Disc golf isn't always a walk in the park. Sometimes it's an obstacle course of lessons.
Blue sky, green grass, abundant sunshine. What could go wrong?
This post goes out to @wizardofcheeze who expressed interest seeing in more ENH disc golf content. Here ya go, and thank you!
@jschindler and I arrived at Denton's North Lakes park not-so-early on a pleasantly mild Saturday morning in June. The air was warm, but not yet hot, thanks to a light breeze from the South. Despite a bag malfunction at the onset of our round, we gathered our equipment and made it to hole 1 before the sun was too high.
This bag seems like it was made for carrying discs. Maybe it's inappropriate for the course - that's not stopping me from using it.
Art on the tee box at hole 1. What a perfect sign of the romantic bonding sure to happen on the course ahead...
@ jschindler's sidearm in action around some brush
Moving along to hole 3. That's when I decided the best lie would be in the middle of the street that runs alongside the west side of the park. Sometimes there's a lot of traffic, but I caught a lucky break this time. I just ran out there and grabbed it.
Exciting times
Hole 3 was also inexplicably tagged by means of this engraved metal disc on the side of a tree. I'm not sure why this tree is labeled 1788, but it made for a nice composition.
What could it signify?
After recovering from the street on 3, my drive on hole 4 managed to land in one of this course's many un-mowed areas. Landing in the fairway is -->kinda<-- important at North Lakes (and most courses). Accuracy always counts!
Wading through a miniature inland sea of prairie grass and wildflowers while searching for a disc offers an opportunity to ponder life's important questions, like, “Are there chiggers in this grass?” And , “Why did I neglect to use bug spray?”
At the top of the hill in the picture below lives the basket for hole 4. Hole 5's tee box lives up there too. The hill borders the southern side of a large pond. When that pond and the wind join forces, this section of the course can become a serious challenge. The thing about North Lakes park is it's ALWAYS windy there. Always!
Don't you just want to reach out and throw that disc?!
Standing at the top of the hill it's easy to get a better view of the hole 5 basket, right? Yeah, I don't see it either.
Just kidding -- there it is.
By the time we made it through the fifth hole, I was so far over par I was beginning to wonder if I should even bother keeping score this round. We'd already invested some time in this game, but after so many bad lies and mis-throws, I was really questioning my abilities to make it through. We'd already decided to play only the front 9 since we had made it to the course later than originally planned. We kept going, kept throwing and made it to hole 6.
@ jschindler was having still having a good time. He's skilled at seeing the bright side of things.
There were some strange abandoned socks lying near the basket at hole 7. There were no shoes or other items there, only three socks. Where did they come from? Why were they mismatched? So many questions, so few answers.
Hole 8 is pretty straightforward. It's a par 4 hole, but there are no hazards and the wind doesn't cut across too badly because of a tree line and that old hill. I actually made it in the at par for this hole (still way over for the course, obviously) and even felt a tiny pang of accomplishment when my putter hit the chains.
Hole 9 is where I really lost my sh!t. Literally and figuratively.
This sign's got jokes. JK, I was just in a bad mood that day, the parks are life-enriching.
Let's back up a little bit for some more info on how this walk in the park turned into a would-be bad day. See, early on in the round, @ jschindler found a bright, shiny red disc. It was an unfamiliar brand and it had a big sword printed on it in white. There was also a phone number with a local area code written in black marker on the back.
We mentioned writing our contact info on our own discs in case of future disc loss, tossed the red disc into the spider bag and went on about our way. Remarkably, not long after, he found a second disc. It was a swanky unmarked Championship Monarch in a smoky clear and opaque black design. Sweet!
Fast-forward to hole 9 when I threw my trusty old purple Beast into that pond I mentioned earlier. “Okay”, I thought. “Whatever, you gonna lose a disc now and then, it's part-a the game”. That's when @ jschindler suggested the labeled red disc. I wanted to decline, and I did start to say, “NO”, but for whatever reason, I ignored my intuition. I grabbed the disc and went up to the tee box and threw it – straight into the pond. That was two in a row!
