4 minute read
FLICKING THE WRIST
Disc Golf - a welcoming life sport
STORY BY KATY O’BRYAN PHOTOS BY FELICIA FRAZAR
On a hot summer’s day, where the 100-degree temperatures keep many inside or searching for a place to cool down, golfers spread out at Starcke Park East under the canopy of pecan trees, armed with discs ready to take on the 18-basket challenge that lies ahead.
The Max Starcke Park Disc Golf Course plays host to hundreds of golfers throwing discs in the breezy tree-laden park. Among them is golfer Maria Williams, who is a frequent competitor at the course.
“It’s a very welcoming community,” Williams said. “We are very fortunate in this area to have a lot of professional disc golf players.”
Many disc golfers learn the game from others. Williams admitted she was not interested until a friend taught her the sport, fanning the flames to a future passion for the game.
“A buddy of mine happened to play ultimate frisbee — a lot of players transfer over from that sport — so in the beginning he taught me the game at first,” she said. “It’s always one of those things you feel you’re right on the cusp of getting just right. A lot of people that play disc golf will agree with me that it’s very addictive.”
The Professional Disc Golf Association has almost 150,000 members and according to its website more than 11,000 registered players are from Texas. Disc golf is played similarly to golf, in that each hole starts from a tee box, has a par score, and players can switch up which disc they use during play, much like a golf club.
Williams said she knows players with a stockpile of up to 600 discs at home, but competitors are only allowed to use 20 during a round. Between Maria and wife Deloris Williams they share about 200 discs, and play together when their schedules allow.
“Sometimes I have to drag her out of the house to play, but then she beats me,” Williams said. “We’re both competitive by nature and it’s something we bond over.”
Playing at the professionally - designed Starke presents a few unique challenges. The many trees and picturesque river that flows alongside the course have sour reputations of claiming a stray disc. If a disc gets hung up in a tree or takes a dive into the river, it’s tough luck finding it, and oftentimes even more difficult getting it back. Williams writes her name and phone number on the inside of the discs should one ever go astray.
“We crawled in a creek bed once and found about 30 discs,” Williams said. She even pointed out a few discs up in the trees that a park visitor might not have known were there unless you were looking for them.
Golfers who frequent the course and are part of the league come from all walks of life, Williams said. She owns media company, Williams Printing and Graphics, but says there is a variety of players at Starcke from families to professionals practicing solo.
“It’s very vast … We have medical doctors to gas station cashiers. It’s so diverse because it’s so relaxing for someone who isn’t really competing,” she said. “It’s really a family, this community. There was just a gentleman in the community who was in a bad accident and had to have an arm amputated, so players were auctioning off some of their discs to help raise money for his medical bills. It’s a really good community.”
Williams works on special projects related to disc golf to “grow the sport,” a message the Professional Disk Golfers Association instills into its players. Before the pandemic closed schools in the spring, her group All Ladies of Texas, set to make an appearance at several local schools to teach disc golf in physical education classes, as it’s recognized as a life sport. The group also has been approached for other special projects, including one from the Special Olympics, she said.
Over the summer, driving past the park would show dozens of players at any time of the day out tossing discs. The pandemic has only created an influx of players, Williams said.
“People can stay away from others. That’s why we’ve been able to have tournaments,” she said. “There are other people who will tell you that this saved their life.”
Disc golf has been around since the ’60s and continues to grow in popularity. Williams encourages those who think they want to try it out to just go for it, as jumping into it was how she found a sport that grew into a passion. Take a family member or friend, and enjoy a breezy afternoon throwing discs toward the basket, she said, because you might find love for a new sport, too.
