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It’s been said that “disc golf is a cheap man’s golf.” While that’s true in some ways, what’s wrong with cheap? The fact is, disc golf is exploding in popularity. What used to be a silly game of Wham-O in the backyard has grown into a full-fledged phenomenon with an immense and ever-growing following.
There are too many benefits to list but some of the main ones include, weight loss, full-body exercise, mood, and energy improvement, getting outdoors, building self-confidence, improving heart health, and reducing stress. The best part is that it doesn’t require much willpower and discipline because the game is a blast.
While golf requires a more serious mindset, disc golf plays with the same rules and a more competitive but entertaining focus. It’s a great excuse to get out and socialize and once you start collecting discs, you’ll realize there’s another layer of competition and pride with the whole “brand versus brand” debate.
Get into the hiking spirit
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Disc golf involves form, perfectionism, finesse, and precision. But those aspects of the game only take place 18 when you’re throwing the disc. the rest of the time, you’re walking. Unlike golf, a disc golf course is a dynamic all it's own. You will throw down a narrow, winding passage of baby pines on hole 8, off the side of a mountain on hole 15, and across a wide-open plain on hole 18.
You’ll cross rivers, fling discs over lakes, battle to keep the disc down as it zips 5-feet from the ground, and avoid great gray waterfalls of Spanish moss. You’ll learn how to throw massive hyzers over boulders, and generate S-shaped flight paths so your disc weaves in and out of oaks, pines, maples, walnuts, and more.
You won’t just throw around, over, and under these things. You’ll also walk them. Playing disc golf is hiking with the occasional, competitive pause. You’ll find yourself more in tune with nature and the outside world than you’ve ever been.
Get in shape
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Disc golf is a certified weight-losing activity and there are tons of examples of people using the fun of the game to lose weight. Of course, you will have to lay off the bacon-wrapped, cream cheese, and shrimp jalapeno poppers. It doesn’t help to burn all those calories if you stack them back up in an hour on the couch.
A typical, 18-hole course takes an average of two hours to complete. It takes longer if you’re a beginner, learning the ropes for the first time. In those two hours, you’ll burn about a thousand calories. Throwing discs is only 25% of the game. The rest is hiking, bending, squatting, throwing from off-balance positions, climbing, and descending.
If disc golf is your first outside activity in years, you’ll feel it the next morning. If you’re in a group, you’ll find yourself agreeing to a second round most of the time.
Improved heart health
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Your heart is the densest muscle in the body and easily the most powerful. Like any muscle, it needs to be worked. Pumping grease from your last bacon, mushroom, and swiss burger is not the kind of workout we’re referring to either.
There are a few people in this world who genuinely love to run or jog. The rest do it because of pure willpower and a refusal to not stay in shape. Disc golf provides you with the kind of exercise that doesn’t cause you to cry in your bowl of Cheerios in the morning, right before you throw on your sneakers.
It’s fantastic exercise and it’s both fun and competitive. There are a lot of recreations out there that do the same but disc golf is advantageous in its sheer simplicity. Throw your water bottle in your disc bag, get in your vehicle, and head to the course. That’s it.
Confidence booster
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The first time you step out onto the concrete tee on hole 1, you’re going to think you’re the gods of disc golf’s gift to this course. That’s right before you spin too far, land on your ass, and your brand new disc hits a tree at Mach 3, or lands in the middle of a pond. Congratulations, you irritated some ducks.
You’re going to suck on your first day and the second and the third. You’re going to suck for the first several weeks. However, you’ll notice something here and there. You’ll finish your first course +15 over par and your second will be similar. But, now and then, you’ll throw the disc and watch in stunned delight as it does what it’s supposed to do. It’s an addictive feeling, watching it laser its way across vast swaths of real estate, perfect in its course, before finishing in a beautiful arc.
You might not replicate that throw again for a week but when you do it once, you’re hooked forever. You’ll get better. Within a few months, that score will be +2 over par or maybe you’ll break even for the first time. Before you know it, you’ll feel as if the disc golf gods are smiling down on you and the ducks will be relieved.
Mood and energy improvements
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Four emoji - frown, happy, angry, worried.
Exercise has always been known as an effective way to improve your mood, just like jumping in a quick shower. Your body releases endorphins when you actually get up, go outside, and do stuff. Endorphins provide your body with a natural source of energy. Not to mention that improved heart health is also linked to improved moods.
Exercise throughout the day gives your brain a reason to pass out later, so you’ll get a better night’s sleep. Sleep happens to be one of the most important necessities that the body uses the next day. The better your sleep, the better your mood. The better your mood, the better your disc golf game.
Bottom line
Disc golf isn’t just a fun sport to play with your kids when you’re bored. It’s hyper-competitive and a lot of fun. The number of discs out there is incredible and they’re varied in design and usefulness on the course. It can get quite complicated but you’ll find yourself with far more discs than you’ll ever need.
You’ll be genuinely surprised at how much you’ll get out of the game. Your social life will expand as well, especially if you get your family involved. Disc golfers are nothing if not an incredible community of professionals, amateurs, and recreational disc golfers that enjoy sharing their knowledge. The most important part is it gets you out of the house. So grab some discs, find a course, and get out there. You won’t regret it.