Hi, Disc Golf Fans!

Baby Steps

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Still in single digits age-wise, my first prize was the (then) ubiquitous Pluto Platter, molded by Wham-o, that wacky fad/sport company (think hula hoop, super ball, hacky sack, Slip ‘N Slide), who purchased the rights from Walter “Fred” Morrison.  Morrison, an inventor, sold pie pans (to throw, not bake in) on Santa Monica beach back in the late 1930s. The name “Frisbee” was lifted from the Frisbie Pie Company, whose metal pans were being chucked around New England college campuses in the '40s and '50s.

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Fortunately, Morrison and Wham-o opted for plastic versions of the discs, which flew farther, lasted longer, and didn’t hurt nearly so much when you got bonked with one.  My attraction to this new alternative to the ball was the beauty of its flight.  Throughout my youth in Pennsylvania, I tried every version of the Frisbee available (Fastback, World Class, All American, Tournament, Pro Model), roping anyone near to toss with me.  Other companies jumped on the bandwagon (generally making, IMHO, inferior products) and Wham-o started adding “Flying Disc” on its products in an attempt to de-genericize the Frisbee name.

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It became apparent that not many other folks took my passion for the flying disc as seriously as I did.  My friend Weird Al was one exception.  In junior high, we invented a game called “Give your Life for the Frisbee” and played often through high school.  What the game entailed was vowing to catch the disc no matter where the other person threw it. We dove into mud, over cliffs, in front of passing cars.  Little did I know how much that would (ultimately) prepare me for the body-thrashing sport of Ultimate…

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A Consciousness Shift

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After high school, I essentially worked myself across the country starting minor businesses and going to college, ending up in San Francisco.  On a bike ride through Golden Gate Park one day, I spotted a bunch of disc throwers playing in ways I never thought possible – like dancing while simultaneously manipulating the disc.  A new level of Freestyle! And I observed my first nail delay - balancing the disc on a fingernail while it continues to spin.  To me, this was Frisbee Higher Consciousness!  I dropped the bike, ran over, and bugged the guys to teach me what they were doing.  With more than a little hesitation, they let me join the group and every day after that we met to spin discs on our fingernails, twirl our bodies, and catch hot plastic in seemingly impossible contortions.  I never was good enough to compete, but I got to shoot some photos for Frisbee World Magazine (and get paid in discs!), and it was fun being part of an elite group of Frisbee addicts who spent hours every day perfecting their craft.

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Life after Freestyle

 

But what happened next was even better.  My freestyling buddies found UItimate.  For me, this was the perfect hybrid where I could best use what sporting talents I had.  I ran some track (badly) and cross country (marginally) in high school.  And I began marathoning when I moved to California, so I had running stamina and frisbee skills!  I took to Ultimate like a Kardashian to a camera.  We started a team in San Francisco, but I really hit my groove when I moved to Los Angeles for graduate school and fell in with a really great bunch of guys who were competing at the highest level (at that time) of the sport.  We became like family and I got to play with the best West Coast players, even participating in a few International competitions.  I probably spent more time horizontal in the endzone dragging my toes at the pin than on my feet.  Doesn’t get any better than that!

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Life after Ultimate. Now What?

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Well, that was then and, trust me, a long time ago.  Ultimate players use terms now that we didn’t even have back then, like “huck”, “blade”, “hack”, and “doink”.  I still love chucking the disc, but can’t do the running thing too well (at all) anymore.  When a new course opened up within walking (not running) distance from my house in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I discovered disc golf.  How had I not been aware of this incredibly huge and fun sport?!  So, I immediately ordered a starter set of discs and began flinging (hucking?) them at baskets.  I won’t tell you how many discs I have now, but suffice it to say, buying shiny new plastic with cool graphics is addictive!  Of course, you really don’t need all that much to have fun.  You can go out and play with a good attitude and a couple of discs (or one, according to MVP Glitch proponents).  But, two discs minimum are needed because you’ll probably lose the first one.  Just sayin'.

 

Disc golf is a great way to get me outside in all kinds of weather (not a big fan of cold) and I get to use those dormant frisbee skills.  As I mentioned, I’m just starting to learn the game and am using this site to further my knowledge while, hopefully, spreading some useful information to folks out there who might be interested in checking the sport out.

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This website (YouTube channel and social media posts) will address an area that seems to be missing from the disc golf world.  That is how older sports enthusiasts find, transition, and adjust to disc golf.  There are plenty of mistakes one can make – and, believe me, I keep finding them!  For instance, I’m just coming back now from straining some tendons at my rotator cuff. I went out too fast and tried to keep up with some friends who were more experienced and much younger than I.  So, I got set back a couple of months while I repaired.  Lesson learned and - silver lining - I found time to start this website, write another book, and create a YouTube channel.  If I can provide any upcoming wisdom – stretches, exercises, practice methods, common sense – I will try my best and look forward to all the help I can get.  Please chime in.

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Besides being hooked by disc golf, I’m a husband, father, licensed architect and general contractor, started eleven businesses (some actually made money), and have been responsible for over two billion dollars’ worth of completed building projects.  I’ve developed and maintained ten websites, written and published a science fiction novel, been the president of the largest artist-owned art organization in Los Angeles, taught architecture at Otis Art Institute/Parsons School of Design, and ride motorcycles.  Life is for having fun, so drop what you’re doing and let’s play some disc golf!