How Did You Get Into Disc Golf?

[DiscGolfMaster]

Mostly curious about the guys that have been playing for a while but all start up stories are welcome and will be fun to read.

My story:

My dad was told about "frisbee golf" at his work by a female coworker who said her husband played. This was 13 to 14 years ago. He was interested and went home and did some research. The closest course to us was Timmons Park in Greenville SC, and it was over 30 minutes away. There weren't any stores near us that sold discs, so on our way out as a family (me, dad, my mom and sister) we stopped by Kmart and each got a frisbee. It actually wasn't a bad frisbee and was kind of a hybrid between an Ultimate frisbee and a disc golf disc. I barely remember anything about the round, but I remember being hooked right away and thought it was so cool that you could play this sport for free.
We found out the mall closest to us had a sporting good store that sold discs. Dad bought a pack that had an Aviar, Shark, Puma, Cheetah, and Leopard. I got the Puma, dad got the cheetah and aviar. My mom and sister only went one more time with us to Timmons before they gave up on the sport. Me and my dad continued to play for years with me using just the Puma and him the Cheetah and Aviar. It was just so much fun to play with my dad. We didn't know anything about professional players. We didn't know you were supposed to be able to throw farther than a couple hundred feet. I have countless fond memories of getting up early on saturday mornings to play a round of disc golf with my dad.
Dad ended up getting out of the sport (He was struggling with depression) and I had no one else to play with so I quit for a while too. The first time I played a round with someone other than my dad, years later, was really hard for me, it was our thing. But now, I play with my wife and it's really great. She doesn't caddie for me, she actually plays, and plays pretty well too. I know I know, I found a keeper! Haha. She's never beaten me, but got really close the other day with a score of 55 and I had a 54.

Tried to be more brief, but it didn't work out. Your posts don't have to be as thorough if you don't want them to be.

 

[PBokor]

Grew up playing Ultimate and Guts in So. Cal. and of course the requisite showing off at the beach. At Granada Hill HS, we could get PE credit for playing Ultimate in 1977-1978.

A couple of friends and I heard of a course in Sylmar Ca in 1984 and showed up with our whammo discs. A guy in the parking lot sold us each an Innova (either Eagle or Aero, don't know). It was burnt orange and heavy as hell. Walking in the woods and partaking of 'nature' appealed to us and we went back more than a few times from 1984-1985.

Came back this year as we are getting a course within walking distance of my house. Forgot how much I love this sport.

 

[zgmc]

Drinking and drugs.

 

[hellbound]

Laid off from work and a coworker took me for my first round. Now he hardly plays and I play just about every weekend.

 

[brickdoctor]

I was looking to get my son from my first marriage a Christmas present. A local paintball field where we use to play sold disc golf disc. My son mentioned that he played a few times with his friends. So I bought him a innova bag and 4 disc. At easter time he was over and I ask him how he liked the disc I bought for him, then suggested we go play a round after easter dinner. I and my youngest son and he went to a local course , I was pretty bad but fell in love with it. I was a avid ball golfer but had to cut back on it due to the economy at the time . I work construction and things were slow so couldn't afford it much, and disc golf filled the void. Now I am all in and love this way more than ball golf. I am retired now and have a few or my retired friends and I go several times a week. we even travel a few hours away to try new places ... Love the fact that we can get outside and have a few beers and have a blast without costing a fortune. Oh and every now and then get to play a round with my son ,,,awesome

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Had been looking for something fun to do with my kids. Saw people throwing frisbees at these baskets in Hines Park, looked like a good time.

If you'd have told me then that I would spend hundreds of $ on plastic, plan vacations around where the best courses are, and buy camping gear just for DG road trips...


39 yr old BnM woulda told you, "Dude, you're full of $h!t."

 

[thrembo]

This book got me started playing object golf with catch Frisbees. It also got me into the IFA where I met some cool people. The first course that I played with baskets was West Park in Joliet IL in 1979. Me and my friends were way too young and wild for organized play back then. Sorry for being one of the shirtless hooligans rampaging through the courses while you were trying to have your tournaments! Orginized play was our enemy back then!

 

[ilmcgee]

Dad bought my first disc. Took a few years and convincing from my little brother. But I finally went out and played. Can't say the sport really hooked me, I've taken several lay offs from playing. But, I imagine I'll own DG discs for the rest of my life.

