There are golf courses around the nation where an appearance by Tiger Woods would make golfers shudder. Then there are other courses — two of which are in the Baton Rouge metropolitan area — where Tiger would be a novice.
The difference between these two types of courses are the instruments used to play the game.
While Woods dominates with his Nike club and golf balls, his amateur status begins when he trades in his Nike driver for a flat, plastic disc.
Disc golf, a sport originally formalized in the 1970s, is the new golf fad sweeping America. LSU Vet School Computer Manager John Malone, who graduated from LSU in 1994, said the game is more mainstream today than it was when he first started playing.
“It used to be just a lot of disc golfers and ultimate frisbee players,” Malone said. “Now there is a lot more diversity of players.”
While the object of the game is the same as “ball golf” — fewest strokes, or throws, wins — the style of play and equipment used differs from traditional golf.
Instead of clubs, players use discs to play. There are several types of discs which are specialized for different shots — drivers, mid-range, approach and putters — and companies like Innova and Discraft specialize in making discs and other accessories for disc golfers.
Tee lengths vary depending on degree of difficulty, just like in traditional golf. But instead of a hole in the ground as the object of conclusion, disc golf employs a raised metal basket in the hole’s place. The object is to throw the disc into the metal basket to complete the hole.
Similar challenges arise in disc golf as do in traditional golf. Tree and water hazards usually line holes, and penalties for shots out-of-bounds also exist in disc golf. But the mental aspect, according to Malone, is the most challenging part of the game.
“It’s kind of the same challenge as golf,” Malone said. “It’s an individual sport, so the challenge is within yourself. It’s such a mental game — the mental aspect is probably more important than the physical aspect.”
Another major difference between the two sports is the length of time it takes to complete a round. Playing a round of traditional golf may take a golfer three to four hours; a disc golf round can be finished in one to two hours.
The Professional Disc Golf Association, located in Appling, Ga., is the governing body for professional disc golfers in the United States and abroad. The PDGA is made up of 16,000 members from the U.S. to Japan.
The PDGA sponsors tournaments all over the world including the annual Mardi Gras Madness tournament in Metarie, La. According to the Web site (www.pdga.com), the PDGA is expecting to sanction 550 tournaments this year.
Shane Seal, a professional disc golfer sponsored by Discraft, finished in sixth place at the 2005 Mardi Gras Madness tournament and is ranked No. 1 among all Mississippi disc golfers by the PDGA.
Seal said the competition level at tournaments has grown dramatically in the last few years.
“Players are starting younger and younger, which is making conditioning a key component of preparing for tournaments,” Seal said.
In addition to the growing popularity of the sport, the prize winnings also are growing. Eric Tracy, the winner of this year’s Mardi Gras Madness tournament, walked away with $1,100.
Seal said more and more players are taking time off work to make some cash on the tour.
“More and more golfers are making the tournament scene the job scene as well,” Seal said. “That has really increased the skill level of tournament players.”
Seal walked away with $100 for his performance at the Mardi Gras Madness tournament.
Seal said he is attending less tournaments these days. Instead, he runs clinics for local disc golfers and designs courses in the area.
“Being sponsored by Discraft has really helped me introduce new players to the sport,” Seal said. “They have worked with me to help run disc golf clinics at very reasonable costs to people wanting to attend. I have installed three courses in the state of Mississippi over the last two years and have another three in the planning stage.”
As for why Seal decided to play disc golf, he said it was merely by accident.
“I discovered disc golf while playing ultimate frisbee at Highland Road Park,” Seal said. “A friend of mine used disc golf as a cool down after an ultimate tournament.”
There are two 18-hole courses in the Baton Rouge metropolitan area — Highland Road Park on Highland Road, and Greenwood Park in Baker.
Malone said the courses are complete opposites as well as complements of each other.
“Highland is kind of a mix of everything, except water hazards,” Malone said. “It’s a long course. Baker is a shorter course, but it is much more of a technical course because there are more trees in the way to smack into.”