It’s fun, it’s outdoors and best of all, it’s cheap. It’s like golf, but there are no balls, clubs or heavy bags to haul around.

    It’s disc golf, and it’s getting more and more popular every year. What started out as Frisbee golf, a new game involving tossing Frisbees at targets, has developed into the nationwide phenomenon of Disc Golf.  

    Similar to golf, players must finish a course on the least strokes, or tosses, possible. Courses usually have nine or 18 holes. Players drive off from a pad rather than a tee, then try to get the disc into the basket with the fewest strokes. As in golf, each hole has a par. And the holes aren’t really holes in the ground; rather they are targets in the form of baskets on poles, and the chains hanging from the poles help the disc to fall into the basket.

    Players don’t really throw Frisbees anymore, however. They throw flying discs that are somewhat smaller and heavier than Frisbees, typically about eight or nine inches in diameter. The discs used come in three basic variations; the driver disc, the all-purpose mid-range disc and the putter disc. But beginners can certainly get started with just one disc, and then expand their collection.  

    Just as in regular golf, players must negotiate various obstacles on the course, but disc golf courses generally have natural obstacles rather than man-made ones. The tress, the rough edges, the wind and other factors all affect the trajectory of the flying disc.      

     Recently, a group of six friends took to the disc golf course at Sister City Park in Pocatello on a cool Saturday morning. The park was green and quiet, and the 18 holes were ready and waiting for the group to try its hand at making par on the course. Some members of the group had more experience than others at throwing the discs, but disc golf provided a fun morning of camaraderie and recreation.

    Danny Price is a member of the local disc golf league, Mitch Christensen and Dustin Williams have been playing for quite a while and others members of the group are relatively new to the game.

    “There you go, there you go!” called Ben Myers, encouraging one of the other players, as his disc soared toward the basket.

    Myers said he was glad that Pocatello has several disc golf courses available to players. And one of the best things about disc golf?

    “It’s free!” said Mitch Christensen, since the disc courses in Pocatello are open to all players.

    The equipment is not expensive either, as discs average about $8 to $15 apiece.

    The sport of disc golf is one that requires skill and practice to perform very well. But just like the group of players at Sister City Park that Saturday morning, anybody can have a great time with friends, enjoy the outdoors and take advantage of a sport growing in popularity and recognition.    

    For anyone who would like to have some help getting into the sport of disc golf, the Portneuf Valley Disc Golf Club is the place to go. The club is eastern Idaho's first disc golf club, and welcomes players of all skill levels.

    It’s goals are to promote disc golf in Southeast Idaho, provide a fellowship and an information network for disc golfers and encourage and assist with local course development and maintenance. The group also sponsors local disc golf events.

    For more information about the club and events they are participating in, see their website at www.pvdgc.org.