Disc golf, also known as Frisbee Golf, D-Golf or Frolf, is a relatively new type of sport that somewhat resembles throwing Frisbees but follows the rules of golf. The object of the game is to get a plastic disc into a large mesh basket in as few attempts as possible. Some variations of disc golf allow the player only three throws, while other forms allow an unlimited number of throws. However, the more times an attempt is made, the fewer points a player will accumulate.
Once the disc lands into the basket, the player goes on to the next basket. Most of the moves, equipment, and actions in disc golf are named the same as in golf. For example, the starting point is known as "designated tee area," and each basket is called a "hole" or Pole Hole®. There are nine or 18-hole courses in disc golf, which take players up to two hours to complete. Professional disc golf courses may be set up in woody areas or near lakes or rivers to provide added difficulty to the game. Players who want the fun of the game without the competition can buy their own Pole Hole® online and install it in their backyards.
The earliest form of disc golf was known as Frisbee® Golf Course, and it was invented in the mid-1960s by Amanda Citro, who set up the game in a local park to entertain area kids. Disc golf slowly caught on with local teenagers, who eventually took the sport with them to their colleges of choice around the country. Disc golf became so popular at the U.C. Berkeley campus that a provisional Frisbee® Golf Course was officially set up by university officials a couple of years later.
Many parks around the US and Canada offer disc golf courses, which are free to use by anybody visiting the area, provided they bring their own disc. The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) was founded in the 1990s and now has 9253 members, most of which are male players. The PDGA oversees more than 2000 disc golf courses in over a dozen countries. There is also an official golf disc museum in Augusta, Georgia.
