By Karen Chávez
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
January 14, 2005 7:24 pm
ASHEVILLE - In the world of disc golf, greatness wears a short ponytail, sensible shoes and slightly muddied jeans. And he rips a mean disc.

At age 74, Ted Williams of Hot Springs is a four-time disc golf world champion in the Legends age division. Though Williams was not having the best putting day at the weekly doubles tournament at Richmond Hill Disc Golf Course on Tuesday, just the sight of the local sports hero skulking through the woods breathed extra excitement into the extra-warm January day.

It might have even inspired Andrew Postlewaite of Asheville to hit an ace on the first hole as he teed off against the mighty Williams.

"I didn't have a strategy. I was just trying to get it close," said Postlewaite, 26, who works at Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. and has been playing disc golf for about 10 years. But he and partner Craig Fender, 26, of West Asheville, felt the thrill of playing in the company of - and against - the legendary Williams rubbed off on their game.

The beauty, technical aspects and friendliness of the locals has attracted many national and world champ disc golfers to Richmond Hill, said Meredith Nichols, 29, the new chair of the Western North Carolina Disc Golf Club, based in Asheville.

"You don't get the 'I'm a world champion, don't talk to me attitude,'" Nichols said of the players. In fact, she said, the whole sport of disc golf and the community of disc golfers is a different breed, apart from most other types of competitive sports.

"I think definitely a documentary needs to be done on this group of people," said Nichols, who got into the game when she met her husband, James Nichols, 41, a professional disc golfer. The family, which includes two children, regularly play together on the courses across the mountains. "The sub-culture of the people who play disc golf has a basis in hippie, but there are also people who play that make hundreds of thousands of dollars. They enjoy the technical skills of the sport and the being outdoors and the camaraderie."

Rules of the game
Disc golf got started in the 1970s, combining the basic elements of ball golf and Frisbee. The game is played on a nine- or 18-hole course by throwing a weighted disc, slightly smaller than a Frisbee, over fairways with the object of sinking it into special metal baskets in the fewest number of throws. Courses are usually in forested areas and use the trees, hills and other natural terrain to make the game more challenging.

Since the courses are outdoors, they are at the mercy the weather, wind and natural erosion. In the September storms last year, Black Mountain's disc golf course suffered heavy damage and one of the baskets was washed away. But the golfing community is one that takes pride and ownership in its courses. Members of the Western North Carolina Disc Golf Club often hold course maintenance days where they work on trails, bridges and baskets.

The sport is also one that is played year-round, in rain or shine, snow or ice. The more natural hazards to contend with, the better.

"I play if it's snowing, or pouring down rain," said Fender. "I've played in massive winds, even during the hurricanes. It makes someone who might throw 5 under, throw 5 over."

Williams got into the sport 10 years ago, practicing and playing enough to become the world's best in his age division, winning the world championship the past four years in a row.

The secret to his success? "Concentrated practice," Williams said. "It's getting somewhere out by yourself and learning about each disc. They each do different things."

Williams has stuck with the sport for the excitement, and the exercise.

"It's exciting to me," he said. "It keeps me in shape. By having fun, you'll do more. That's what helps me win. I'm in better shape than most 70-year-olds."

Soaring interest in flying saucers
But the sport is for all ages, shapes, sizes, genders and skill levels. Its mass appeal is what is causing disc golf to continue growing, speculates James Nichols, a past president of the WNC Disc Golf Club.

"Disc golf is one of the fastest growing sports in the country," said Nichols, a CAT-scan technician. "There are 1,600 course in the country now. Golf is a fun game, whether it's ball golf or disc golf. Disc golf is not elite, and the price is right - $8 for one disc. For ball golf, you have to buy a set of clubs and pay greens fees. And the time - a minimum of four hours for ball golf. You can play a game of disc golf in 1 1/2 hours.

"It's a relaxing, competitive sport," Nichols said. "You can't find that often. Often, sports are dynamic and competitive."

In WNC, a region seemingly born to breed disc golf, courses are sprouting all over. In the past five years, five courses have been built. The first was built in 2000 at Black Mountain Rec Park. The Richmond Hill course also went in during 2000, followed by one in Fletcher Community Park, and the two newest are in Marion and on the Mars Hill College campus, built in 2004. The college is even offering a new course this semester, "The Disc Golf Experience," for credit. A course at Azalea Road Park is scheduled for construction this year.

While the course - and parking lot - at Richmond Hill can get a little crowded in the summer, and even on warm winter days, other courses are still struggling for attention. The Marion course, in Cross Mill Park, is virtually deserted on most days, said Marion Street Superintendent Roger Estes.

"We built a nine-hole course in September. It's hilly, but mostly open," Estes said. "It's great if you want the course to yourself. I hardly see anyone on it."

One of the best places to learn the sport is at the doubles tournament at Richmond Hill each Tuesday, said John Thelen, who usually runs the weekly games.

"It's real casual," said Thelen, who owns a landscaping business in Arden. "The guys are out here to unwind. We have everyone from 10 years old to late 60s."

The tournament partners are determined by a draw, so teams are evenly matched. Even though there is a cash payout to the top three places, the atmosphere remains mellow, with just a hint of machismo.

Competitors yell out, "Good rip!" meaning a good throw, and "Good trees!" meaning the trees helped to keep a disc in play rather than banging it out. Disc golfers are just as likely to high-five their opponents as their teammates when a putt was sunk well or ace was thrown.

Go disc golf, girl
Meredith Nichols said the tournaments, and sport in general, is also very welcoming of women.

