In this segment, I will discuss a variety of topics where I believe the public’s general opinion is wrong, and I will explain why. I welcome arguments/discussions from anyone on any of these. Too many people out there instantly agree with the opinions of the masses. As my friends Another Mask once said: “We will say what they think, we will think what they say, and never dare to disobey.” Don’t get me wrong, I agree with a lot of normal popular opinions out there, but there are plenty I don’t agree with, what about you?
On to the topic for today, and it is all about golf! I will start by saying that I love playing both forms of golf, but I have stopped playing ball golf nearly as much once I got into disc golf.
Why is this an unpopular opinion?
Golf is a pretty mainstream sport that people are really into. It is televised, and similar to tennis, there are a few big events every year that most sports fans really get into. Disc golf is currently growing rapidly, but still is nothing compared to regular golf. Another huge thing is the stigma behind disc golf, and how it is generally viewed by people who don’t know what it is all about. The stigma is that the general type of person who plays disc golf is a stoner, lower class hillbilly who detracts from society. And on the flip side, we have golf which is one of the classiest sports out there. Don’t get me wrong, golf is very classy, and I respect that, and there are certainly some stressful individuals who play disc golf. But those people are rare, and you can find them in any situation. Disliking anything before you try it, just because of who you associate with it is foolish.
Cost: Golf is one of the most expensive sports out there, while disc golf costs you pennies in comparison
This reason is very low on why disc golf is a better sport, but could be a big reason to push someone over the edge if they are on the fence about it. To play golf at a cheap golf course, it would probably cost you about $25 to play 18 holes, and that is not including the clubs which are very expensive as well, and balls, which all of us terrible golfers lose all the time and constantly have to buy new ones. Just on course fees alone if you played golf once a week (at a very cheap course) you would spend about $100/month. Disc golf courses are typically free to play. There are a few courses out there that might cost you 5 or 10 bucks, and that gets you unlimited golf all day long. But there are still plenty of elite courses out there that cost you nothing. So if actually playing costs you nothing, all you have to buy is a disc or two. For the casual disc golfer, I would recommend a putter, midrange, and driver. Three discs, running you about $40. If you are a little more intense like me, you have a ton of discs, maybe 10-15 different varieties in your back. I would say I buy about 5 discs a year, costing $75/year, which still is very cheap compared to golf.
Variety of shots: This is my biggest reason disc golf is so much better than regular golf, and I am sure serious golfers will argue this point. But there are just so many more types of shots you need to be able to execute in disc golf, than regular golf.
Before you were probably wondering why someone would ever have 10-15 frisbees with them at a time. You would think, it’s a frisbee, they all look the same, what a waste. Well, you would be very wrong. The same way a golfer carries various clubs in their bag, a disc golfer needs many different types of discs. In golf you have different clubs to be able to swing relatively the same each time and produce different heights and distances with your shots. Disc golf is exactly the same, except there is another element to it as well, the stability of a disc. In addition to having discs for all of the different distances you will have to throw, you also need discs that are very stable, making the disc fly hard to the left (for a righty backhand), go totally straight, and go to the right. It is much more complicated than that, but right there that is three times as many types of shots you will have to hit. At this point I am sure the serious golfers out there are about to jump out of their seats and start arguing about different types of spins and all of that. And I agree, that is true, and very important, but there is still so much more in disc golf.
Typically in golf to get a birdie on a par 4, you need to drive the ball straight 275 yards or so, and then hit an iron another 150 yards give or take on to the green, usually straight again, if you set yourself up correctly. I made that sound very simple, because it is, but it is just extremely difficult. One thing I will give golf, is that it is much harder than disc golf, it just isn’t as fun though. The cool thing about good disc golf courses is every hole can be drastically different from one another. One hole could require you to throw a huge hyzer 300 feet to get around the trees right in your face, another could require you to throw a roller due to a low ceiling, or another could require you to throw a forehand shot, making the disc fly the opposite direction than it normally does. Those are just a few examples of many that I could give you, but being a good disc golfer requires you to be able to do them all, and once you can do them all, then each disc golf course is a puzzle waiting to be solved. On a new course I can go up to a tee and have to stand there a few minutes weighing all of my options, as there are often many ways of attacking a hole. It is that element that keeps the sport so fresh and interesting.
Time: The final reason why disc golf is better is the time it takes to play.
You and three friends playing 18 holes of regular golf (walking) could take you four and a half hours. I have done this several times, and always enjoy that whole time, but you can play the same amount of disc golf in about an hour and a half. Often times we will play 36 holes or more on a good course, and still be done before you would be in regular golf. Again I have no problem doing something fun for several hours in a row, but the playing to walking ratio in disc golf is much greater than that of regular golf.
Final thoughts: Both sports are extremely fun (and frustrating at times) to play. Even if you are a diehard golfer who disagrees with much of what I say, there is no reason that you can’t go try disc golf. It is such an easy and fun sport to get into at anytime in life. Disc golf is just the thinking more strategic version of golf, but even if you are a simpleminded golfer who can drive the ball 325 yards, you can still enjoy disc golf just as much.
Well, this is just wrong!