I had fun playing Frisbee golf in Belleville. But my career in the sport is short-lived

Being cooped up leads to crazy ideas, like my attempt at Frisbee golf.

There is a relatively new disc golf course at East End Park in Belleville and it is only a couple of blocks away. What better way to have a little fun and get in a little walking at the same time?

First I read up on the rules and I looked on the internet for tips on throwing a Frisbee. It had been years since I even had one but I figured it was like riding a bicycle. Wrong, but I will get to that later.

I had to run into a store (masked, of course) to buy a Frisbee. It cost 97 cents plus a few cents tax. I could have gotten a professional model for $5 or so but I figured that would be a waste of money. Kind of like when I used to buy used golf balls although that was because I was going to lose them while I was playing.

On the disc course, everything was fairly straight, there was no water and losing my disc didn’t seem possible. It was bight blue ion addition and showed up well.

So I headed out to the first tee which is just off the parking lot by the tennis courts. I confidently fired off my first shot and watched it arc about 30 feet and roll up a hill behind a tree. Well, I always took mulligans (or do-overs) when I played golf.

My second shot was no better. Four shots or so later (who’s counting? I never did, or at least honestly when I was golfing) I was near the steel basket that passed for a hole on the course. My Frisbee was on the ground right next to the basket so I was going to call that a gimme, just like putts in real golf.

I just had to climb the small hillside and retrieve my disc. That proved impossible as the hillside was muddy and I kept slipping down. I had to go back to the tee and climb the hill on the nearby sidewalk and then slide down to the basket. I also fell doing that but managed to grab the basket and stop myself. Then, coated in mud, I slid on down the rest of the way on my path to the second hole.

The rest of the round was slightly better but only because I quit trying to throw my Frisbee and just walked

The nine-hole course zigs and zags around the park for a total of 2,000 plus feet. Each hole is a par three and a couple have sharp doglegs with the baskets on a hillside.

It is a nice course and kind of fun if you are into that sort of thing. My inability to throw a Frisbee straight for any distance means I am not. There are several courses in Belleville. You can find them on the internet at dgcoursereview.com.

Wrapping up, my future in the sport

After climbing a few more good sized hills I came to the ninth hole, with the tee high on a hill and the island green surrounded by out of bounds areas. I was tempted to try but I realized if I threw my disc down the hill, I would have to struggle back up the hill in order to go home.

I gave up.

At least I followed rule seven of the rules and etiquette for the course. I picked up some trash and left the course cleaner than I found it.

When I got home, my dog settled the future of my disc golf career. She claimed my Frisbee and ate it.