Shoptalk

On a sunny Tuesday evening, I made my way to the Dartmouth Commons to try a sport that’s recently been set up in the park: disc golf. The city’s parks and recreation is running a pilot project throughout the summer to gauge interest in the Frisbee-flinging game, and it’s offering free workshops—maybe to get people hooked. I showed up for the women-only workshop (Tuesdays 6-8pm until Sept. 11, meet at the Thistle Street entrance) and joined a group led by Tanis Trainor. She competed in the PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships last month, so I was in good hands for my first game.

Trainor explains that disc golf basically follows the same rules as regular golf. The basic goal is to get your frisbee into a basket in as few throws as possible. For scoring, every hole has a par, (the average number of throws a good player should take to get the disc in the basket), one throw under is a birdie, one throw over is a bogie and so forth. At the Commons, all nine holes are Par 3. A hole-in-one is called an ace, and there have been two since the course was set up last Friday. Just like regular golf, you tee off, and then a far throw is a drive, and a short throw is a putt. There are even different types of discs just like there are different types of golf clubs. Players carry around saddle bags or carts filled with discs. During my first round, I played with a putter, a disc for the shorter-distance throws this hilly, tree-filled course requires.

Of the group, I was the only one who had never played disc golf. I haven’t even thrown a Frisbee since I was a kid. On my first few throws, I couldn’t get the disc to fly more than a few feet. I hit trees. I flung my disc in the opposite direction than I intended. I watched the…