josh henderson

When Mike Robbins was introduced to disc golf by a cousin more than two decades ago, “it was love at first sight.”

“You get outside, and you can play for little or no cost,” Robbins said. “We love it.”

Disc golf can be “very zen, when you have a great throw, or when you see someone else with a great throw,” said Chattanooga’s Mark Cole, who began playing in 2003. “Everyone cheers one another on, and we all like to see everyone play well.”

The camaraderie is tremendous, Cole added.

“I’ve traveled all over the East to play and see friends.”

Cole has also passed down his love of disc golf to his son James, an even better disc golfer than himself.

James is “exceptional, world-class,” Robbins said. He’s earned the nickname “Snappy,” because when he throws his discs, “you hear that perfect snap.”

Disc golf is “a low-impact sport,” which is critical for Ringgold’s Josh Henderson now that “I’m in my 40s,” he said. It doesn’t punish his body, and “I’m good at it — better at this than anything else I’ve played.”

Cole, Henderson and Robbins were among approximately 140 disc golfers competing in the pro division of the finale of the Prodigy Star Series, hosted by Prodigy Disc — a Dalton-based manufacturer of disc golf discs and other equipment — Saturday at Edwards Park. The amateur division played Saturday at Westside Park.

Players qualified for the finale by performing well in prior events, said Rome’s Brandon Morgan, whose son Tait was playing at Edwards Park. Tait has been playing since age 8, and “there’s no real limit to how much you can play.”

Though the conditions were cool and cloudy, that didn’t bother competitors, Robbins said.

“This is an all-weather sport — except for lightning — and no rain and no wind (equals) good conditions.”

Robbins plays the disc golf courses at Edwards Park and Westside Park regularly, he said.

“They are both elite courses.”

Cole appreciates the design of the Edwards Park course, as it places a premium on accuracy, rather than distance, he said.

“I’m in my 60s, and I can’t throw it as far as a lot of other (players).”

Henderson also comes to Edwards Park “often,” he said. “It’s one of the best in the area.”

Whitfield County also has a disc golf course at Heritage Point Park in Dalton and a nine-hole course at the Tunnel Hill Golf Club, Brandon Morgan said.

“This is a good part of the world to be in if you like disc golf.”

The festivities concluded with an afternoon concert at the Burr Performing Arts Park in downtown Dalton by The Whole Fam Damily, a Dalton-based band.