It's well known that travelling opens you up to new experiences. Such was the case last year when we first saw pickleball played in Arizona. It's a cross between badminton, tennis, and table tennis, played on a badminton court. In researching this sport, I was fascinated by the history of the game. Who knew there is a USAPA (USA Pickleball Association), and that the game is played in many countries, including three Canadian provinces, one being my home province of Ontario? The club here in Fountain Hills declares itself the "Best Little Pickleball Club in Arizona". I'm not sure if that's its name, or its claim to fame.
But I digress. Looking at the title of this post, you may wonder why I'm talking about pickleball. Oh, and do you see my play on words there? ... chiropractors -> spines -> discs ... cheesy, I know - sorry :(
Pickleball may have been the first new sport introduced to us in our travels, but in Fountain Hills we stumbled upon another one -> disc golf. I say stumbled upon as I saw a disc whiz behind me, but thought it was a frisbee. Greg, a distance away from me, was politely asked by a man to move aside because Greg was standing in what we later learned was the "fairway" of the first hole. Not sure if you yell "fore" in disc golf, but politely asking before you throw worked for Greg!
Let me backtrack a little. On our first walk around Fountain Lake, we noticed the contraption below. We determined that the chains would easily move, but we weren't sure of its purpose. Then we noticed there were more of them around the park.
We then came across this sign ... ah, now we get it ... sort of. This was all new to us, but we were intrigued. I was amazed at the thought of locating the "holes" (don't know what you call those metal things) so close to the lake. Personally, I think I'd lose my supply of "balls" (didn't know what they used at this point in time).
I've now found a map of the complete golf course. The numbered blue circles are the "holes", and you'll see the starting point at the base of the map. This matches the #1 map shown above. You may also notice all of the blue dots are relatively close to the lake. Again, I'm imagining dredging this lake and finding a huge stash of discs, although at this point I didn't even know what they looked like!
Having played golf, I know etiquette calls for silence when a person is readying to take a swing. So, while the owner of this golf bag (below) was lining up for his shot, I crept in behind and took a photo of his discs. No woods or irons here, just a collection of plastic discs. We later learned those discs mirror the complexity of golf clubs, with varying composites of plastic to make them more pliable or more rigid, and various sizes, angles, and depths of their rims to allow the golfer to navigate the course. Not only was there a lot of water, but also a lot of trees to avoid!
Later on in the walk we came across the same golfer who had asked Greg to move out of the fairway (or whatever these golfers call it). I quickly followed towards him, behind Greg, bursting with 1001 questions I wanted to ask. The man was very obliging, and was eager to share his love of the game and answer our questions.
He is an amateur player; apparently there are professional ones too. He was there practising for an upcoming tournament at that course in March. As an amateur, although he can't win money, he can be awarded prizes. Often this comes in the form of discs. When he found out I am from Wales, he pulled out the disc below.
In the centre the lettering shows it's from "S. Wales". I'm actually from South Wales, Great Britain, but know of other places in the world with the same name. At that point I thought it was more likely from New York state, although I also mentioned Australia, but that's New South Wales. With the help of my friend Google, it turned out that particular tournament was held in South Wales, New York state.
Unfortunately, we didn't ask this man's name, but we did give him our card. He said he'd look out for the post covering disc golf. So, our thanks to this man who was content to answer any number of questions we put to him. When I asked about those discs that go astray into the water, he pointed out that he marks his name and phone number on the back of each one, and that sometimes he gets a call when they're recovered and they're returned to him. He also showed us some tips and tricks for avoiding the water and aiming the discs. We both found it very interesting. To learn more about the game, consult the website of the PDGA; yes, the Professional Disc Golf Association. I learned those metal structures are called baskets, but they still call it a hole. I didn't see any hole though!
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| Mikko's saying "What about me in this blog?" |
In a later conversation at the dog park, Greg asked a man if he played disc golf. His reply? No, I play REAL golf. I'm not sure how disc golfers would feel about that reply! This sport is not just reserved for fair weather locations. Check out this article in a newspaper from Minnesota, where a charity tournament was held in snow and freezing temperatures. You'll also see a video of the game and see the art of the game. It appears Canadians are not the only die-hards when it comes to braving the cold.
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Location: Fountain Hills (Phoenix), Arizona, USA
Housesitting: Mikko, a shih tzu
Weather: 72ºF (22ºC) at 3 pm
Forecast: High of 65ºF (18ºC), low of 39ºF (4ºC)
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Note: Photos of pets and homes are only used with the prior consent of the owners.