"When it comes down to competition, girls tend to shy away. But some tournaments are now offering childcare to the mother players. (At Richmond Hill) on any Saturday, 25 percent of the players are women. I think that's pretty good because the sport is so new to Asheville," Nichols said.

She said many women (like herself) get into disc golf because of their boyfriends or husbands, and then stick with the game because they find they are good at it.

"Women can finesse more to keep the disc on the fairway, especially in a place like Richmond Hill with so many trees," she said. "Women a lot of times have more finesse in their play, and men just throw it as hard as they can."

For more photos from the weekly Tuesday doubles tournament at the Richmond Hill Disc Golf Course, visit www.CITIZEN-TIMES.com

Photos/Steve Dixon/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Ted Williams, of Hot Springs, aims for a basket off a hillside during a doubles disc golf tournament at the Richmond Hill course on Tuesday. Williams, 74, is a four-time world-champion disc golfer in the over-70 age division.

Ted Williams, of Hot Springs, bends a putt around a tree during a doubles disc golf tournament at the Richmond Hill course on Tuesday. Williams, 74, is a four-time world-champion disc golfer in the over-70 age division.

Jessie Peed of Asheville putts on the 10hole at the Richmond Hill Disc Course. The sport of disc golf is growing in popularity among both men and women.

Former Asheville resident Wilson Linker, who now lives in California, watches his drive during a tournament Tuesday at the Richmond Hill Disc Golf Course.

The Western North Carolina Disc Golf Club meets on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. The next meeting will be Feb. 7. For more information and meeting location, call club chair Meredith Nichols at 296-8775 or visit www.wncdiscgolf.com.

For more information on disc golf, visit the Professional Disc Golf Association Web site at www.pdga.com.

WHERE TO PLAY?

Black Mountain Disc Golf Course: Nine-hole course

This course, located in the Black Mountain Recreation Park, is open dawn to dusk daily. Hole No. 1 was washed away in the September flooding. Park staff is working on reinstalling the basket and plans to have it open within the next two months.

To get there from Asheville, take U.S. 70 East to Blue Ridge Road, or Interstate 40 East to Exit 55. Turn left at the exit, then left onto U.S. 70. Continue to Blue Ridge Road and turn right. There is a Medcap Pharmacy on the left. Go over the railroad tracks, cross over the river and turn left at the first road, Rec Park Drive. There will be some parking spots.

The park office will lend out discs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, if they are available.

For more information, call Black Mountain Recreation and Parks at 669-2052.

Richmond Hill Disc Golf Course: 18-hole course.

From downtown Asheville, take U.S. 19/23 North to Hill Street Exit. Turn left at stop sign and then right onto Riverside Drive. Turn left onto Pearson Bridge, following signs for the Richmond Hill Inn. Continue past the Inn, turning right at the stop sign at the top of the hill. The road will curve to the right. Continue past the Baptist Home on Richmond Hill Drive, then turn left onto Richmond Hill Road (a dead end). Follow it to the bottom of the hill, turning left onto a dirt road into the park. Follow it to the circular parking area. The first tee is on the left as you enter the circle.

The course is heavily wooded and hilly. Bring your own discs.

For more information: Call the WNC Disc Golf Club at 298-6773.

Crookston Disc Golf Course at Fletcher Community Park: Nine-hole course

From Asheville, take Interstate-26 to Exit 40. Turn right toward the Agricultural Center. Turn left at Fanning Bridge Road and go about 3 miles. Turn right at the light. At the next light, turn left onto Howard Gap. After about a half-mile, you will see Fletcher Community Park on the left. The course is behind the children's playground.

For more information: Call Fletcher Town Hall at 687-0751.

Disc Golf Course in Marion: Nine-hole course

The park, located in Cross Mill Park, is open dawn to dusk. To get there from Asheville, take Interstate 40 East past Marion to the Shelby/N.C. 226 Exit. Turn right onto the 221/226 bypass to the Tate Street exit. Turn left, then take an immediate right. Follow to the stop sign and turn left into Cross Mill Community Park. Bring your own discs.

For more information, call Roger Estes, Marion Street Superintendent, at 652-4224.

Mars Hill Disc Golf Course on the Mars Hill College Campus: 18-hole course

From Asheville, take U.S. 12/23 north to the Mars Hill exit. Turn left and drive onto the Mars Hill College campus. Go straight and turn left after the chapel. Park in the parking lot. The first hole is behind the chapel.

For more information: Call Ryan Pickens at Mars Hill College at 689-1179.

How the game is played:

Disc golf is played much like traditional golf. Instead of a ball and clubs, however, players use a flying disc, or Frisbee. The sport shares with "ball golf" the object of completing each hole in the fewest number of strokes (or, in the case of disc golf, fewest number of throws).

A golf disc is thrown from a tee area to a target which is the "hole." The hole can be one of a number of disc golf targets; the most common is called a Pole Hole, an elevated metal basket. As a player progresses down the fairway, he or she must make each consecutive shot from the spot where the previous throw has landed.

The trees, shrubs and terrain changes in and around the fairways provide challenging obstacles for the golfer. Finally, the "putt" lands in the basket and the hole is completed. Disc golf shares the same joys and frustrations of traditional golf, whether it's sinking a long putt or hitting a tree halfway down the fairway. There are few differences, though. Disc golf rarely requires a greens fee, you probably won't need to rent a cart, and you never get stuck with a bad "tee time." It is designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages, male and female, regardless of economic status.

Source: Professional Disc Golf Association