Table of Contents

Tales from a Downtown Pub Crawl

Where to Buy Used Stuff

Paths of Most Resistance

Road to Excitement 

Sir Blaire of Rothes

Six Shooters

Notes from the Underground

Gospel Music?

A Queen for a Day

Madison Street

Discin'

E.C. History

Editor's note

The first time Andy Swant, a UW-Eau Claire senior played disc golf, the day did not go so well. Swant played disc golf for the first time five or six years ago, when he was living in Madison. He and his friends had seen people play before and he thought it looked like fun, so they gave it a try. "We had no idea what to do or what to play with, so we just used some old Frisbees we found around the house. When we got to the course we sort of just looked around to see what other people were doing and tried to copy them." It turned out disc golf was harder than they thought. "We couldn't even play, we were throwing our Frisbees everywhere. After a while some other people on the course came over and gave us some pointers. I've gotten a little better since then and try to play whenever I can during the summer."

The sport of disc golf is similar to real golf. Actually, the sport has definite roots in traditional golf and is played by essentially the same rules. The main difference is a disc is used instead of a ball and clubs. The object of the game is the same, but in place of the hole the disc is thrown into a metal basket. A complete set of disc golf rules can be found on the Professional Disc Golf Association's Web site

The sport might seem easy, but most people find it quite challenging. Disc golf courses are designed with either nine or eighteen holes of play and contain several obstacles including trees, shrubs, wind, and the terrain of the course. These factors can make disc golf both fun and challenging.

UW-Eau Claire freshman Chris Wilger enjoys the challenge. "I like having to dodge the obstacles or play a dog-leg (a curve in the course, that serves as an obstacle) to make the shot," he says. Others, like senior Andy Swant, find other seemingly more elementary aspects of the game challenging, "the most challenging part of disc golf to me is just getting it in the hole."

According to the PDGA, disc golf began in the United States during the 1960s with the first organized tournament occurring in 1969. Since the 1960s, the sport has grown rapidly. When the sport started there were only a few courses, but now there are roughly 800 courses worldwide. Several of these courses are located in Wisconsin, with two being right here in Eau Claire. There is a nine-hole course located in Mount Simon Park and an eighteen-hole course located at the Tower Ridge cross country skiing area, about fifteen minutes east of Eau Claire. The course at Mount Simon is ideal for beginners. The course has nine holes and few obstacles. The terrain is also fairly flat which makes walking and playing the course relatively easy. Tower Ridge is a lot more challenging. The course has eighteen holes and is very hilly. At some points of course the player must throw the disc over a gully or through fairly wooded areas to make a shot.

The sport is catching on so rapidly that UW-Eau Claire even has its own disc golf club. The club was started a year ago and has an estimated fifty members. The club is open to all students and membership is $5.00 a semester. Mitch Stimers, the club president, said the club helps new players start and gives people who already play someone to play with. During the summer, the club tries to organize tournaments at different area courses. This summer, Stimers is hopes to organize tournaments between Eau Claire, Stevens Point, and Milwaukee clubs.

Disc Golf is usually played until there is snow on the ground and is enjoyed by players for several reasons.

Stimers enjoys playing disc golf because "it's a cool sport - real relaxing, intense, and cheap." Stimers says that during the summer he plays about six days a week. 

Wilger enjoys the sport for different kind of reason. "It's...not rushed and crowded like real golf," he says.

Disc golf is also cheap to play. Aside from buying a disc, it is free, and if you do not want to buy a special disc, you can always use any Frisbee that is lying around the house. Traditional Frisbees may not work the best, but they are perfect for beginners. Professional discs can be purchased in Eau Claire for about $10.00 at either Play It Again Sports or Scheels All Sports.

The sport can also be played by just about anyone. This is one of the reasons Swant plays disc golf, "it requires skill, but is fun even if you don't have any." According to the PDGA three to five million people have tried disc golf, and there are fifty to seventy-five thousand regular players. Most players start in high school or college and remain active in the sport. Besides being free and fun, one of the other reasons people remain active in the sport is because it offers exercise without a tiring workout. Disc golf offers upper and lower body conditioning, an aerobic workout, and offers the player a chance to focus on concentration.