 "Photo: Joe Rehana")
Editor's note: This is the eighth story in a weekly series featuring outdoor adventure opportunities through SIU and in the southern Illinois region.
The player steps up to the tee box and takes his stance. In one fluid motion, he swings his arm, sending the plastic disk to the target stationed only 10 feet away. With a tinkling sound, the disc hits the metal chains and lands in the basket below.
"Disc golf is basically like real golf, only you use Frisbees. You have distance drivers, midrange and putters ... you tee off and try to throw (the discs) into the baskets," said Andy Thouvenot, vice president of the disc golf club.
There are two nine-hole disc golf courses on the SIUC campus; one is near the boat dock at Campus Lake, and the other is located in front of the Student Recreation Center.
In today's game, players play and set courses and use specialized discs, which are thrown at metal baskets. Just as in traditional golf, each hole has a number of "strokes" or throws designated as par for the hole.
Rob Whitt, advisor for the disc golf club, said, "Putting is one of the more crucial areas of the game. Other than that, knowing your discs and using the correct disc in the right situation [is important]."
Whitt was one of the founding members of the disc golf club. He said he and some of his friends were playing on campus in fall 2007 and met some other players who said there used to be a club; at the time there wasn't a club in existence. Whitt and his friends decided to reactivate it in 2007.
Disc golf is a fun sport to be involved with because it's easy exercise, it's a chance for players to be outdoors, and it's relatively cheap, Whitt said. He said a decent set of discs costs around $10.
"It's really like what they say - it's a lifetime sport. Anyone can play, from toddlers to retired individuals," Whitt said.
Maureen Mitchell, a senior studying math education from Mundelein, and Kevin McCann, a junior studying psychology from Lake Villa, took advantage of the pleasant weather Wednesday afternoon to get some holes in before sunset.
"It's a nice walk. We're just out here to relax," McCann said.
He said he and Mitchell began playing disc golf together in northern Illinois a few years ago. He said the disc golf courses in the north are very nice and he would like to see some land in southern Illinois set aside for a good course.
Thouvenot said most of the playing the club does is just competition within the club; throughout the semester, they play against each other and establish a ranking. Players are able to challenge higher-ranked club members to move up in the rankings. At the end of each semester, the club holds a tournament within itself to determine the overall winner.
The disc golf club is organizing a tournament, The Ace Race, for later this month that will be open to anyone interested. It will be held on the Campus Lake course at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25. The entry fee is $25 and anyone wanting to compete can register on the disc golf club's webpage, http://www.sidiscgolf.com.
Thouvenot said the club prefers playing on the campus lake course because the tree-filled terrain makes it more challenging and the baskets there are of better quality than the baskets at the rec.
He said he would encourage anybody to play disc golf because of the chance to get out and get active.
"I enjoy it because I like the outdoors. You're just outdoors, enjoying the woods and the fresh air. And the big plus of it is that it's free," Thouvenot said.
Anyone interested in learning more about the disc golf club is invited to attend one of the club meeting practice times, which are at the Campus Lake course on Sundays at 12 p.m. and Mondays at 5 p.m.
Audra Ord can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275 or amarie06@siu.edu.
