Disc golf is a sport that I discovered in 2010, thanks to a great friend and teaching mentor, Gregg Akkerman. I had a life-changing experience in the form of what one physician believed to be cancer, but tests came back negative. That is what I refer to as my "Shawshank" moment, named for the great film, when I decided that I should "Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'." I chose the livin' part, which consisted of being more healthy and going back to school. I despise the gym, think running is purposeless (for me, at least), and most team sports bore me, so that was a problem. By sheer chance, I rode with Gregg on a recruiting trip for the school we were teaching at and to get into the passenger seat, he had to first move a bag of frisbees. After an explanation of the sport and a couple of awkward trial runs, I found what I was looking for - a sport that I could do by myself.

 

Disc golf is tough to thoroughly explain to someone. The first response is something flavored with "but it's just throwing a frisbee" and/or "it's not really a sport." I've come to tailor my explanation in the following manner: "Imagine hiking, but periodically throwing a disc and sometimes, violently." The hiking part is understandable, but until someone sees you actually do the run-up and throw a disc longer than the length of a football field, they just don't understand. Combine that with the finesse it takes to navigate heavily wooded areas and they begin to get the picture. The final piece of the puzzle is the disc bag - most serious disc golfers carry something akin to a backpack with 15-20 discs, water, small towels (wet discs = bad), and personal items (phone, etc.). This bag can weigh 5-10 pounds, which is comparable to hiking with a small backpack. Do this for about 1.5-2 hours, the average length of playing 18 holes, and NOW the idea that disc golf can be a great source of exercise begins to sink in. Combined with eating healthy, I give credit to disc golf for losing 70+ pounds and being in the best shape since high school...but it's just throwing a frisbee. ;)

 

Ten years in, this sport has become a large part of my life. I've gone from a simple hobbyist to competing in close to twenty tournaments a year, throughout the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. On top of that, I've also branched off into running tournaments, course design/installation, disc golf education, and growing the sport any way that I can. In 2019, I became a part of Team Innova as an official Ambassador, which has allowed me to double down on my commitment to disc golf. My wife, Dawn, has followed suit by becoming sponsored by Throw Pink and together we travel the east coast, having more fun in the woods that is legally possible.