The Definitive Guide to Disc Golf - Softcover

Menickelli, PhD Justin; Pickens, Ryan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1629372048 ISBN 13: 9781629372044

Verlag: Triumph Books, 2016

Inhaltsangabe

For people just starting to play, disc golf can become an exciting and addictive sport to play for a lifetime. Avid disc golfers often find playing a challenging test of both physical skill and mental determination. Disc golf is a “greener” sport than most, and has fewer barriers to entry than traditional golf and other recreational sports. It is also one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. The Definitive Guide to Disc Golf provides readers all the essential information they need to get started playing disc golf, but it is much more than just a basic “how to” manual – it is a thoughtful, fascinating, and thoroughly enjoyable exploration into the history, nature, science, and skills of disc golf. Featuring more than 80 instructional photos, this is a comprehensive book about disc golf that would be enjoyed by all players, from beginners to aspiring professionals.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Justin Menickelli is an Associate Professor at Western Carolina University where he teaches courses in motor behavior, sport psychology, research methods and beginning disc golf. He earned a Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Louisiana State University, a MA.Ed. in Education from Western Carolina University, and a B.S. in Exercise Science from S.U.N.Y. Cortland. He has published numerous articles about disc golf, received several grants to fund disc golf workshops, and designed courses for college campuses and K-12 schools. He has a wife, Kristin, two sons, Aidan and Noah, and a daughter Addison. Ryan Pickens earned an M.A. in Organizational Development and Transformation from the California Institute of Integral Studies and a B.S. in Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University. In 2012, he was one of the top-25 master's disc golfers in the world. Ryan has taught a disc golf course for academic credit at Mars Hill University for over a decade. He has published several articles about disc golf, created the Western North Carolina Intercollegiate Disc Golf League, and designed two permanent courses in Western North Carolina. Ryan lives in Asheville, North Carolina with his wife, Kelly, and daughter, Ellora Don.

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The Definitive Guide to Disc Golf

By Justin Menickelli, Ryan "Slim" Pickens

Triumph Books LLC

Copyright © 2016 Justin Menickelli and Ryan Pickens
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-62937-204-4

Contents

Preface, 
Acknowledgments, 
Part I. The Nature of the Game, 
1. Getting Started, 
2. The History, Present, and Possible Future of Disc Golf, 
3. Disc Golf Course Design, 
4. Rules and Etiquette Every Player Should Know, 
Part II. The Science of the Game, 
5. Mental Training, 
6. Disc Golf Fitness, 
7. The Dynamics of Disc Flight, 
Part III. The Skills of the Game, 
8. Backhand Throws, 
9. Forehand Throws, 
10. Overhand Throws, 
11. Rollers, 
12. Putting, 
13. Before Every Throw, 
14. Approach Throw Fundamentals, 
Appendix A. Great Playing Formats, 
Appendix B. Manufacturers' Information, 
Glossary, 
Notes, 
Sources, 
About the Authors, 

CHAPTER 1

Getting Started

Technically, the proper name of the sport is disc golf, although some people call it Frisbee golf or, oftentimes in jest, frolf. The primary goal of disc golf is a simple one: to complete the course in the fewest number of throws possible. The basic rules, strategies, and lingo in disc golf are similar to those of traditional golf. In fact, we have lengthy conversations with colleagues who are avid traditional golfers, and if you were to eavesdrop on our dialogue, you would have no idea we were talking about different sports. Terms like course, hole, par, bogey, birdie, putt, drive, fairway, and green are common to both.

Players may choose to compete against other people, but in the end they really just total their number of throws and compare it to the number of throws other players needed to complete the same course. There is a great deal of strategy involved, but very little of it has to do with what fellow competitors are doing, except during the last few holes of tournament play. Some engaging competition can bring out your best possible game, but strategizing your way around a disc golf course is primarily about personal shot selection, which we will talk about in upcoming chapters.

