Despite searing temperatures, disc golf enthusiasts are enjoying playing one of the hottest outdoor sports of the summer.

Ames resident Hogan Haake and Danielle Bouckmann, graduate student in water resources, are both weekly regulars at Carroll Marty Disc Golf Course located at Gateway Hills Park.

The pair credited the low cost of disc golf with their attraction to the sport. “It is very cheap,” Haake said. “All you have to do is buy the discs, which are at the most $10 a piece.”

Bouckmann added that disc golf is “a good way to spend some time outside,” but she has another reason why she prefers the Frisbee-like sport.

“I am really bad at regular golf,” she said.

Kevin Shawgo, superintendent of Gateway Hills Park, said the price — free — is right for students, and since disc golf is outside, it’s fun and unwinding.

Shawgo said Gateway Hills Park is designed to benefit both hard-core disc golf players as well as novices. The course is laden with trees and hills, and the holes range from 85 to 334 feet in length for “recreational,” and from 126 to 377 feet for “professional.”

“There are a number of professionals in the area who come to play here, but the course is designed well enough to fit regular players and beginners just as well,” Shawgo said.

The Carroll Marty Disc Golf Course was designed by an ISU student, a professional disc golf player. The student proposed the idea to the Ames Park and Recreation Department, and the first 13 holes were constructed during the summer of 1997.

Bill Zayudis and Andy Unrau, both ISU graduates, recently enjoyed their first and second times, respectively, playing disc golf.

Zayudis cited the relaxing nature of the game as his reason for liking his first time on the course.

“It seems like a good time,” Zayudis said. “You just chill out and be outside.”

Unrau said he was having a great time playing disc golf. “I love it. It’s new, and it’s a challenging experience,” he said. “Plus, you get to be outside.”

Unrau said he thinks disc golf has been gaining popularity by word of mouth.

“I’ve never met one person who tried it and didn’t like it,” Unrau said. “I’m hooked. I’m gonna be doing this a lot.”

Ames isn’t the only place the sport has caught on. Leroy Guessfort, director of Parks and Recreation in Altoona, said disc golf is gaining popularity.

“There is a free 11-hole disc golf course at Lion’s Park that has been attracting more people since it was renovated,” he said.

Except for the balmy winter months, Guessfort said disc golf is enjoyed by its fans sporadically year round.