into play.
Ed Headrick is one person that you all might have actually heard of. In 1964 “Steady Ed”, as his co-workers called him, came up with a revolutionary new toy. After witnessing some Harvard University students throwing around a pie plate, Headrick went back to his lab, and invented what came to be known as the Frisbee. Most people who have done research about Headrick think that the story ends there. Au contraire! After tinkering with his new toy, Headrick invented something else in late 1974, a sport which he coined “frisbee golf.” In 1976 Headrick founded the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), which was created to govern all aspects of disc golf, ranging from tournaments, to memberships, to even creating a Constitution, which outlined all the rules and regulations of disc golf. Later that year, the first disc golf tournament was held, and a phenomenon was born.
Disc Golf is a very simple sport. It doesn’t take tremendous athletic prowess or brute strength. It can be played by virtually anyone, from school age to old age, making it one of the greatest lifetime fitness sports available today. Even specially-abled and the disabled can participate in Frisbee golf, and because it is so easy to learn, practically no one is excluded. Another reason that the sport is easily available to play is due to the fact that a very low cost required. A typical driver for ball golf costs about $150 while a Frisbee golf disc usually sells at a price of about $15, and can be picked up at any sporting goods store, or even at Wal Mart. In addition, most disc golf courses can be played free of charge, and those that do require a fee, are usually one or two dollars for all-day play. Okay, so now you’re probably thinking, “So, how does one play Frisbee golf?” Well, that’s what I am going to cover next.
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