It’s 3 in the afternoon, and you just walked out of your last class of the day. The sun is gleaming in the sky, and it is a gorgeous Iowa day in the late summer. You have the rest of the day to yourself. What do you do? Relax on Central Campus? Exercise? It turns out that there is something else you can spend your afternoon doing that allows you to enjoy the beautiful weather, get some exercise and spend some time in the great outdoors. Frisbee golf is just that activity, and it is a great game that is both inexpensive to play and is readily available for ISU students.

A quick explanation of how Frisbee golf is played is that it is essentially golf with a Frisbee disc. Pretty basic, right? The main difference is that instead of a hole in the ground, there is a metal pole with chains and a basket that you throw your disc at for each hole. Most holes have a par of three or four, depending on the distance.

There are two Frisbee golf courses in Ames. One is the Stable Run Disc Golf Course, located just north of Fredricksen Court on 13th Street. This is Iowa State University’s official disc golf course, and you can even rent discs through Iowa State University Recreation Services. The other is the Carroll Marty Disc Golf Course, which is located by the Ames/ISU Ice Arena off Mortensen Parkway. Both courses offer 18 holes and varying difficulties based on where the tee box and chains are located.

One great thing about Frisbee golf is that it can be as inexpensive or pricey as you want it to be. You could purchase one disc at $7 and be set, or have a bag full of discs for all sorts of different circumstances; weather conditions, wind, distance, etc. The choice is really up to you, which is what makes Frisbee golf so appealing; it can be played and enjoyed with any budget.

So this semester, when you find yourself with nothing to do on a nice autumn day, consider spending a few hours at one of the local Frisbee golf courses. It is quick to learn but challenging to master, and is well worth it. Part of the college experience is broadening your horizons, and Frisbee golf is an inexpensive and fun way to do just that.