July 23, 2010

Do you play Disc Golf?

We did. At this place. I'm a bit ashamed to say the tall grass swallowed my disc. Gone! But it was fun while it lasted. We enjoyed the characters out there — one duo toting a 6-pack of beer and smoking cigarettes but throwing great shots. Meade said, "I think this is kind of a 'Big Lebowski' sport."

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hope you were done by sundown. Shomer fucking shabbos, you know.

chickelit said...

Do you play disc golf

No, but I do cover minor cuts and abrasions with plastic adhesive bandages.

rhhardin said...

Is disc just official language for frisbee?

Ann Althouse said...

I think you could play with a frisbee, but the aficionados seem to play with these things which have a harder edge.

Ann Althouse said...

That's what we had (and Meade still has his).

I even got "safety yellow" for maximum visibility. We looked and looked.

rhhardin said...

It's more than a disc.

A bare disc will quickly roll over and crash.

The lift from the front edge has to equal the lift from the back edge, or it will roll.

Unfortunately the relative lifts depend on the angle of attack, which depends on the speed; and the speed changes.

With a frisbee, it starts out at high speed, low angle of attack, with more lift off the back edge, and rolls slowly right (assume standard right handed toss); so you'll start it out banked sharply left.

As it slows, the angle of attack increases, and more lift comes off the front edge than the back; and it slowly rolls left and crashes.

There's a long period when the lifts are pretty equal, and that's where you get your distance from.

There's pretty much nothing you can do with a flat disc, or a pie plate for that matter. They both roll fast from beginning to end.

Frisbee is the generic term for a disc designed to fly.

rhhardin said...

I'd get the flippy flopper from grocery store pet aisles - only $3.95.

It flies quite well.

Unknown said...

We'd better not. The Blonde almost totaled herself in the water hazard playing miniature golf.

(Don't ask)

Revenant said...

Is disc just official language for frisbee?

Believe it or not, "Frisbee" is still a trademarked brand name.

rhhardin said...

Like kleenex or xerox.

It doesn't cost them anything to say it's tradmarked.

rhhardin said...

I've heard of frisbee golf, but not disc golf.

The latter must be the official substitute.

rhhardin said...

Lazlo Toth wrote an entertaining letter to Hersey about a faulty Herseyette, calling it a faulty M&M.

The reply from Hersey stressed the Herseyette name more than usual, I thought.

The art is in picking out a target who's likely to care for reasons nobody can care about.

erictrimmer said...

I write contact information on the back of all my discs. Your email address is public anyway, so privacy shouldn't be an issue.

Over the years I've lost about six discs, most thrown by friends who were borrowing them, and I got five of them back because I wrote my name and phone # on the back.

erictrimmer said...

Disc golf discs are smaller in diameter and made of heavier plastic than Frisbees. You can throw them farther and straighter than a regular Frisbee, especially in wind.

Like golf clubs, different discs work better in different situations. Drivers can fly far. Putters are kind of sticky and rubbery and are less likely to bounce off the chains (around each hole) than the hard drivers.

I think you can play well with one or two discs, but if you get really good you can benefit from carrying a more discs.

Some hook left. Some hook right. Some float. If you play near a pond or a lake, you'll appreciate one of those.

Jimmy said...

This brought back some memories ..,.Am from Bridgeport CT where the Frisbee was invented from the old Frisbee Pie Co. Whilst at the U of CT. I played multiple round of this great sport and my roomate at the time bought me a Golf 150G Frisbee. I haven't touched the disc 20 years...Thank you.

KLDAVIS said...

Did you happen to find any Creedence tapes while searching the grass for your disc?

Joan said...

I played on an Ultimate Frisbee team on awesome fall, before I met my husband. It's the only time in my life I ever participated in a team sport and I had so much fun, plus I learned to throw a frisbee side arm, which greatly improves my aim. Consequently, I have a great fondness for disc games but don't get to play them very often. My condolences on the lost disc -- I second the recommendation to write your contact information on 'em before use or lending.

Icepick said...

Meade said, "I think this is kind of a 'Big Lebowski' sport."

If one lives to Frolf, that makes one Andrew Bernard, not The Dude.

Anonymous said...

People in Southern California call it "Frisbee golf," but I think it's the same thing you played. I see people playing at a park I drive by a lot. It seems to be an overwhelmingly male game.

traditionalguy said...

Golf is a Scottish walking game. This disc golf is getting back to that original idea.

Daniel Fielding said...

Ann Disc Golf is very popular in A2, there are guys who are Disc Golf "Pros', folks who give lessons, are sponsored by Disc/Frisbee manufacturers etc.
Started off as a sport that only hippie potheads played, but, nowadays all kinds of people play. Which is a good thing.