A group of professional disc golf players is coming to Southeast Alaska in early May to spread the love of the game to schoolkids and other community members. They’ll start in Juneau and then make their way north to Haines and Skagway. KHNS’ Mike Swasey talked to Zoē AnDyke (zo-ee an-dike) founder of Oregon-based Uplaydiscgolf.org about the upcoming trip.

Swasey – Zoē, thanks so much for joining us. Let’s start off with why you think disc golf is so popular.

AnDyke – So to me disc golf checks off all the boxes for the world to be happier and healthier. It’s low impact for one, and it’s a multi-complex movement so that’s good for all of our brains and our bodies. 

Swasey – So you say it’s accessible to anyone, you know, what are some of the groups of people that you’ve worked with in the past?

AnDyke – We’ve worked with kids as young as three, to adults as old as 99. We’ve worked with the blind community, the deaf community is pretty well established worldwide in disc golf. And throughout my years of visiting and teaching in schools, we have worked with special-needs classes. And they’ve all had their own really incredible way of being able to participate in play in some facet.

Swasey – Walk me through what a clinic at the school is kind of going to look like. 

AnDyke -Well, it’s not just a clinic, we take over the PE program instruction for the whole day. We introduce all of the basic fundamentals, we describe, demonstrate, and then run drills for the students to actually participate. Kids are getting the education on how to putt, how to throw a backhand drive, and how to throw a sidearm drive or a forehand. 

At the same time, the teachers are getting the same education. And then we support the teachers to continue teaching it sustainably by leaving them with one of our teaching guides. And we also gift, or grant, the equipment necessary. So we’ll leave you with two baskets for your school. And then 20 starter packs of discs. And that starter pack comes with a driver, mid-range, and putter. 

And throughout the teaching day, there are all kinds of special behavior awards, whether it’s uplifting behavior of their peers, or really, really fantastic shots because they’re just putting up all this effort. Kids have a way to win disc golf equipment. 

Swasey – Nice, will you walk me through what the community clinic will look like?

AnDyke – We do some demonstrating, it’s always pretty incredible. Putting is fun, but when you watch Dustin throw a drive 600 plus feet it gets pretty fun in the demonstration and the presentation of what the throws look like. 

So we show every skill from basic, to very advanced, to completely technical shots like rollers, you know, the most professional version of shot you can throw. And we have question-answer time so that anyone in the crowd can ask us anything disc golf-related, whether it’s our professional tour all the way to anything competition or equipment-related. 

And then we run a really fun activity at the end where we can hand out prizes. And specifically for Skagway and Haines because we’re a nonprofit and there’s no funding source for this, we’re going to do a raffle at the very end, after our games, for prizes. And we’re going to bring up some unique and special disc golf equipment to raffle off and kind of help try to retain some funds for the nonprofit, for Uplay.

Swasey – Zoē AnDyke thanks so much for taking the time and for coming up here. And you know, we’ll roll out the red carpet for you. 

AnDyke – Oh, cool thanks.

Zoē AnDyke and her group of pros plan to be in Juneau on May 4 and 5 for school clinics then they’ll head to Haines on May 8 and 9, and Skagway on Tuesday, May 10. To help support or learn more about the non-profit visit Uplaydiscgolf.org.