Unemployed and discouraged during the pandemic, Lewisville resident Devin “Dexter” Parish found a lifeline in the mental and physical discipline of disc golf. His enthusiasm for the sport led him to sell used discs on Facebook Marketplace, where he was so successful that he went on to open his own store online. He’s aware that not everyone gets it. “It’s not taken seriously. Golf is so prominent that it’s like, ‘Oh, well, disc golf is just a knockoff.’ ” But people are increasingly drawn to its accessibility: unlike traditional golf, which is in many ways a class signifier, it’s free to play. And while even kids can have fun hucking a disc, the deeper you go down the rabbit hole, the more technical and challenging it becomes, with professional tournaments held around the country and million-dollar endorsements at stake.
How to Play
Most courses have nine or 18 “holes,” which are really baskets with chain-link netting to catch the disc. Each hole starts with a tee shot (usually from a marked tee pad, often made of concrete) and ends with a putt (usually a standstill toss at the basket). The objective is to get your disc into the basket using the fewest throws possible. Like traditional golf, most courses have a par for reference. The player who ends with the fewest strokes wins the round.
Some Spin Controls
Penalties are incurred for throwing out of bounds, missing a mandatory route, or making an illegal throw. (Prepare to wade into ponds or shimmy up trees to retrieve errant discs.) Per community etiquette, if you find a disc with a phone number on it, text the owner for a chance to reclaim it before you add it to your stash.
Equipment Essentials
Leave the Frisbee at home and get some sport-specific discs: putters (very short distances), midrange (short to medium distances), and drivers (longer distances). Beginners should have at least one putter and one midrange disc. Hold off on the drivers until you can throw pretty well; they go farther but are harder to throw accurately. Despite what my husband says when he comes home with new plastic, you really only need a few discs to play.
Where to Buy
Large chains can’t match the selection at QuickDiscsUSA, Dexter Parish’s home distribution center, which carries the most sought-after limited-edition plastic at competitive prices. If he doesn’t have it, he’ll find it.
