By Christian Malone

The Valdosta Daily Times

VALDOSTA — Disc golf has come to Valdosta.

The area’s first disc golf course opened in July at Valdosta’s Freedom Park. The course is open to anyone who wishes to play, and there is no cost. Players must bring their own discs.

On Saturday, the course hosted its first disc golf tournament, the Valdosta Open. The players played two rounds on Saturday, and the final round will begin at 9 a.m. today.

“To finally get the course put in, have the first tournament, just getting the recognition of the actual sport in the Valdosta area (is great),” said tournament director Geoffrey “Toad” McReynolds.

The tournament attracted several local players, as well as players from Tennessee, Atlanta, Albany and Florida. McReynolds leads the Open division with a two-round total of 96. Chris Blanton of Valdosta leads the Open Masters division with a 105. Ryan Banning of Albany leads the Advanced division with a 111. Rob McGee of Valdosta leads the Recreational division with a 121.

In disc golf (which has also been called Frisbee golf), players play 18 holes, like they do in regular golf, but they do it with a disc. The hole in disc golf is usually a pole set up on the course with a basket on it. The score is usually determined by the number of throws it takes to get the disc in the basket (like stroke play in golf). Disc golf also has match play, skins, speed golf and doubles formats.

The terminology for scoring is the same as in regular golf, with eagles, birdies, pars and bogeys.

Disc golf discs are smaller and heavier than a normal Frisbee. Players who are more serious about the game usually carry a bag of discs, because there are discs that are specifically designed for different shots, from driving to mid-range shots to putting. The shape of the edges of the disc determines what shot it is best for. Less-serious players can play their rounds with just one disc. A traditional Frisbee weighs 100 grams, while disc golf discs range in weight from 150-180 grams. The increased weight helps the discs fly further, and with more control.

Disc golf is inexpensive (the only expense to play at Freedom Park is the cost of the disc), and can be played by people of all ages and athletic abilities. There are an estimated 3,000 disc golf courses in the United States, and the game is also played in 40 countries worldwide. There is a disc golf course on every continent (even Antarctica). The game is regulated by the Professional Disc Golf Association.

McReynolds was one of the people who got disc golf started at Freedom Park. A staff sergeant stationed at Moody Air Force Base, and a world-class disc golfer — he was ranked in the top two nationally in Germany, and was No. 8 in Europe at one point — he and a group of fellow disc golfers talked the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority into building a course. McReynolds designed the course.

“It is an extremely fair course,” McReynolds said. “The guy from Atlanta (playing in the tournament) has played hundreds of courses, and he said this is in his top 10 of courses to come out and play.

“Everything has been put in place for the public to use, and that is courtesy of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation (Authority). They stepped up, and have helped us out a lot.”

Over half of the holes at Freedom Park are located in a wooded area, which provides an obstacle for players, and makes accurate shots very important. The course is designed for players of all levels, from beginner to advanced to professional. There are three tees on each hole; the red tees (which are the shortest distance) are for recreational players, the white tees are for more advanced players and the blue tees (which are the longest distance) are for the professionals.

McReynolds opened the course in impressive fashion. In July, playing in the first group to ever play the course, he got a hole-in-one on his first hole. He got his second hole-in-one on Saturday, with an ace on the 70-yard seventh hole.

McReynolds and other local disc golfers hope their sport can grow in Valdosta.

“Anybody can play (disc golf) at any age. It doesn’t matter about handicaps, size, gender or age. I know 78-year-old guys that still come out and play. I know a guy in Jacksonville, Fla. that got struck by lightning in his younger days, and walks with a cane, and he can come out and play disc golf. I’ve got a 3-year-old son, an 11-year-old son and a 7-year-old son, and the three of them can play at any time. We’ve got people from all walks of life. It’s good for everybody. It’s a good form of exercise, similar to hiking, except you’re getting an upper-body workout from throwing 175 grams all the time.

“And it’s a free sport to play. It’s not like traditional golf, where you have to pay $50 every time you want to play. You can come out here, buy a couple of discs, and you can play for the next six years.”

McReynolds also points out that disc golf can be played year-round.

Disc golf originated in the 1960s, and the first course was built in 1975 in San Diego, Calif.

An organization, the Valdosta Disc Golf Association, has been formed to try to promote the sport locally. Discs can be purchased at Get Active — Running and More in Valdosta.

For more information on disc golf, see the Web site www.pdga.com. For more information on disc golf at Freedom Park, e-mail the Valdosta Disc Golf Association at valdostadga@gmail.com.

The Web site www.dgcoursereview.com has a review of the Freedom Park course.