Disc golf is considered a lifetime sport because people often play well into their seventies. It is an individual lifetime sport and differs from dual lifetime sports in the basic cognitive strategies used during play. Dual lifetime sports are those you perform with just one other person (the person against whom you are competing) or with a partner against another pair. Dual lifetime sports include racket sports (e.g., tennis, badminton, squash, and racquetball) and combat sports (e.g., judo and fencing). When playing dual lifetime sports, your opponent may dictate your skill execution, especially if you are getting beaten badly. While playing disc golf, your next shot is almost never dictated by anyone other than yourself, as your thoughts and behaviors are all that really matter.

In disc golf, spectacular shots are often rewarded. Sure, you may get a bad or good skip off a tree, but consistently good throws often translate to better scores, particularly on well-designed courses. When playing dual sports, great execution is rewarded, but because you are facing an opponent capable of defensive tactics, it is just not the same. When playing disc golf, great shots can be stored in your memory for years and retrieved when you need a good image to get you excited about playing. As our friend Boomer once said, "You hold on to the great ones." Someone once told us that both traditional and disc golfers play against the same opponent every time: themselves. We like to think we play against par every time, but it is pretty much you against the course.

Choosing the Best Equipment, Footwear, and Clothing

We will discuss disc selection as it relates to the physics of disc flight later, but first we want to mention where to buy discs and the basic equipment needed to play. When feasible, we encourage people to buy from local, mom-and-pop disc golf shops, but there are several reputable online retailers. Some brick-and-mortar disc golf specialty shops even let you test-throw before you purchase. Specialty disc golf stores are typically great places to shop because of their varied selection and knowledgeable sales staff. For the price of the average traditional golf driver, you can purchase around 20 disc golf drivers. Because discs are relatively inexpensive, typically from $9 to around $18, trying new discs (particularly drivers) is a fun part of the sport. Manufacturers know this and release new drivers every few months that promise greater distance off the tee with less effort.

Let us state what seems obvious to avid players: you are going to want to play with discs designed specifically for disc golf. We remember our friends Andrew and Eric claiming they wanted to start playing disc golf, but that they wanted to keep things simple and play with a single disc designed for throwing and catching. We all laugh about it now, because they each have hundreds of golf discs.

If you are an avid Ultimate player, then you are accustomed to throwing discs designed to throw and catch. Golf discs are different, in part because they tend to fly much farther, and most are not easy or safe to catch. There is a bit of a learning curve when transitioning from one type of disc to another, but trust us — it will not take long to learn the basic technique and begin enjoying disc golf. Folks new to disc sports are often intrigued by how throwing different discs the same way results in unique flight patterns.

How many discs do players typically carry during a round? The average is around 20. Some people, like our friend Vinny, play with many different sets of discs. Sometimes he plays with discs from a single manufacturer, and he even has sets organized solely by color. Most players have a primary set of discs and may swap out a few depending on the type of course they are playing. In addition to different flight patterns, some discs take on sentimental value, especially those that seem to find their target in glorious ways.

Of course, to carry all of those discs, every player needs a good bag. We strongly recommend a bag that is specifically designed to carry golf discs and is at least one size larger than you think you will need. Why not simply use an old backpack? You could do that, but disc golf–specific ones just seem to work better, largely because you can easily see and retrieve a disc for a particular shot.

Disc golf bags come in a wide variety of sizes and colors, and prices range from around $30 to more than $300. Some bags resemble backpacks and some look more like big nylon boxes. Either way, we strongly recommend getting one with two back straps. You will end up carrying other items in your bag, and that is why we think larger is better. Upon completely emptying one of our bags, we unearthed 23 discs, 2 water bottles, 2 towels for disc drying, a lightweight jacket, a chalk bag (for better grip when it gets hot outside), an old pair of sunglasses, insect repellent, sunscreen, 2 mini discs (for marking our lie), a permanent black marker, a small bag of sunflower seeds, a half-eaten granola bar, a pair of nail clippers, a very old deck of playing cards, two bag tags, a rule book, five used scorecards from three different courses, three small pencils, and $1.78 in change.

If you dress for a sturdy walk outdoors, then you are more than 90 percent ready...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Triumph Books
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2016
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1629372048
• ISBN 13: 9781629372044
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 192
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Easy Access System Europe Oü, 16879218; gpsr.requests@easproject.com; ; Mustamäe tee 50, 10621, Tallinn, Estonia; Tallinn; 10621; Estland