The Art of Frolf
May 13, 2020
Today, we’re going to talk about the beautiful game of frolf (frisbee golf) a.k.a disc golf. The correct name is disc golf, but let’s be honest – saying frolf is way more fun. Now, you may have a few questions like “why are we talking about this?” or “what’s gotten into this guy to write about disc golf?” But, if you make it to the end of this blog, I promise you will be ready to go sling some discs in no time. The best part is that this sport can be played by anyone, no matter your level of athleticism. Whether its your first time or your twentieth time, it’s always so much fun. Let’s start with what disc golf exactly is. According to discstore.com, a premier website for discs and other equipment, disc golf is “similar to traditional ball golf but instead of using clubs and a ball, players throw flying discs in varying weights and molds at a target.” The biggest difference are the holes themselves, because instead of an actual hole in the ground, you will throw the disc into the metal basket usually about 3-4’ high. Almost every park has a frolf course, so you probably have seen these.
Now, you’ve made it this far, and your mouth is probably watering just wanting to spring off your couch and find the nearest course. Hold tight though, as we want to dive a bit more into what this sport entails. Next, we have the discs themselves. One common misconception about disc golf is the belief that frisbees and discs are synonymous, and you could use a regular frisbee to play disc golf. Discs built specifically for frolf are usually smaller than your normal frisbee and have more density and angle edges. The way you frolf is completely up to you, but I would recommend for someone new to buy three different discs: a driver, a mid-range, and a putter as they are the most commonly used. Just like in typical golf, the driver is a long-range disc. These are designed to make those long throws where you just need to get some good distance in your first throw. Next, the mid-range disc is my favorite. You won’t be able to do as much when it comes to curving it like you would with a driver, but you can get some good distance behind it or use it for closer placement shots. The putter is just as you’d think from regular golf. These discs have a wider rim and are designed for close up throws while going for the basket. I suggest that once you learn how to use these three basic discs, you add more and more to your collection. If you are considering buying some discs, I recommend looking at your nearest Play It Again Sports. They have a great selection and are usually cheaper than any other place and have all the discs that I talked about above. I also advise to make sure you buy bright discs. If you don’t, it will be harder to find yours on a wooded hole, and you’ll be stuck wandering around for a couple minutes. At Play it Again, you can get all three of those discs for about $25, which is not bad compared to the price of equipment for other sports.
If you’re still with me, I hopefully have wooed you to actually give it a shot sometime this week, so you’re probably asking “where can I go to bask in the glory of such an amazing game?” Well, I’m here to tell you! If you’re in the Lynchburg area, there are quite a few courses for you to choose from. These courses vary in size, terrain, and difficulty. So, I will make my own list starting with the easiest and working my way to the most difficult.
- Hydaway Outdoor Recreation Center
We are all probably familiar with Hydaway, the outdoor recreational facility up behind the mountain; but did you know they also have a course? This one is tucked away into the woods completely. If you decide to try this one out, you will go left and cross the open field to find the beginning of the course. This course is heavily wooded but is still a lot of fun to play because of the challenge it presents.
- Liberty East Campus (East Campus Satellite Parking Lot)
This course is for the more experienced player. I recently just tried to play here and got whooped by this course. The course on Liberty’s main campus starts in the back-right corner of the East Campus Satellite lot. This course will send you through the mountain, and require you to throw uphill, extreme downhills, and difficult curves. Not to mention, the walk for this course is enough of a workout and will also tire you out.
- Peaks View Park
Peaks View Park has in my opinion the easiest course in Lynchburg. With a course mostly out in the open, new players will enjoy getting their swing down on these short, clean holes. While there are a few wooded holes, they are still fairly easy to play through and are very forgiving. Make sure when you go you play the shorter hole – not the green one. The shorter ones with no color are closer to the tee and easier to play than the “pro tees.”
- Sandusky Park
Sandusky Park is very similar to Peaks View Park. They are both well maintained and allow a lot of growing room for new players. Their holes are a good mix of open field ones and wooded ones. They have done a great job of maintaining this course and would be a great beginning place as well.
There are other courses in neighboring counties and cities like Elk Creek in Appomattox and Greenfield in Troutville that you should try if you want to branch outside of Lynchburg. If you have made it to the end, I applaud you for reading my ridiculous words on this fun game. For a casual, at your own pace sport, frolf allows you to try and do well while still messing around with your friends and enjoying the time. Frolf is much more fun than you would expect, and if you grab a couple friends to come with you, it allows for a guaranteed good time!
Sources
https://www.discstore.com/protips/what-is-disc-golf/
https://www.discgolfmarket.com/blogs/news/5-reasons-why-you-should-play-disc-golf
https://www.playitagainsports.com/locations/lynchburg-va
Written by: Josiah Frisbie
Josiah enjoys writing for the blog because he believes in the power of discussing relevant topics. He wants to be challenged in his writing and research style while still growing and striving for knowledge.