Disc Golf Flies High in the Four Corners Among Pandemic

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The future of golf may

not be on the links,

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but out in them thar hills.

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The disc golf revolution has arrived.

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You're watching the Local News Network,

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brought to you by Serious Texas Bar-B-Q

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and Southwest Eye Consultants.

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I'm Wendy Graham Settle.

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Disc golf was one of

those lesser known sports,

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at least prior to 2020.

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It emerged as a key recreation platform

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in the midst of the pandemic

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with its easy social distancing

and healthy competition.

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Yet as the virus dwindles

and the weather warms,

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players continue to

flood disc golf courses

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across San Juan County.

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Local disc golf enthusiast

Walter Gage spoke to us

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at the middle nine in

Lions Wilderness Park.

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It is becoming stupid popular.

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Every time we come out here,

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there's more people out here playing.

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It's great, and I hope the city fathers

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of Farmington are listening.

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We need more disc golf courses

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Easy, tiger.

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The County already has

six disc courses in place

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including those at San

Juan College and Berg Park.

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When the non-profit San Juan

Basin Disc Golf Club formed

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last summer, growth in

the sport solidified.

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The club plans to apply

for sponsorships and grants

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to offer more tournaments,

improve disc golf courses

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for members, and to

continue outreach programs

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in the community.

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Club President Jay Moss said he wants

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to see San Juan County

become a disc golf mecca

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for the Southwestern United States.

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For Gage, these guys are heroes.

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We've got a group now that

is doing a real good job.

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They've taken the steps to

get the non-profit status

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and get it done officially,

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and they are throwing tournaments

and putting on courses,

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temporary courses.

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Just tomorrow, they're

going to be doing something

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out at Westland Park.

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Part of the thrill of disc

golf comes from the fear

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of trying it.

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Terrain is rugged and natural,

reigning from flat and rocky

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to extreme boulder hopping,

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which makes walking the

course as much of a challenge

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as playing it.

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Disc golf is played much

like traditional golf,

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but instead of a club and ball,

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players throw streamlined

plastic discs into metal baskets

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from varying distances.

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The object is to complete each hole

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in the fewest number of throws.

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While disc golf shares

many of golf's rules,

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the sports are culturally distinct.

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Frisbee golf was invented in the 70s,

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possibly over a bong and

in-between college classes,

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but it shares the same joys

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and frustrations as traditional sport,

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and the same camaraderie, says

low handicapper Eric Russell.

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Yeah, disc golf in the

four corners is growing.

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We got new courses popping

up all over the place.

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So get involved. It's very cool.

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It's free in Farmington, and

you don't need a tee time.

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Most courses are open from dawn to dusk.

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No alcoholic beverages are allowed

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and dogs must be kept on a leash.

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San Juan Disc Golf Club offers

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a beginner's disc golf clinic.

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To sign up, call 505-486-9300.

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For upcoming tournaments

and to join future events,

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go to facebook.com/S J B D G C.

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Thanks for watching this edition

of the Local News Network.

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I'm Wendy Graham Settle.

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