Kevin Burgess bends his knees and squints his eyes, lining up his shot. He tosses the yellow disc and it sails over the couch to the other side of his apartment’s living room. All that is heard is the clanking of the chains in his portable basket as the disc finds its resting place among the multitude of other discs.

“I won this one and this one and this one,” Burgess, a junior in civil engineering, said as he holds up different discs he has obtained over the years through tournaments.

Burgess said when he isn’t practicing putting in his apartment, he likes to visit courses in the Raleigh area, especially Kentwood — located off Kaplan Drive.

Disc golf is the same basic concept as regular golf, according to Burgess. He said most holes are par three, meaning players should try to make the disc into the metal basket in three throws.

There are three basic types of discs in the game, according to Burgess. The driver is used for long distances, the mid-range for medium shots and putters are used to approach and make it into the basket.

Even though there is no dress code for play, Jon Hendricks, a junior in mechanical engineering, said he prefers to wear light clothes, especially if the weather is nice.

Hendricks also said footwear is a player’s own discretion. He said although many of his friends wear flip-flops, he chooses shoes because of the traction when throwing.

Many players choose to bring specialized bags to hold their collection of discs, according to Hendricks, who said he opts for simply bringing a few discs by hand.

“We make fun of people with bags,” he said.

Hendricks said one of the greatest feelings he has in disc golf is finding out a player with a bag is playing a worse game than he is.

One of the primary reasons students play disc golf is because of the social aspect of the game, according to Jeff Miller, a junior in aerospace engineering, who said he likes to play for fun with friends.

Miller said many disc golfers like to take it easy on the courses, and it is not rare to see people drinking while playing.

“Most college kids have 40 [ounce]s and High Life,” Miller said.

Burgess said there is another reason why many students find the game so addictive.

“It’s free,” he said.

Most courses are public parks and don’t charge for play, according to Burgess. He said even discs could be bought used at places like Play It Again Sports.

An alternative to buying discs is finding them, according to Hendricks, who said he has only bought three discs of his own. He said the best way to find misplaced discs is diving in lakes by certain holes.

“My buddy once found 33 discs,” Hendricks said.

Once a new player has obtained a few discs, the next step is fundamentals, according to Burgess. He said it is important to learn things like footwork and release before jumping into the sport.

“Don’t try to do what you can’t do,” he said.

Burgess said after a player has gotten comfortable enough playing, the next step is to play doubles. He said on Thursdays during the summer at Kentwood, amateur players are paired with professional ones. The players both throw a disc and take the best throw. Burgess said this is a great way to learn because players can observe someone better than themselves while getting advice in the process.

Hendricks said his favorite disc golf moment was a hole in one. He said it was a hole where the basket was hidden to the right behind trees and all he could hear was the chains as the disc landed in the basket.

“I was jumping up and down,” he said, smiling.

Through good throws and bad, disc golf keeps players returning.