Golf with a Disc: Disc golf has become a pop­u­lar sport to play in Big Rapids. Small fris­bees and large metal cages are used in this game of “golf.” Big Rapids is home to an 18-hole disc golf course. Courtesy of MCT Photos

As sum­mer is upon us, col­lege stu­dents on a tight bud­get are turn­ing to disc golf for sum­mer fun.

Students in Big Rapids can travel a short dis­tance to the Northend Riverside Park, which includes an 18-hole disc golf course. The course is free to any­one who wants to play and the only cost is the disc itself, which ranges from $8 to $20.

Disc golf rules are very sim­i­lar to those of reg­u­lar golf, with the excep­tions being you throw a disc instead of hit­ting a golf ball and instead of a hole, there is a metal bas­ket the player is aim­ing for.

While throw­ing a fris­bee may seem easy, many play­ers find it dif­fi­cult at first to com­bine dis­tance and accu­racy in their shot. The course in Big Rapids is also in a highly wooded area, so play­ers nav­i­gate around trees when throw­ing their discs.

Junior crim­i­nal jus­tice major David Paseka had fun dur­ing his first disc golf out­ing, despite hav­ing a rough first time out.

“Disc golf is a cheap sport to play and a great way to pass the time out in the sun,” said Paseka.

Even though begin­ners often have trou­ble at first, it usu­ally does not stop peo­ple who are look­ing for some­thing to do from going out and giv­ing disc golf a shot. Sophomore crim­i­nal jus­tice major Trevor Hoard first tried disc golf when he joined a few stu­dents from his hall for an outing.

“Overall, it’s a relax­ing sport, which doesn’t take that much skill,” said Hoard. “It’s not like reg­u­lar golf where you need a ton of practice.”

Freshman com­mu­ni­ca­tions major Danielle Leisner feels that disc golf is really fun because it can be done with a large group of people.

“It is some­thing that every­one should try,” said Leisner. “It’s a game where even if you are bad, it is not going to leave you feel­ing defeated.” n