These Ain't No Frisbees

Chains, trees, and nets are everywhere. Beer seems to be in abundance. Flying through them all are little saucers searching out holes. Well, they aren't so much holes, as goals, and don't think these are frisbees--they are discs ready to golf.

Centered around Marx Meadow in Golden Gate Park, the 18-hole disc golf course starts near JFK and 27th Ave but ranges all over from 25th to 30th. Just over a year ago, the holes on the golf like course numbered only 12, but on March 31st, 2007 a world-class 18 hole course opened to the public. According to Q, a regular on the SF Disc Golf Club Forum, "It was extremely moving to see so many people out to enjoy the grand opening of this crazy little dream that took more than 10 years to make reality." Now, more than a year later the Sunday Weekly Tournament, which kicked off April 1st, 2007 is still in action and the tourny's Spring 2008 season just got started.

All are encouraged to come out and play on Sunday mornings between 8:30 and 10am in the disc golf weekly tournament, which includes prize money for the top placers. It takes two weeks to establish a handicap in the tourny, but the last season lasted 25 weeks so there is always time to get out there. Other ways to "get out there" include joining one of the work parties in which volunteers come out on Saturdays between 8am and 1pm during the months of February, April, June, August, October, and December to clear brush, install new features, and generally tidy up the course.

If getting down and dirty isn't your thing, the SF Disc Golf Club offers a yearly membership for $40 which includes club merchandise discounts and course karma guarantees. This membership helps maintain the current course and supports production on a second SF course.

The SFDGC began in 1997 as a not-for-profit and has the goal of building permanent disc golf courses around San Francisco. The SFDGC has 619 members who are ambassadors of this "environmentally and socially beneficial sport." Disc golf can be found across the West coast, from college campuses like Oregon State to DG meccas like De Laveaga in Santa Cruz, CA. So, if disc golf just doesn't seem like your thing, grab 10 beers and get out there anyways. Heres how you get there.