Things were getting serious. I'd selfishly blown off the chance to meet a new friend or competitor, plus I lost my own disc. I was ready to leave. In my mind the towel had already been thrown in. (And, of course, me being a brat about the whole thing was becoming a new reality. JS is a patient man).
But wait, there's more! Another friendly suggestion sailed my way from @ jschindler. "Want to try this Monarch?" And again, I was protesting to myself both internally and verbally. I told myself, “You already lost two discs today, just hold on to that Monarch and call it good! You're basically even on the disc count now, just wait for him to finish 9 and we'll call it a day, no problem”. Yet there was a moment in which my resolve crumbled. Ohhh, it burns!
That's when I grabbed the disc, stepped up to the box and gracefully drove the swanky “new” Monarch all the way back into the maw of grass from which it came.
At that point, I was actually (sort of) okay with the situation. I was very disappointed with two bad drives, yet at peace with the third shoddy drive. We figured we would be able to find the disc in the grass since we “saw where it went”. That all changed after we spent twenty minutes or so wading around in crotch-high grass looking for the damned thing. The tall, scratchy grass in that area of the park concealed all evidence of the disc's landing. And as an added consolation prize, we both got a whole MESS of bug bites or plant prickles (?) that were off-the-charts itchy.
While I enjoy every opportunity to play a round, this one really wanted to break me.
From hole 1, accuracy was not my friend that day. The wind was gusting at about 20 MPH by the time hole 9 showed up. And to top it all off, I went against my “gut” feeling on throwing the found discs at the last hole, and I really knew better than to do that.
The universe has a sense of humor second to none, I can't say I'm surprised. Looking back, although it was a frustrating and trying round, I'm glad we went. Romantic bonding was accomplished and I took away a few choice lessons (PRACTICE IMPROVING FORM & ACCURACY, CONTACT LOST DISC OWNERS, PATIENCE PAYS DIVIDENDS) .
Who is enternamehere?
ENH is a steemian who enjoys the fitness, friendly spirit and fresh air of disc golf. Actively exploring courses across North Texas. Always happy to meet a fellow disc-er! ☼
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Lool xD It may have been frustrating losing the discs, but that made the story so much funnier xD the video of throwing the disc in the wrong direction is a cherry on top. Sorry but it's hillarious :D
Also I've never heard of disc golf :O and I'd love to try it now!
Disc golf can be a lot of fun, although frustration is part of the game. The greatest competitor is usually "self"! Glad you found some humor in this story. Thanks for reading :)
I am, as usual, behind on here. But I loved this article on your big day out. Not to make light of so many difficulties on the course, but it was still very fun and entertaining to read. Your whimsy still shows through the difficulties. Then again, taking life too seriously only makes you more serious.
It does look like a very difficult place to play. Pretty sure I would spend even more time than you in chiggerville and talking to the fish and frogs.
Do they make a 'disc getter', like in golf? So you can fish it out of the drink? I guess swimming is the best way, but golf courses don't allow such extracurricular's. Plus you probably have nasty snakes down yonder to wade around with.
Love your Spiderman pack. That seems like a safety item, they can see you from the back, so you don't get 'bonked by a fris'. See, I've never played beyond ultimate, but have the lingo down and am SO cool.
Love JS comment after your 'lets go check out the grass again' toss..."well". Got a snicker out of that one. It DOES look like a fun, great way to have a romantic bonding experience with your partner of significance, tossing and rummaging about on the course. I must try it soon. Though WHERE do I get such a cool looking pack? I've looked and looked, to no avail ( :
While it was a challenging round, it was overall a fun experience. My whimsy is showing? Oh noooo! I'll do better at controlling that in the future :->
Do they make a 'disc getter', like in golf?
If we're thinking about the same machine, I've not seen one for DG, but that doesn't mean anything. It may exist. A very handy tool for grabbing discs out of the not-too-deep water hazards is the regular extension grabber (like the ones marketed in the Carol Wright Gifts and Dr. Leonard's catalogs). The grabber and water shoes make searching in shallower water much easier. Although if the water is murky, good luck to you, and the snakes.
