Has your family tried the increasingly popular game of disc golf? An affordable outdoor game, with accessible courses, disc golf is a perfect family pastime.
What is Disc Golf?
Disc Golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a recreational sport where disks are thrown at a target. The sport originated in the 1960s and according to the PDGA, the sport has more than one million regular players. Like regular golf, there are nine or 18 holes on a course and the objective is to get the disk in the target (or ball in the hole) with the fewest number of throws (or swings). Each hole begins with a tee throw but instead of a hole, the disk is thrown into a basket. Those are the basics but you can review the official disk golf rules from the Professional Disk Golf Association (PDGA) for the details.
Pro disk golfers use a selection of disks that vary by stability and rate. Different disks are used for different parts of the game. However, you can play recreationally with a regular frisbee.
 |
Disc Golf is a Sport for All Ages
The sport of frisbee golf can be a family affair. The best way to get your kids interested in playing, is to play together as a family. Start with a beginner course and you can modify the course for ability and accessibility by shortening the hole or skipping holes as needed.
The PDGA recommends learning with one disk and focusing on basic throwing before learning different sizes and styles of disks. Warm up by practicing putting from six feet away or less. The next area to focus is how to throw with a control grip.
Focus on having fun together over perfection. Let your child walk along when they get tired and rejoin the game when they are ready. Don’t push them to finish all 18 holes. Do what they can and eventually you will be able to finish the course.
Disc golf can bring hours of family fun for many years to come. For families who really dig the competition, there are leagues you can join and you can even compete on a regional and national level.
Some colleges even have disc golf teams, but most are still recreational clubs. However, this may be changing. Professional disc golfer, Paul Ulibarri launched the Ulibarri Leadership Foundation and awarded its first need-based and merit-based college scholarships to high school and college disc golfers in April 2022. As the popularity of disc golf grows, college programs and scholarships are something to keep an eye on.
Disc Golf Associations and Clubs in Henry County
There is a Henry County Disc Golf Club group on Facebook that is quite active. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1641575266097436/
There is also a Griffin Disc Golf Group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/366299446776959/posts/6382589591814551/
You can find various clubs and leagues at DiscGolfScene.com
Disk Golf Courses near Henry County
- The Tracks Disc Golf Course at 100 Jonesboro Ste., McDonough, GA 30253
- JP Moseley Disc Golf Course at 1041 Miller’s Mill Road, Stockbridge, GA 30281 The 36-hole course is challenging and recently underwent an extensive update.
- Salem Park on Hwy 155 I McDonough also has a nice Disk Golf Course set along the rolling hills of the park.
- Hampton High School Disc Golf Course at 795 Hampton Locust Grove Drive, Hampton, GA.
- The Don Shannon Memorial Disc Golf Course at Dundee Lake is located at 245 Dundee Lake Rd in Griffin. The course gets great reviews with nods to its excellent scenery.
- Green Valley Disc Golf Course is a more challenging course in east Griffin located at Rehoboth Rd & Barrow Rd.
- Kiwanis Fairgrounds Course is a 9 hole course that is built adjacent to the Kiwanis fairgrounds and behind the National Guard armory in Griffin.
- Wyomia Tyus Olympic Park at 1301 Cowan Rd in Griffin also has a disc golf course.
- The International Disc Golf Center is located not far from Henry County at Wildwood Park in Appling, Georgia. The facility boasts three championship courses, a pro shop, office space for the PDGA staff, the “Steady” Ed Headrick Memorial Museum, the Disc Golf Hall of Fame (DGHOF), picnic pavilions, and more.
 |
Where to Buy Disc Golf Equipment in Henry County
To get all your regulation disc golf gear, stop by Lucky Villian Sporting Goods Store in Stockbridge. The sporting goods store has an extensive disc golf section.
