The Martha's Vineyard Times

Things To Do : Outdoor Fun

Martha's Vineyard Times File Photo

Frisbee golf on Martha's Vineyard

Though the temperatures have dropped and you can't spend the day lying on the beach or floating in the ocean, there are still fun things to do on Martha's Vineyard. For instance, Frisbee Golf.

Riverhead Disc Golf Course started in 1997, as a nine-hole course with makeshift baskets made from tires, chains, and wood planks. It has evolved into 54 holes spanning 15 acres with official baskets, and most holes featuring rubber tee matts to throw from. Martha's Vineyard Regional High School students play the sport at the nearby course as a part of their physical education curriculum. Regular players at the course include men and women who are in their 60s and 70s.

"We have over 1,000 now, and probably 5,000 rounds are played per year on the course," said Jake Gifford, owner of the Lazy Frog store in Oak Bluffs and master of ceremonies for a recent New Year's event on the course. He also finished in third place.

Similar to traditional golf, a disc golf course consists of 18 "holes," where the object of the game is to toss a disc into a basket in the fewest number of strokes possible on each hole. Disc golf holes are usually between 200 and 500 feet. Players use a variety of discs, depending on the shot they are facing, as different discs are designed to curve different ways while in flight and to fly different distances.

Since the first-ever standardized disc golf course opened in 1975 at Oak Grove Park in Southern California, there have been more than 3,000 more that have opened in about 40 countries around the world. It is estimated by the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), the governing body for the sport, that 8 to 12 million people have played disc golf at least once, and 500,000 play the sport regularly.