disc golf

On Friday afternoon Mark, Mark's brother David and I headed up to Solitude Mountain Resort for some fresh air, exercise and a game of disc golf. Solitude, a popular ski resort in the Winter attracts visitors through the Summer with hiking, mountain biking, dining and of course disc golf. For those of you unfamiliar with this game, disc golf is a lot like traditional golf, except players use specially made plastic flying discs (like "frisbees") instead of balls and clubs, and throw them for 'par' at an above-ground metal basket instead of a hole in the ground. There are different types of discs used for different throws - driving, mid-range and putting. There are over 1200 disc golf courses in the US. Most are in large public parks but several are located in ski resorts, where in Summer, the grassy ski runs make for natural fairways. Most courses are free to play. Mark and David played a lot of disc golf when they both lived in Texas, however the steep slopes at Solitude provided for quite a different challenge to what they are used to in the "flat lands" of Texas. We spent quite a bit of time looking for lost discs that drifted off course down the mountain into the trees!

We started at the pretty Solitude Village where a couple of mountain bikes were parked outside the popular pizza shop.


The course starts about 1,000ft above the village. I bought the "beginner package" which included discs and a lift ticket so I rode the Sunrise Lift to the top of the mountain. Mark and David (who have their own discs) decided to save their money and hike it to the top, leaving me sitting waiting for them for 30 minutes!

Here we are at the tee for Hole #1. You tee off from the large rubber pad aiming to throw the disc 300ft down the hill, avoiding the trees to the left and right (see pic below).

Can you see the basket at the bottom of the "fairway"? Neither could we!


Dave shows how to "drive" from the tee.


Here I am "putting" for the basket on Hole #8 - if you look closely you'll see my disc in the air.