All In The Wrist An Ace in the Hole for Ventura County Disc Golfers
There are no caddies and no carts in sight along the typical disc golf course; lush green as far as the eye can see is not the usual terrain and poison oak is often in close proximity, but it’s all part of the experience at the Lake Casitas Recreational Area Disc Golf Course which is rapidly gaining notoriety as one of the best in the country.
Created by Ventura Disc Golf Club founders just over a year ago, the course was designed with the assistance of a professional course designer. While elevation changes make the course somewhat challenging, it is played by women and men of all ages and their children.
Disc golf, originally named Frisbee golf, was actually created by "Steady" Ed Headrick, the same man who originated the Frisbee. Today’s discs are smaller and heavier than a Frisbee and able to fly hundreds of feet even in windy conditions. Just as golf requires more than one club to be played properly, there are different discs for different conditions in disc golf. Many players carry bags with “putters,” “mid-range” and various other discs.
Where a golf hole is in the ground, a disc golf hole is a metal basket that catches the disc after it makes contact with a pole. The pole is fitted with chains that stop the disc in motion, allowing it to drop into the basket.
The course at Lake Casitas begins near the Coyote Landing and has 18 holes of varying difficulty. Brandon Pearce, a Ventura resident who’s been disc golfing for three years says the Casitas course is special because of, “the view and the technicality of it; it’s challenging.”
Situated beside the lake and teeming with wildlife, the natural beauty of the course is virtually unmatched according to disc golf instructor and Ventura Disc Club member Stu “Cowboy Surfer” Schulman.
Before they had the course at Lake Casitas, Schulman and friends—including 11 time World Freestyle Frisbee Champion Chipper Bro—would play at State Beach or Arroyo Verde and Camino Real Parks in Ventura. They proposed the idea of building a course to officials at Lake Casitas and eventually got the green light.
As with any sport the learning curve can be a bit steep but well worth the effort. Schulman, who finds the body movement involved in the sport, “a thing of beauty, almost like ballet,” says those who are already familiar with throwing a Frisbee have an easier time picking up the game. Pretty much everyone who plays agrees that disc golf is not only a great way to stay in shape, it’s somewhat addictive.
Schulman, who’s also a member of the Professional Disc Golf Association and the Southern California Disc Golf Association offers private and group lessons to men, women and children. His class, “Introduction to Disc Golf,” will be held at Ventura College on Saturdays through the spring.
