March 27, 2007 by Brian.

After dropping off my friends, Teague and Steve, at the San Francisco Airport, I shot east overnight to Arizona and made it to Tucson, Arizona around midday to stay for awhile with my friend, Dan Woulf, and his parents, Dale and Jana. The Woulfs showed me the warmest of hospitality, and I am forever in their debt. Dan and I worked together in Seattle, before we both moved away. Dan and his parents are starting a Papa Murphy’s Restaurant and are relocating to Prescott. I look forward to visiting them again sometime soon.

While in Tucson, Dan and I played a couple of courses, but only one of them is worth mention, the Santa Cruz River Course. Since it is basically in the desert, the Santa Cruz River is subterrainian and all that is visible during the dry season is the dry river bed. The course is fairly flat, but the wind and Mesquite provide plenty of challenge. Watch out for going too far left or right, however. Dan had to climb down into the riverbed after a slice that the wind caught, and I tore the life out of a new cowboy snap shirt chasing a disc that hooked over a fence. What can I say? The Disc Golf Gods often demand sacrifice, but it is most always worth it.

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March 21, 2007 by Brian.

Steve, Teague, and I played another great course in the Bay Area of California near the City of Monterey, called The CSUMB Oaks Course. There are some interesting plants, terrain, and hole layouts here, as well as a beautiful grove of trees and moss that we couldn’t identify. Take a look and play the course when you are nearby. You can find it, as always, at the PDGA website listed to the left.

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March 20, 2007 by Brian.

Steve and Teague, who joined me on my adventure for their own vacations, are also big fans of the game of disc golf. I think that without reservation I can speak for them when I say that De La Viega in Santa Cruz, CA is the most amazing course any of us has ever played. Twenty-seven holes up and down the foothills provide all the challenge and grandueur that a disc golfer could ask for. The course has a propensity for swallowing discs, since sheer cliffs, gaping chasms, and heavy woods are to be found on many of the holes, but a disc or two is a small price to pay for the incredible experience of playing this course. The final hole is the reward for any moments of frustration and anguish from losing a favorite disc. Gazing down the foothills and across the bay before taking a shot on the most difficult disc golf hole I have ever encountered takes one’s breath away.

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February 10, 2007 by Brian.

This will be short post, since there isn’t too much to say, except this is a fantastic course. I am not a big fan of the Designer Pro baskets, but otherwise, the course is spectacular. The course incorporates play around mature cedars, stream and pond water hazards, and uphill and downhill grades. The course is also designed to leave one close to the start after nine holes, as well, if the player does not have time for the full nineteen. There are trees everwhere, so it favors the precise over the powerful.

Dave played the course with me, and we took time out for a quick photo. He is just another recent convert to the game. 

See you out on the course someday, somewhere.

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December 28, 2006 by Brian.

     Hello All!  

     Since I arrived back in Minnesota in September, I have been fishing and hunting quite a bit, but I also spend a lot of my time playing a game that is wonderful on several different levels . . . disc golf. This game has many of the same charms that regular golf has: a walk around a beautiful course, the hunt for better skill, and comradery. The terminology is the same, in that the first shot is the drive and the last is the putt. Each hole has an assigned number of strokes that represent par and most courses are 18 or 9 holes. The similarity ends there, however.

        First, anyone can play disc golf. A disc costs $10-15 and can be found at most sporting goods stores. Playing a round on most courses around the country is free and there are more courses than you would think. Check out http://www.pdga.com/ to find a course near you. The game welcomes anyone, unlike the other golf, which can cost thousands of dollars a year to play, and is really not nearly as egalitarian as disc golf.

       Additionally, disc golf is more ecologically sound. In comparison to most traditional golf courses, a disc golf course takes up a third of the land. Most courses run through the middle of the woods and only a narrow strip is cleared for a fairway. Some undergrowth gets trampled and walking trails are worn in the earth, but all of the intrusions would be quickly mended by mother nature, if the course were abandoned. Some folks feel is it necessary to discard trash around the course and to break bottles on the tees, but I have a feeling these are teens that come to the courses to party at night. We always try to leave the course better than we found it.

      One would never dream of shooting a round of golf in the dark, but disc golf lends itself well to those of us who lack the luxury of daylight due to a busy work schedule. All that is necessary is a small light normally used for lighted fishing bobbers and some duct tape.

 Tape it in the middle, so the disc is still balanced, and make sure the disc is warm and dry, or the tape won’t adhere well and you’ll find your light, but no disc.

It can be hard to see the pin, so a flashlight can be helpful. So if your tired of sitting in front of the idiot box, get out at night and throw a round.

       Not only can one play at night, but you can almost play in any weather. Rain makes it tough and a fresh blanket of snow can lead to lost discs, but there are very few days that are unplayable. Once you get out on the course, the weather is no longer a concern.

     For those of you who own dogs, there are many courses that allow dogs on the course, so you can make the daily walk more interesting. Try not to teach them to fetch before bringing them out on the course, since this can cause serious problems for obvious reasons.

     I look forward to seeing you all out there. Let me know if you have any questions or help getting started.

 Brian M. Smith

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