No Dorks Allowed

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Biochemistry senior Jonathan Ida throws his frisbee Monday afternoon at Disc Golf Field.

Before you go berzerk and start ripping this newspaper up in protest to the above statement, just sit back. You might dismiss golf as a dull pastime. But think about it and you'll probably realize that you've had fun with golf before. Remember Golf N' Stuff? What about that golf game on your computer? See, golf can be a rollicking good time.

But the question remains, why isn't golf itself fun if its byproducts are so cool? The answer is - and there's no other way to put this - because golf is dorky.

On the other end of the golf spectrum, there's the DiscCats - the brand-new club disc golf team at the UA.

The DiscCats play a game of golf like no other at Santa Cruz River Park, located at Speedway & Riverview past I-10. The park sports three courses, labeled A, B and C based on levels of difficulty.

The game has the same rules as regular golf, with one obvious difference - it's played with a frisbee-like disc instead of a tiny ball. The holes on a disc golf course are actually baskets, and much larger than those on a standard golf course. Chain-wrapped poles protrude from the baskets which enable players to sink their shots into the holes easier.

"It's not as serious as regular golf. Regular golf is so expensive, and people take it so seriously. Some people play a bad game and get pissed off because they spent all that money on that Sunday," said 1998 UA Judaic studies/geosciences grad Scott Leader, a member of the DiscCats since their inception.

"The sport of golf kind of bores me. Disc golf is a social sport. People bring coolers with sodas and beers, enjoy the weather, and hang out. It's really low-maintenance. Anyone can do it."

The discs themselves are smaller than the Wham-O frisbees you knew as a kid and are made to travel less distance than average frisbees.

In lieu of sand traps, the Santa Cruz River Park sports, well, the river. What passes for a river in Tucson, anyway. Castaway discs that land in the wash are out of play. Disc golfers hate when their discs end up in the "river," because the Santa Cruz River is known for its connection to sewer residue.

"It's no fun when it goes in there," Leader said. "I've never thrown one in, but I've been close. I've always been saved by a tree or something."

On the other side of the course lies a seedy neighborhood. "Over there is like a barrio," said club founder Jonathan Ida. "If you throw your disc over there, forget it - you won't get it back. People have vicious dogs." But those obstacles just add to the fun and adventure.

Ida, a biochemistry senior, started the club with some friends at the beginning of the semester. What started as a group of four dreamers has now burgeoned into a 10-member disc golf extravaganza.

The Tucson disc golf community expands beyond the DiscCats. The forerunner is the Tucson Chain Lightning, a city-based disc golf club. The two clubs get together on the first and third Saturdays of every month for a big tournament.

"It's everyone for themselves at the tournaments," Ida said.

Some lucky people even get paid to do this. There's a professional organization - the Professional Disc Golf Association, or PDGA, as it's affectionately referred to. Some DiscCats aspire to one day join the PDGA.

Ida said that the club is always looking for new members and plans on taking road trips next semester.

To get more information about the DiscCats, call Ida at 690-5735.

The DiscCats present an admirable case. It doesn't cost anything to join, and the club won't hit you up for any dues, either. Discs cost less than $7, and best of all, there are no greens fees. Or dorks.