Disc golfers continue to play despite snow, ice and freezing temperatures | Idaho Outdoors | Idaho Statesman
A bare hand exposed to below-freezing temperatures, a hood over his head, bulky clothing and the effort of balancing on ice didn’t stop Sam Johnson from making a successful shot at the disc golf course at Ann Morrison Park.
Yes, disc golf in 20-degree January weather. Treasure Valley’s serious, and not-so-serious, disc golfers don’t give up the sport because of frozen ponds, patches of snow and shorter days.
You’ll see them making the rounds on sunny days, in snowstorms and even into late afternoon when you can hardly see the disc-golf basket as darkness looms.
That’s because winter disc golf is a fun way to get some exercise despite the cold, and it’s something to do close to home.
“It’s a year-round sport and it’s free,” said Johnson, of Boise.
You don’t have to worry about the water hazards, just the ice hazards, as he learned while taking a shot from the ice on the pond.
“We’re here in the wind, water, snow and rain,” said Luke Gibbons of Boise, who was with Johnson on a sunny afternoon last week.
Johnson usually carries a pack loaded with discs, a towel and other stuff.
But in winter, he makes sure he has his camp chair. You don’t want to sit down in snow or on wet grass.
For Ann McCalmont of Boise, a day at the Ann Morrison course was a day to spend with her visiting son, who is an avid disc golfer.
“That was a lucky shot,” she said after making a successful putt. “It’s hard with gloves on.”
Disc golfers joke that there are some advantages to playing in the winter:
Æ The goose poop in Ann Morrison and Julia Davis parks is frozen and doesn’t stick to your shoes.
Æ If your disc lands in a pond, the pond is frozen and you can throw rocks at it to get the disc to slide to shore.
Æ With fewer people playing, you don’t have to wait to tee off.
Æ There’s a bonus course open only in the winter. It’s at Julia Davis Park.
It’s hard to believe, but as Jimmie Larcade, a disc golf expert at McU Sports in Boise says: “It’s colder but there are diehards out there that keep playing.”
Pete Zimowsky: 377-6445