What he bought - dx viper.

 

[zontar]

I like my story. a year ago, my 31 yo biological son (I NEVER KNEW ABOUT!) found me. he's a big DGer, flew across the country to visit me, and I was instantly hooked. have played obsessively ever since. happy story, eh?

 

[Prostar47]

I started by smashing my girlfriend's(now wife) family catch frisbee. We went to the local brewery(North Country Brewery) and saw that they sold frisbees and i asked the waiter and he said 'Well you want a frisbee or do you want a golf disc' and i looked at him and said 'what the hell is a golf disc' so he told me all about the local courses (Moraine, Deer Lakes, Knob Hill) and how there was a big tournament the next weekend where all the big pro's come in. I said 'okay dude, ill try your game' bought a Mako per his recommendation. I've been hooked the past 6 years now playing 5 days a week and traveling to tournaments constantly. Irrelevant to the story but now, my waiter's dog is best friends with my dog on the course.

 

[thrembo]

I like my story. a year ago, my 31 yo biological son (I NEVER KNEW ABOUT!) found me. he's a big DGer, flew across the country to visit me, and I was instantly hooked. have played obsessively ever since. happy story, eh?

I like a happy ending!

 

[dusty5150]

saw "frisbee golf" on the map of a park i took my dog for a run at, spent the whole next day googling (before we had google) disc golf, the next day helped install teepads at a local course, then played my first round after that ... my life changed that day.

 

[roggenb3]

I started playing a ton of ball golf in about 7th grade. My friends introduced me to disc golf early in high school. From that point my ball golfing started to decline as the disc golf took over. At the end of high school I probably played about equal amounts of each. But when that student discount at the local public golf course ended (it was $3 for 9 holes, or $5 for 18!) with the end of high school I completely stopped playing and starting to disc every day.

 

[dashiellx]

My son, 8 at the time, had a medical issue that kept him out of school for a bit. I took FMLA to care for him. One thing he could do was hike, so we started hiking and stumbled upon a disc golf course--not that I knew what it was. I told my neighbor about this weird basket contraption thing and he goes "Oh, yeah. Disc Golf Basket". He let my son and I some discs and I've been playing ever since. My son's interest comes and goes.

 

[Atvizory2000]

I saw a bunch of losers playing at my local park all the time. Rode up there for a few laughs. Now Im a loser

 

[etdefender19]

The payroll person in my office and I were having a throwaway conversation as I was handing in a time sheet or something. Somehow the subject got on Christmas gifts for my boys (13 and 11) and/or something new to do with them. She suggested disc golf and I knew there were baskets at the park near me and figured it would be an inexpensive thing to do with them. So I ordered us each a starter set, I said they were getting an early Christmas present, we watched the tutorial DVD that came with my starter pack and hit the course. I was hooked immediately, the boys are less-enthused but still like to play and enjoy the hand me down discs I give them.
Fast forward eight months - my bag has 25 discs, each of the boys have roughly ten of my rejects, and there's another bag with 10-12 more discs.
Inexpensive hobby no more!!

 

[ThrowBot]

First round was played with my gf at the time and a few other friends. Her dad had a few old discs laying around so we all grabbed one and headed to the park. First disc ever thrown: 150 class DX shark.

Played pretty casual for years. When I moved to a new city, the disc golf course is where I made my first friends, and they got me into the more competitive/formal side of the sport.

 

[Halcón]

Here's an older one, which I responded to:

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91930&highlight=start

And an older one still, that has many posters who are no longer around:

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16117

 

[Vonbeezy1]

I saw a bunch of losers playing at my local park all the time. Rode up there for a few laughs. Now Im a loser

^^^ Sums it up for me

 

[Moose33]

My cousin aksed me to help install some baskets at a course he was putting in at a local college, so I went out and dug some post holes and we played a bit.

I was going though a lot personally at the time and kind of forgot about it for a year or two, though I had a lot of fun.

A friend of mine who live on the west coast for a bit came back and asked if I wanted to play at a local park and I remembered liking it so I went and had a good time again. This time he gave me some discs to keep(Groove, Roc and Aviar) and I began to play a lot. Fourish years later and I'm on the cusp of really competing in open. Makes me wish I'd really got into it with my first go.