Getting bonked would prolly leave a mark. I've had some close calls, but haven't been in that position yet. In UF (ultimate frisbee) is there a lot of contact? Or is it like flag football, but with a disc? UF a disc game with which I am pretty unfamiliar. You seem like a physically active individual, between basketball, foresting, calisthenics and ...cat wrangling.
One of these days, we're going to see a DG post from you! The course is calling your name. As far as the spider bag is concerned, I am somewhat ashamed to admit it came from Wally World in a moment of poor planning/slight desperation.
Losing discs is such a blow to the ego! But it's all part of the game. We absolutely got chiggers that day, then a week of itchy misery. I didn't know you play dg, that's cool. Plus you make mead, very cool. Congratulations on your engagement as well! You're a busy man, I definitely appreciate you taking time to leave a comment. Take care 😁
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Lool xD It may have been frustrating losing the discs, but that made the story so much funnier xD the video of throwing the disc in the wrong direction is a cherry on top. Sorry but it's hillarious :D
Also I've never heard of disc golf :O and I'd love to try it now!
Disc golf can be a lot of fun, although frustration is part of the game. The greatest competitor is usually "self"! Glad you found some humor in this story. Thanks for reading :)
Haha as with every sport :D But yeah this one sounds very unique ^^
I am, as usual, behind on here. But I loved this article on your big day out. Not to make light of so many difficulties on the course, but it was still very fun and entertaining to read. Your whimsy still shows through the difficulties. Then again, taking life too seriously only makes you more serious.
It does look like a very difficult place to play. Pretty sure I would spend even more time than you in chiggerville and talking to the fish and frogs.
Do they make a 'disc getter', like in golf? So you can fish it out of the drink? I guess swimming is the best way, but golf courses don't allow such extracurricular's. Plus you probably have nasty snakes down yonder to wade around with.
Love your Spiderman pack. That seems like a safety item, they can see you from the back, so you don't get 'bonked by a fris'. See, I've never played beyond ultimate, but have the lingo down and am SO cool.
Love JS comment after your 'lets go check out the grass again' toss..."well". Got a snicker out of that one. It DOES look like a fun, great way to have a romantic bonding experience with your partner of significance, tossing and rummaging about on the course. I must try it soon. Though WHERE do I get such a cool looking pack? I've looked and looked, to no avail ( :
Now who is the late replier?!
While it was a challenging round, it was overall a fun experience. My whimsy is showing? Oh noooo! I'll do better at controlling that in the future :->
If we're thinking about the same machine, I've not seen one for DG, but that doesn't mean anything. It may exist. A very handy tool for grabbing discs out of the not-too-deep water hazards is the regular extension grabber (like the ones marketed in the Carol Wright Gifts and Dr. Leonard's catalogs). The grabber and water shoes make searching in shallower water much easier. Although if the water is murky, good luck to you, and the snakes.
Getting bonked would prolly leave a mark. I've had some close calls, but haven't been in that position yet. In UF (ultimate frisbee) is there a lot of contact? Or is it like flag football, but with a disc? UF a disc game with which I am pretty unfamiliar. You seem like a physically active individual, between basketball, foresting, calisthenics and ...cat wrangling.
One of these days, we're going to see a DG post from you! The course is calling your name. As far as the spider bag is concerned, I am somewhat ashamed to admit it came from Wally World in a moment of poor planning/slight desperation.
And the beat goes on!
Noooo! I'm so sorry :( I'd hate losing three discs in one day.
Did you end up getting chiggers too?
Losing discs is such a blow to the ego! But it's all part of the game. We absolutely got chiggers that day, then a week of itchy misery. I didn't know you play dg, that's cool. Plus you make mead, very cool. Congratulations on your engagement as well! You're a busy man, I definitely appreciate you taking time to leave a comment. Take care 😁
Hey, sorry gumroad is having issues.
You can use the same coupon here https://cubebrush.co/photoreferencepacks :)