Flying Saucers -Winter 2014
photography by: Nicole Harnishfeger
Nestled among the stately pines of the Nantucket State Forest is the Nantucket Disc Golf course. Needle-strewn paths lead from “hole” to “hole” on the par-68 course, one of the longest in the country. The setting is rustic, brush piles and downed limbs line the fairways, and “manicured” is perhaps the last word that comes to mind.
Which isn’t to say the course isn’t well-maintained.
Professional disc-golfer Nate Doss launches a shot out of the trees during the second annual Nantucket Disc Golf Open this summer.
The paths and fairways are cleared of debris regularly, branches frequently trimmed and the chain-link baskets that make up the “holes” on the course kept in tip-top shape. Those who play the course say it gets more care than most. It’s intended to blend into its surroundings. In fact, one of the conditions of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation in granting approval for the construction of the course was that only dead trees be cleared from the property. Even its black and white tee pads and cottagered rimmed baskets perched atop metal poles were designed to fit in with the Nantucket aesthetic.
Disc golf is played in much the same way as conventional golf, but with the disc serving as both the “ball” and the “club.” Putters are relatively flat and most like conventional Frisbees, while drivers are thinner, with more of an edge, which the thrower releases at an angle for maximum accuracy and distance. Scoring is the same as conventional golf, with one stroke counted each time the disc is thrown, with the conical basket serving as the “hole.”
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