Local disc golfers taking sport to next level

Contrary to popular opinion, "frolf," or sometimes, "frisbee golf," is not just a nonchalant game for hippies to play barefooted. For starters, it's called disc golf and the sport is flourishing in Bloomington, which is home to three courses and an active club, which takes its sport seriously.\nThe Bloomington Disc Golf Club competes in league-play twice a week and holds frequent tournaments, even in the winter.\nSaturday the club will sponsor the Seventh annual Limestone Open at Crestmont Park with four divisions to accommodate all skill levels. Participation is open to all who register before 9:30 a.m., and the singles event will begin at 10 a.m. Disc golfers will play two rounds of 18 holes to compete for cash, trophies and disc golf related prizes. \nThe rules of disc golf are similar to regular golf, with the object being to get your disc from a tee area into a chain link basket a few hundred feet away in as few throws as possible. Disc golfers carry anywhere from two to 10 or more discs with driving, putting and midrange discs for various shots. The discs cost from $8-$20 each, and a round can be played in about 45 minutes. \nClub co-founder and Bloomington resident Mark Moore started playing disc golf more than 20 years ago and became hooked, playing almost every day. Ten years ago, he moved to Bloomington from Terre Haute and found that Bloomington didn't have a disc golf course. \n"When I moved here, most people didn't even know what disc golf was," Moore said. "It was hard to get the park's approval for park space." \nOne of the people he had to convince was Monroe County Parks Department Administrator Chuck Stephenson, who needed some convincing to approve the course.\n"I had never (even) heard of disc golf a few years ago, but it's become so popular," Stephenson said. "People have been filling up the course every day, even in the winter."\nFive years ago, Moore and Chris Golden, both of whom often finish at the top of the tournaments, teamed up to form the BDGC to encourage more players and have regular tournaments and events. \nThe club meets Wednesdays and Saturdays for a "tag" game in which participants are given a weekly ranking based on how low of a score they shoot. The tags are added up week after week to determine standings for the season, which runs from March to September, according to the club Web site. \nA dozen golfers typically attend tag events each week, and more than 40 participants played in the various divisions of the Limestone Open last year. \n"The club is good how it is," Moore said. "We have a good-sized group and the tournaments are always competitive." \nJust like golf, disc golf courses have unique personalities based on their physical layouts. Karst Farm has nine long, more wide-open holes, while Crestmont Park's 18 holes are often shorter but feature skill shots through the abundant trees of the park. The countless trees and hills coupled with the fact that it's the only 18-hole course, make Crestmont Park the choice for most tournaments and league play.\nClub members have taken issue with the recent decision to remove the last nine holes from Bloomington's first course, Karst Farm Park. \n"Those were my favorite holes," senior Eric Weiler said. "I tried playing the old part of the course where the holes used to be, but it's just not the same. It's depressing." \nTo ease the loss of their course, a new nine-hole course went up this past year at Sherwood Oaks Church. The new course and the prospect of another excites Moore. \n"Courses are going up everywhere," Moore said. "I'm excited for the future of this sport."\nFor more information on disc golf, visit www.bdgc.org.