Frolf Anyone? The Missing Link Between Ed Headrick and Bruce Willis

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.

The rules of disc golf are very simple, if one is familiar with the rules of regular golf that is. Basically, the object of disc golf is to throw the disc from a tee box, which is a concrete slab, usually about 6 feet long, and the ultimate goal is to throw the disc into what is called a disc catcher in the least amount of throws possible. A disc catcher is a metal basket which is attached to a pole that hangs about 3 feet off the ground. The disc catcher has several metal chains that hang down, which makes the disc that is thrown slow down enough to sit in the basket. Now, anyone who is familiar with ball golf knows that the second shot must be taken from the spot where the ball has landed on the first shot. The same rules apply to disc golf; the second throw must take place from the landing spot of the first throw. Unlike ball golf, however, in which trees and shrubs outline the perimeters of the course, foliage covers a good portion of a disc golf course, and provides obstacles for the Frisbee golfers. More difficult courses usually contain more trees, and bigger patches of greenery. The courses themselves contain the standard 18 holes as seen in all ball golf courses, but sometimes busy courses have alternate holes such as 6A and 6B, but they eventually meet up again and there are rarely more than three or four alternate holes on one course. Now, that we have covered the basics on how-to play, it is time to move on to examine the equipment needed for participation.

Disc golf is a simple enough game that it can be played with only one disc, but most disc golfers usually have an assorted collection of discs, all of which serve their respective purpose. Just like ball golfers, Frisbee golfers have these options of equipment: distance drivers, fairway drivers, multi-purpose discs and putt and approach discs. These different names are determined based on the curve of the edges on the Frisbee disc itself, and also based on weight. Most discs have a weight range of 150 to 185 grams. The fairway and distance drivers are used mainly for long-distance shots, while the putt and approach discs are used for the short throws when a golfer nears the disc catcher basket. The third type are the multi-purpose discs which are the most exciting. The multi purpose discs consists of the oddities of the Frisbee golf discs, most of which were accidents or experimental discs. An example of a multi-purpose disc is the Stingray, which is produced by Innova Golf Discs, the leading manufacturer of golf discs. The Stingray is weighted as such that when thrown it has the tendency to curve excessively to the right. This might seem like a hindrance at first, but it comes in handy if a golfer is stuck behind a huge patch of trees and needs to throw to the basket, which is behind another huge patch of trees. When thrown, the Stingray will fly straight for a couple seconds and then bank really hard to the right, making a difficult shot like that seem like child’s play.

A typical “avid” disc golfer, such as myself, has about 5-10 discs in his/her arsenal. I own three distance drivers (Eagle, TeeBird, Valkyrie), two fairway drivers (Leopard, Cheetah), two multi-purpose discs (Roc, Cobra), and two putters (Aviar, Aero). As one can see, most of the discs have an “animalistic” tendency when it comes to the name, and this is not just because “Eagle” sounds cool. Most of the names can tell you what kind of a disc you have. An Eagle is a long-distance driver which soars really high, before sweeping down to the ground at an incredible speed. The Roc, on the other hand, is a heavier disc, which floats for a while, and then drops like, dare I say…a rock. So, there are the basics of equipment when it comes to Frisbee golf. Now, after hearing this one would think that this is a very boring sport, with little, if any risk or adventure, and absolutely no danger. Think again!

Frisbee golf can be a very adventurous sport, especially when looking for lost discs for example. It can also be, if the circumstances permit, a very dangerous sport as well. One sweltering afternoon, I went golfing with a couple of friends from school, and, as I knew where we were going, I led the way. That was my first mistake. As I was walking I heard a yelp behind me, and then felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck. I had been struck. One of my friends behind me threw a disc at me, intending to have the disc pass to the right of my head, but, alas, he threw a Spider disc at me, which happens to have a gentle left hook, and it hooked oh-so gently into the back of my head. Needless to say, I survived, but there have been other circumstances in which others have not been so lucky.

One day over the summer, a good golfing buddy of mine and I went golfing at our local Frisbee golf course, and we’re having pretty good games until the infamous 14^th hole. The reason that the 14^th is famous is due to the fact that there is a electrical box about 50 feet out that seems to jut up directly in the throwing range of most right-handed golfers. This not only provides a higher degree of challenge, but is also ripe with opportunities for embarrassment. On several occasions I have hit the box, and as tradition goes at that course, “whoever hit’s the box, must sign the box”, usually with a Sharpie marker that is left around the box. So, back to the story. I was up to throw, and as I did, the disc slipped out of my hand. I immediately shouted a profanity as I saw my disc head inevitably towards the box, expecting a loud thud as it hit against the wooden box, but rather what I heard resembled the sound of an animal. In fact, I did not hit the electrical box, but instead a innocent squirrel, who had been resting on the top of the box, minding his own business. The squirrel was killed instantly, and needless to say, so was my game. After that traumatic experience I played very poorly the rest of the day. So, as you can see, Frisbee golf can be adventurous, exciting, and in some cases deadly sport.

As I mentioned Frisbee golf is a very simple game, which can be played by virtually anyone, young or old, and is a great way to stay in shape, but also to have fun. It is definitely one of my favorite sports, and except for the fact that the game seems to bring out the worst in the English language, i.e. mass profanities, it can be a very tranquil experience, with an even share of adventure and excitement. Frisbee golf also encourages great sportsmanship, as most people I have met out on the links, in contrast to their rugged, beer-drinking exterior, are actually quite friendly, and never too busy to help you look for a lost disc. Believe it or not, Frisbee golf is the fastest growing sport in the world, with evidence to support that in the fact that a new course is being built a mile away from the Baghdad Airport in Iraq, which was made so famous by reports on CNN, so you better become acquainted with the game, for it’s what “Steady Ed” would have wanted.