{"id":6477,"date":"2017-10-30T13:34:28","date_gmt":"2017-10-30T18:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/?p=6477"},"modified":"2017-10-30T13:35:33","modified_gmt":"2017-10-30T18:35:33","slug":"disc-golf-takes-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/2017\/disc-golf-takes-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"Disc golf takes flight at Southern Arkansas University"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From front to back, Ethan Bolick, Mason Telford and Richard Womack tee-off in front of the Greek Theatre at SAU.<\/p><\/div>\n

Disc golf has become an increasingly popular activity among students at Southern Arkansas University. A Mulerider Disc Golf Team has been established, and an 18-hole course has been created on the campus.<\/p>\n

Members of the team include Ethan Bolick, a senior math major from Maud, Texas; Nicole Penny, a junior exercise science major from Hooks, Texas; Ethan Edwards, a senior criminal science major, also from Hooks; Abbie Morrow, a sophomore criminal justice major from Prescott, Arkansas; and Jeremy Hunter, a senior marketing and supply chain management major from Pattonville, Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team has been an amazing surprise,\u201d said Dr. Andy Peeks, team sponsor. \u201cI am humbled by how well they are doing. Their progress has been so swift. In practically no time, they have become the largest disc golf team in the state and among the largest in the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team boasts 16 male players and eight females, said Bolick, who serves as team captain. The women\u2019s team was established only within the past month, said Peeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first year, we just started playing, we didn\u2019t really broadcast it that much,\u201d he said of the team\u2019s origins and the beginnings of disc golf on campus. \u201cSome band people knew we were playing, and their friends found out, and it grew by word of mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunter\u2019s brother, Christian, a former SAU student, had set up 11 \u201cbaskets\u201d around campus, forming the basis of the SAU course. \u201cWe used those baskets when I got here,\u201d Jeremy Hunter said. \u201cWe made new holes as we went along.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Abby Morrow and Cutter Raley get ready to play on the SAU disc golf course.<\/p><\/div>\n

Sarah Adcox, director of the Mulerider Activity Center (MAC), said Dr. Donna Allen, vice president for student affairs, first contacted her last spring about a disc golf team forming. \u201cThey wanted a new course,\u201d she said. \u201cI had been in charge of intramural sports on campus since 2011, and at that point, there was no disc golf at SAU. I had a student, Christian Hunter, who was really interested, and he and I ordered about six baskets that were portable and served the purpose, but we knew we would need an actual course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunter had already played in several tournaments by the time he arrived at SAU, and Bolick said the team is practicing now to qualify for a conference tournament in Russellville, Arkansas, on Nov. 11. The team hit the course recently to practice despite unusually high winds, leading to much discussion about how to properly throw in tailwinds, headwinds and crosswinds. The game is played exactly the same as golf, with each four-man team, or \u201ccard,\u201d teeing-off in front of the Greek Theatre and winding their way across campus to each hole.<\/p>\n

Obstacles include trees, shrubbery, and the duck pond, which can lead to players getting wet if they have to wade in to retrieve errant discs. \u201cThe holes loop around behind the pond and the intramural area. It can take about two hours to play,\u201d Bolick said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPutting is the most challenging thing,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cPutting is anything within 40-50 feet of the hole. It\u2019s a mind game \u2013 the mental aspect is like 90 percent of disc golf.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most challenging holes, according to the group, are three, seven and 13. \u201cHole three has two trees and is 150 feet down the fairway,\u201d Bolick said. \u201cYou throw it between the trees, or it goes into the trees. You have to add a stroke or go to a drop zone. Hole seven plays alongside the tennis courts. It measures off 432 feet, and is challenging because of the \u2018ceiling\u2019 the trees on the right side of the fairway create. Hole 13, you throw directly across the duck pond. You can easily go into the water. It\u2019s frustrating, because you get wet and still have other holes to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Players have to consider the dynamics of the discs themselves. Discs have a smaller diameter than the typical Frisbee, and most holes are par three. \u201cEvery disc flies a little differently,\u201d Hunter said. \u201cSome go right more than others. One flies straighter, the other flies straighter but to the left.\u00a0 I might not throw the same discs tomorrow that I threw today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bolick said student participation has increased over the past few months. \u201cThere are a lot more people out there,\u201d he said. \u201cI would say that 40 to 50 people are out there every week. Last year there were only a few of us who were interested in tournaments.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ethan Edwards aims for the basket.<\/p><\/div>\n

Morrow said it \u201ccosts nothing\u201d to start playing disc golf, which is good for students who need cheap or free entertainment. \u201cI got into it because it\u2019s a good way of being with people,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s something we can all do together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Penny agreed that disc golf is \u201ca way for us to get outside and do stuff \u2013 you\u2019re not cooped up in your room. It is nice to play with everyone. It\u2019s so diverse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunter said the game is \u201ctotally interchangeable with golf. You have friends who help you learn it. We started recreationally and it picked up as we went.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody who wants to can play,\u201d Adcox said. \u201cIt\u2019s competitive, but it\u2019s still an individual sport. A lot of universities now have disc golf teams and we certainly needed to keep up with what others are doing, and this has proven very popular. We see folks out on the course on Tuesdays and Thursdays and are now seeing them out on the weekend, too. I hope it catches on. You don\u2019t have to join the team to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said discs are available for checkout at the MAC. \u201cJust produce your student ID and fill out a little bit of paperwork,\u201d she said. \u201cWe look at this as a stress-reliever. Get out, get some exercise, meet some people, don\u2019t think about class for a while \u2013 those are all great things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Administration has been \u201cvery supportive\u201d of the formation of disc golf on campus, she said. \u201cI met with Dr. Trey Berry about it, and we rode around campus in a golf cart, looking at areas for the course. He and Dr. Allen purchased the team shirts. They are 100-percent supportive of everything we have done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was approached with the idea about starting the team as a campus club, I initially thought it might be a fun local activity for our students and community,\u201d Peeks said. \u201cI knew from personal experience that playing disc golf was a lot of fun, and I soon learned that there was unrecognized interest in the sport among the younger generation.\u00a0 I really like exploring new ideas like this, so agreeing to be their sponsor was just chasing a curiosity for me.\u00a0 I had no idea that the initial team members would be so incredibly motivated and responsible.\u00a0 Their success is completely their own \u2026 I didn\u2019t do any of the work.\u00a0 These students are fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI attended the recent match between our team and the team from Central Baptist College,\u201d Peeks said. \u201cThey really did a terrific job designing the course!\u00a0 All of the holes are unique and very challenging.\u00a0 We were very fortunate to have Dr. Berry\u2019s eager interest and support with the creation of this course. \u00a0There are very few colleges with a real disc golf course like ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

He credited Allen and the Mulerider Activities Center for playing \u201cvital roles in the implementation of our course.\u00a0 There\u2019s no way to thank them enough for all they have done for the disc golf team.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disc golf has become an increasingly popular activity among students at Southern Arkansas University. A Mulerider Disc Golf Team has been established, and an 18-hole course has been created on the campus. Members of the team include Ethan Bolick, a senior math major from Maud, Texas; Nicole Penny, a junior exercise science major from Hooks,… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":564,"featured_media":6482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[92,32641,7753,143],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6477","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-athletics","8":"category-featured-layout","9":"category-homepage","10":"category-student-life","11":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/564"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}