BY KURT DUSTERBERG
Brian Cooke had just finished his round of disc golf at Apex Nature Park when he started thinking back to his earliest memories of the sport.
“My dad took me out when I was in elementary school, around age 6 or 7,” Cooke says. “I picked my favorite disc out of my dad’s bag. It was a DX Leopard (a straight-flying fairway driver), and I would throw that over and over.”
Cooke spent most of his school-age years playing competitive soccer, but returned to disc golf six years ago when a friend’s invitation to play helped rekindle his interest.
“I played it again, and I got hooked,” says Cooke, a 23-year-old Cary resident attending graduate school at North Carolina State University. “Just the way the discs fly is really fun to watch. It’s a sport that anyone can pick up and play. Not everyone can just pick up a golf club and swing it. I also just love the variety of courses—some with trees, some that are open, some with elevation changes.”
Cooke is among a growing number of people who are attracted to the game. The Professional Disc Golf Association has 255,000 registered disc golfers in the United States. According to udisc.com, participation has nearly doubled since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic sent people searching for outdoor activities that allowed for social distancing.
Stumbling on a Sport
Marc Moore had played ultimate (a team sport originally known as ultimate frisbee) for 30 years, but health issues eventually ended his participation. When he was asked to play disc golf in April of 2020, he jumped at the chance. “We were playing four or five times a week because it was something to do,” he says. “People were looking to get outside during COVID.”
One year later, Moore and his friend, Andy Joslin, opened Yeet Street Discs in Morrisville. “We’ve had at least 25 percent growth each year we’ve been in business,” Moore says. “We continue to get people coming to the shop saying, ‘I’m a new player.’”
Disc golf is played much like traditional golf, with players trying to complete each hole in the fewest strokes—or throws. The player throws from a tee box, navigating the natural terrain and throwing from where the disc lands. The “hole” is an elevated basket, typically with metal chains.
The two games also share similar rewards and frustrations. Players take joy in executing a straight drive or sinking a long putt, but a shot into the trees—or into a pond—can leave you muttering under your breath. Most holes are par 3s, typically between 200 and 250 feet long. Playing a round of 18 holes can take as little as 90 minutes.
Easy to Get Started
As for the equipment, veteran players carry a backpack with a variety of discs—distance drivers, fairway drivers, midranges and putters. Some fill their bags with more than 20 discs, but beginners can play with just three or four as they learn the sport. Quality discs begin in the $15 range, but some are cheaper. Yeet Street also offers a wide variety of used discs at discount prices.
“The fundamentals are pretty easy to learn,” Joslin says. “You basically want to keep the disc at a controlled release angle. You don’t necessarily want to throw it nose up, or you get kind of weird action. You don’t want to have a swing that’s wide, because it will go in directions you didn’t intend it to go. You want to get it moving in a straight line across your body and use your arm as a whip. Once you learn that, people a month into playing are starting to see discs fly how they are intended to fly.” The relatively short time it takes to become proficient is one of the reasons the game enjoys steady growth.
Here’s another plus for the game: Most courses are constructed on public lands and are free to play. “The great thing about disc golf is there’s a very low barrier to entry,” Moore says. “There’s no greens fees, and the community of players, they’re all chill.”
According to udisc.com, there are at least 25 disc golf courses in the Triangle. Some are 18-hole courses, and some are 9-hole. The majority are in public parks and are open year-round, but others are open seasonally. And while the majority are free to play, some are private courses and require a membership and a fee.
For a complete list of courses by community in North Carolina, visit udisc.com/places/north-carolina-united-states.
Here are a few of the top-rated public courses in the Triangle:
Dorothea Dix Park, Raleigh
Cedar Hills Park, Raleigh
Kentwood, Raleigh
Sheetz Gold Course, Durham
Valley Springs Park, Durham
Leigh Farm Park, Durham
Diavolo at New Hope Disc Golf, Cary
Fit Fort at Fortnight Brewing Company, Cary
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Dogwood at Southern Community Park, Chapel Hill
