I covered the Bay City Big Oak Challenge at LeTulle Park Saturday, May 13.
This is the first disc golf challenge in Bay City and most of the 71 players were from out of town.
While in years past, throwing a Frisbee was something I loved to do, by myself, with another person or with a dog.
The latter Frisbee partner – I’ve thrown the discs with several dogs – unfortunately left deep teeth marks.
Disc golf is not that.
These golfers play with same amount of intensity as those playing regular golf.
Disc golfers play with several types of discs.
Wider, somewhat light, discs are used for teeing off and long-distance drives on the fairway.
Smaller, but heavier, discs are used to putt – shorter-distance throws at a basket.
Watching several players in action, their tee shots are a marvel in distance and, for the most part, avoidance of trees.
I saw one woman who deliberately threw into the trees and watched as the disc bounced off a tree branch and into the fairway.
That would never work for me tossing a disc or swinging a club, especially since the trees towered over a pond.
Disc golfers face the same one-stroke penalties for going into water or out of bounds.
The bags disc golfers carry contain several different discs, towels, and umbrellas, much like what is found in a golfer’s bag.
Putting has the same element of challenge, as it does in golf, since an errant throw adds to the score.
Tournament Director Ben Madary, who owns CycleWorks Disc Golf Shop in Lake Jackson, charts out the golfers playing, showing the different age groups and skill designations.
The 30-something disc golfer was the predominant age playing, followed by several in their 20s, 40s and 50s.
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Just think, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are playing hard ball this week to ensure public school funds end up in private schools.
Abbott late Sunday threatened a special session, angered that the Texas House passed what he considered a watered-down bill for school vouchers that was far less than what he wanted.
And Patrick was holding special education funding in the Senate hostage to force the House to vote for vouchers.
I debated on bringing this up, but this is unprecedented for the state’s top leadership to fight so hard to move public school funds to private schools.
Vouchers are a bigger deal in urban areas versus what exists in rural schools.
Seems like the legislature should work to improve public schools, instead of channeling money into private ones.
