Keep Your Disc Level!
by Rebecca Peters
This week I learned to play disc golf at the Okoboji Gold Disc Golf Course at Kenue Park next to the Nature Center. This course offers a fun, yet challenging 18 holes that winds through a Burr Oak Savannah and over a glacial kame between the Westport Schoolhouse and Dickinson County Nature Center. Hole 1 is located next to the Westport Schoolhouse.
Last summer I purchased my first beginner set of discs (frisbees) online so that I could get out and play. My set includes driver, mid-range, and putter discs. This week was the first time I actually used them! I played the first hole on my own. It took me seven throws on a par 3. Not too bad for my first try! Then Josh Battazzi from Disc Golf Sporting Goods joined to give me a few pointers. In addition to selling a wide variety of discs, Josh also organizes disc golf league nights and tournaments in the area!
Josh told me the trick to throwing a straight disc is speed and keeping the disc level. Initially I kept trying to throw the disc up, but it caught too much air and decreased my distance. My distance doubled once I focused on keeping the lip of the disc level! AMAZING! Watch out everyone! I’ll be competing at a pro level in upcoming tournaments in no time! Just kidding! I need to work more on increasing the speed in my throw. And my aim. And my follow-thru. Much like traditional golf, part of the fun is hitting the course often and improving a little each time. I certainly have a lot of room to improve, and look forward to playing more often.
Hear more about this adventure in the Vacation Okoboji podcast!
The Iowa Great Lakes Area has an abundance of recreational spaces for us to utilize, including the Okoboji Gold Disc Golf Course! Discs are relatively inexpensive, and it’s free to play our local course. Plus, it’s a fun way to get outside with friends or family! We have people from all over the Midwest who come to play our disc golf course for tournaments, or just because they’ve heard about the unique challenges the course offers. We are lucky to have it in the Iowa Great Lakes Area! I encourage you to give it a try. You can learn more this and other recreational opportunities at www.VacationOkoboji.com.