Seven years.
That’s how long it’s been.
Wasn’t in Tibet. Didn’t break a mirror. Didn’t declare bankruptcy and crawl under a
rock until my credit score got back into the triple-digits. Truth is, I just didn’t have anything to write
about.
Well, I do now.
As you may or may not know, I got big into
chess in 1999. I played in and directed tournaments,
ran the website for two local clubs, and even sat on the board of directors for
the Iowa State Chess Association for a couple years. I loved it.
It was (and still is) a great game, one which I still enjoy from time to
time. However, after being so absorbed
with the game, the players, and the organization of the sport I became
disillusioned with it. I hated the fact
that I needed an opponent, and the vast majority of the avid woodpushers I
encountered over the years weren't exactly the type of people with whom you
would choose to have a beer. Sure, you
can play against the computer, but that’s hardly the same thing.
I played my last “official” game of chess in
2006 (which, ironically, is also seven years.)
Since I came back from Kuwait in 2007 I've moved three times and toyed
with a few other hobbies, but even the excitement of Geocaching didn't capture
my attention and inspire my imagination the way chess did. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing
since, as my wife Amy will tell you without hesitation, I have a very “addictive
personality.” She doesn't mean that I’m “irresistible”
or that people get addicted to me personally (actually the opposite is
true). What she means is that once I get
absorbed by something I become fanatical about it. It’s all I want to do. I was that way with chess. I was also temporarily that way with
Geocaching and with guitar, but to a much lesser degree.
Enter Disc Golf.
A few of my friends played disc golf back in
Iowa during high school, so I’d heard of it but never picked up a disc
before. Never saw the point. I figured if you wanted to smoke weed it was
more fun to do it at your apartment in front of your Sega Genesis playing
Madden ’92 than walking around chasing a Frisbee. I have since seen the light and on the Fourth
of July 2013, with my brother in law Josh as my encouragement and supplier of
equipment, I played my first round of disc golf at Arrowhead Park here in
Wilmington.
Wow. I
was blown away. Not only by how cheap it
is, but how much fun I had doing it.
The concept is exactly like “ball golf,” but
with modifications: Throw a Frisbee (a
disc) from a tee pad at a basket with suspended chains in the fewest throws
possible. This video is probably the
best introduction to the game I’ve seen:
I play almost every day and the benefits are
already paying dividends. Since I’ll be
65 in just over 26 short years, my knees and back aren’t what they used to
be. Disc golf has gotten me back down to
my “fightin’ weight” without having to bore myself into shape by running. The kicker is that disc golf is free. To play, anyway. You have to procure the discs, but a beginner
pack of three complete with a driver, a mid-range, and a putter (yes, there are
different discs for different shots) will only run you about $20.00 at your
local sporting goods store. There are no
green fees, no requirement to set a tee-time, and there are over 3,000 courses
around the United States. Compared to ball
golf where people think nothing of shelling out $400.00 for a new driver to
have a terrible round they played $50.00 to play 18 holes, I’ll take disc golf
every time.
So, that’s what I’ve been up to. I know this isn’t the most interesting blog
post, but I didn’t want to start up and switch gears too fast without an
explanation. I don’t know if I’ll have
any readers or not, but I’ll be writing more here regardless. I’m more than likely going to retire from the
Navy in the next two years, so in between my next career and playing copious
amounts of disc golf I need to sharpen my writing skills to conjure up that New
York Times best-seller I’ve been meaning to write.
Chuckers rule, golfers drool. See ya on the course.
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