Students trade golf clubs for a frisbee

St. Thomas students are losing the golf clubs and grabbing a frisbee.

“Free has a lot to do with it, obviously college kids don’t have a lot of money,” senior Ian McIntosh said. “It’s kind of nice when you’re just hanging around; you don’t have to convince your friends much to do a free activity.”

A disc golfing audience ranges from serious competitors to people looking to have fun. Junior Tom Parnell’s interest in disc golf grew from his passion for ultimate frisbee.

“I started frisbee golfing as a supplement to playing ultimate. I’ve been playing ultimate for about four or five years now,” Parnell said. “So I just kind of enjoy disc sports in general.”

Similar to traditional golf, disc golfers start at a tee and throw their frisbee toward a chained basket. The goal is to have the frisbee land in the basket. Players have to be careful, however, because getting their frisbee stuck in a tree or stuck in a pond could penalize them.

Most disc golf courses, including the one at Highland Park, are free. With St. Thomas student disc golf interest on the rise, an official club may be in St. Thomas’ future.

“Yeah, if there is a committed group of people that want to get out and compete and have a good group to do that. I think it would be a great idea,” McIntosh said.

Sara Kovach can be reached at kova7636@stthomas.edu.