Summer in Utah has no shortage of activities for people to enjoy the warm air. However, there are some activities that are not as widely known as others.
Disc golf or “frolf”, as George Costanza calls it, is a simple and inexpensive way to enjoy the outdoors this summer.
Martin Bohn, a member of the Wasatch Disc Golf Club, said he started playing disc golf because of the cost. “It was a cheap alternative to entertainment,” he said. The discs are around ten dollars and Utah offers several free places to play.
[media-credit name=”Chris Bunker” align=”alignright” width=”300″]
[/media-credit]
Disc golf accommodates players of all skill levels. It is a simple game, as the person who takes the least number of throws to sink the disc into the metal basket wins.
“One thing to remember is not be intimidated as a beginner,” Bohn said. “It’s just like regular golf.”
Another similarity to golf is the component of etiquette in the game. Some courses have certain rules to help with course maintenance or flow of the game.
Some players can be serious competitors. Some players carry a variety of discs that may be used in precise situations similar to how a golfer carries a set of clubs–each of them serving a purpose such as driving or putting.
“To me, I carry 12 to 15 discs,” Bohn said. “For beginners, a putter and a driver would be perfect.”
Bohn knows a thing or two about disc golf. He designed three courses around Provo. Two of these courses are Bicentennial Park in East Provo, which is good for the novice player, and the other is located at Rock Canyon Park, which would be more for experienced players.
But Utah has many courses to choose from. Seven courses are located within 16 miles of Provo, according to the course directory on www.pdga.com, the Professional Disc Golf Association’s website.
“One more course will be added to that total,” Bohn said. “A new 18-hole course should be ready by the end of July by Hobble Creek.”
[media-credit name=”Chris Bunker” align=”alignright” width=”240″]
[/media-credit]
One of the more popular places to play, only open during summer, is at Solitude Ski Resort, which, according to Bohn is “by far the best place to play in Utah.” Solitude offers an option for riding the ski lift to the top of the mountain and then playing the 18 holes coming down the mountain.
Michael Hayden, a junior studying psychology from Herriman, plays a lot of Ultimate Frisbee and said he noticed a difference throwing a golf disc. “You have to throw it a lot harder…it is easier to throw it further.”
“It’s a lot of fun and someone can pick it up really easily,” Hayden said. “You don’t have to be good.”
