LAFAYETTE - The term "disc golf" conjures up thoughts of a leisurely activity ... tossing a Frisbee at targets in a quiet park setting.
It can be that, and that's one of the beauties of the sport, according to Joe Todd of the Acadiana Disc Golf Association. But it can also be very competitive, and like most other sport there are professionals - players who win prize money in tournaments on a regional and national scale.
"I'm sure a lot of people can't imagine someone making a living playing disc golf," said Todd. "But there are some."
Matthew Orum knows something about that. At age 15, the Lafayette product plays often on the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) tour, and is in the running for that tour's Rookie of the Year honor.
But for the most part, disc golf is a combination of sport and recreation, especially for the 50 members of the Acadiana association that has built and boosted the sport locally over the past decade. Through their efforts, Lafayette has become a well-known location for the sport's devotees.
The PDGA lists a total of 13 disc golf courses in Louisiana, and three of them are in Lafayette including a brand-new layout that is under construction at Pa Davis Park.
The others are a nine-hole layout at Girard Park and an expansive layout at Acadiana Park that includes two challenging 18-hole courses.
"The Girard Park course was our first one and it's a pretty easy course," said Todd. "The two at Acadiana Park are more challenging, through a lot more wooded areas, and the new one at Pa Davis is going to be our longest course."
The courses are part of the Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department program, and Greg Gautreaux, LPRD's athletic programs director, helped get the program started locally when he supervised construction of the first course at Girard Park in 1997.
The Recreation Department mows the courses as part of its maintenance program at the parks, but much of the work on the courses is done by local club members. The Acadiana Disc Golf Association (ADGA) held a work day Saturday at the new Pa Davis facility.
"We've got nine holes up and running now," said Todd, "and the rest should be ready by this week."
Disc golf is played much like traditional golf, but instead of clubs and a ball players use Frisbees or other similar flying plastic discs. Each hole includes a tee box (the courses at Acadiana and Pa Davis are concrete, the original at Girard is natural wood chips) and an elevated metal basket "hole" surrounded by loose chains.
The object on each hole is to advance from tee to hole with disc tosses and land a final throw in the basket, with the fewest "shots" (disc throws) determining a winner. Rounds, like traditional golf, are normally 18 holes.
The holes at the Acadiana Park course range from 183 to 489 feet, roughly equivalent to yard figures on traditional golf courses. Par on holes is also similar, with par-three, par-four and par-five holes, and just like traditional golf the terrain, trees and bushes provide obstacles for players.
One big advantage of disc golf is a low participation cost. There are no green fees, and the only equipment needed is the discs themselves.
Experienced players carry multiple discs for different shots, making a carry bag necessary, but recreational players can have fun with the use of only a couple of different discs.
"I carry eight with me, and I pretty much use all of them at Acadiana Park because of the wooded areas," Todd said.
"You have drivers, approach discs and putters, some giving you more distance and some giving you more accuracy, and the putter discs are usually softer so that when they hit the chains they don't bounce out."
The local association has regular games on Sunday mornings, with early tee times involving mostly singles players and a larger group that pairs off around 10 a.m. for doubles play.
Play there is usually in foursomes, but players can be seen at all hours at all three courses.
For more organized play, the ADGA holds several tournaments a year, and its last event included more than 100 players from a six-state area.
The group will also host this year's Louisiana state championship Oct. 2-3, and in 2005 will welcome players from across the South for the Southern Nationals Amateur Championships.
The local group is also holding an upcoming marathon, part of a national event to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and cancer research.
The biggest goal for the local group, though, is to get more people involved and playing.
"We want people to just go out and try it," Todd said. "It's something for everyone of all skill levels. Nobody's going to feel intimidated, because we're all out there for the enjoyment of playing."
Source: Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, La.)