Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Ringer is fantastic

I have played again with the new Discraft Ringer. It has replaced several discs in my bag. I can use this disc for most all shots from inside of 200ft., and it goes where I want it to go. If you don't have one, get one.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Ham Lake Park disc golf course to be expanded

The high amount of use of the disc golf course at Ham Lake Park led the Ham Lake City Council to approve expanding it from nine holes to 18 holes.

Public Works Superintendent Tom Reiner estimated that between 100 and 150 people probably play the course every day.

Chad Nowak plays disc golf at the Ham Lake Park course last month with some friends. The course will be expanded from nine holes to 18 holes starting sometime around Aug. 1. File photo by Eric Hagen

“It seems to be a good use of the park,” Mayor Paul Meunier said. “I can’t imagine anything getting that much use that we now have other than the baseball fields or the softball fields.”

Reiner told ABC Newspapers that the new nine holes will be installed sometime around Aug. 1.

Councilmember Gary Kirkeide questioned the impact the new nine holes would have on the park.

Reiner said the nine holes would be near the Don Hansen ballfield complex and more developed recreational areas and would not impact the less developed portions of Ham Lake Park.

According to Reiner, expanding the disc golf course means there would be additional walking trails, which he said improves the park.

The work will be done in-house and is capped at $4,000, Reiner said.

The disc golf baskets that players throw the frisbees into are easy to relocate if necessary.

“All we’re talking about is a basket cemented in the ground,” Reiner said. “We pull the basket out, fill the hole and we can move the hole anywhere we want.”

There have been concerns raised by some residents about trash and noise, but the council unanimously approved the expansion.

Trash cans were recently installed by the existing nine holes and Reiner said he only spotted a couple of cans when he played the course over the Fourth of July weekend and a couple of days since the park was last maintained, so there has been improvement in that aspect.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

7 Reasons that you should try Disc Golf

July 7, 2009 by sgpease

1. Get some exercise. You can walk from 1/2 mile for a short 9 hole course, up to 2.5 miles for a long 27 hole course. Or play more rounds if you want more exercise. One Saturday last summer, some friends and I played 100 holes on 6 different courses at Highbridge Hills in northern Wisconsin. We played just under 60 holes on 3 courses the day before. So you can get a lot of exercise if you want.

2. Anyone, at any age can get out and get some sun and fresh air. There are players much older than me. I am in my early 50’s, and I can compete with the younger guys just fine. I have taken my 8 year old grandson out and he did fine. My point here is that you can play from young to older than most sports, and still be competitive.

3. Disc golf is easy to play and easy to learn. You can go out your first time and have a good time and not feel like a first timer. If you want to get good, it takes a lot of time and practice to get there. There are many shots that take touch, and many that take power. To get good, you need to be able to do both.

4. Inexpensive. Most courses are free. The ones that aren’t are very reasonable, generally $3 to $5 for the day. The discs are also very inexpensive. You can get started with 3 discs that you can get for under $30 for the 3. Even if you really get into the sport and spend allot, you still will be way under what most other sports will cost you. If you don’t loose the discs, they can last you for many years.

5. There are over 2700 courses worldwide, most in the U.S. There are more being built all the time. The sport is one of the fastest growing sports. The reasons here are are part of it. the other part of it is that cities can build the courses in already existing parks, and the cost to them is also relatively inexpensive.

6. It’s a lot of fun. Every throw has it’s challenge. There are trees to go around, ponds to go over or around, corners to navigate. You sometimes have to throw disc a direction that the disc doesn’t want to go.

7. It may be the only sport left that you can go out, learn to play and become a pro if you are 2o, 30, 40, even 50 or more years old. The pros get paid, not big paydays now, but they can make money. There are also tournaments all over for different skill levels if you want to go that way. Or you can just play for fun on your own with your family and friends.

If any of these reasons make you think maybe I should give it a try. Go for it. There are even some courses that rent discs, so you don’t even have to buy anything to give it a try. If you do try it, you won’t be disappointed. You will really love the game if you give it a try.

Disc Golf - Choosing Your first Discs

Steve Pease

There are well over 200 discs on the market to choose from. How do you choose which ones to start with when you are just starting to play disc golf?

Choosing the wrong discs will frustrate you, and could even make you decide to not pursue playing the sport. The newest, fastest, and latest discs to hit the market are likely not the best discs for you to start with.

You really need 3 main discs to start with the basics of how to play the game.
1. You need a Driver. The disc to get you from the tee box down the fairway. For a new player, any shots over about 200 feet would call for a driver.
2. You need an approach disc, to get you from the end of your drive, to close enough to putt the disc in the basket.
3. You need a putter, to putt the disc in the basket from 30 feet or less.

Driver. Your first driver should be easy to throw, easy to control, and not be subject to throwing the disc with a lot of snap to make it fly correctly. I recommend the Lightning #1 Slice as your first driver. It’s easy to throw, easy to control, and under 170g, and it floats. Get the disc in the 165g range for the best starting weight.

Approach disk. This disc is very important to get you scoring better. You must get the approach close enough to putt for par. The best disc in my opinion for a beginner is the Innova shark, in DX plastic. It can be thrown flat, or turn it for control to the basket. It just goes where you want it to go.

Putter. This is the disc to get you from your approach shot into the basket. My recommendation for the putter is a Discraft APX soft. This disc is not too hard, not too soft. It will fly flat and will grab the chains well.

As you play and get better and stronger and have more control, you will want to try more discs, faster and more over stable. If you get hooked you will want to try them all, but wait until you are ready for them.

I have been throwing discs since the late 1970’s and have thrown many discs. I learned what was best for me by trial and error as most players do. I feel that these discs will work well for all beginners. I still carry all 3 of these discs in my bag to this day, and use them for a variety of shots I do also have 16 other discs I carry in my bag. They all have their place.

Another reason these are my picks are that they are all under $10 each. A very inexpensive way to start playing one of the best sports you will ever play.