Letters to the Editor

Write a Letter »  Read Letters »

 Email this page  Print this page

Flying Saucers

Rhode Islanders are flipping out over disc golf.

At the tee, I survey the fairway. Then I twist, ripping my drive…into a birch tree. Lesson one: “Poor man’s golf” is easy on your wallet, not on your score.

I recently learned this and more about disc golf at Borderland State Park in Easton, Massachusetts. The game, which first became popular in the seventies, has been gaining new appeal — partly because all you really need to play is a set of three discs (driver, mid-range disc and putter) for about thirty dollars. The sport is similar to golf except players throw discs into “pole holes,” basket targets suspended about four feet from the ground. The discs are smaller and heavier than Frisbees; with practice and finesse you can drive them more than 500 feet. Fairways are often wooded and narrow, so the key, I learned, is finding just the right grip or angle on the disc to curve past trees.

Rhode Island has a small course at Ninigret Park in Charlestown, along with the Borderland and Pyramids courses in nearby Easton and Leicester, Massachusetts. I should warn you: It’s easy to get hooked. Find more info about courses and getting started at nefa.com. — Jim Hammond