Disc Golf: A New-ish Sport in Boyertown Enjoyed by All

by Michael Strzelecki

Outdoor leisure activities like golf, tennis, and pickle ball greatly benefitted from the Covid epidemic as people searched for ways to spend time with friends in outside spaces. In Boyertown, add the sport of disc golf to the list of outdoor beneficiaries.

Boyertown is fortunate to have a very popular and well-designed 18-hole disc golf course that draws disc golfers from all over southeast Pennsylvania. It is located in the fields and woodland of the Boyertown Community Park. On fairweather days, when driving down Madison Street or Englesville Road, you can see the course being shared by families, recreation disc golfers, and experts.

Disc golf is a new concept to most. Some may know it as frisbee golf, but the sport officially prefers the moniker “disc golf.” It is, at the most basic level, like the sport of golf. But instead of using clubs to hit a tiny ball into distant holes, you are throwing discs from a launch pad into distant metal elevated baskets and counting how many throws it takes you to get the disc in the basket. It is scored similar to regular golf, where your score depends on how many throws it takes you to complete all the holes of the disc golf course, most having 18 holes.

Holes often vary greatly within a particular disc golf course. Some holes may be short but have trees as obstacles that throwers need to work around. The distance may be as little as 200 feet from the launch pad to the basket. Other holes may have baskets, say, 450 feet from the launch pad but the throwing area is an open field. Each hole includes a designated par, and most holes are either par three or par four.

The beauty of disc golf is that it can be played with an equal amount of enjoyment by professionals or beginners. Whereas an expert disc golfer may be able to get his or her disc in the basket in two or three throws, a beginner may take eight throws.

But who cares? Both individuals are experiencing equal enjoyment. Both are outside, walking around a park, taking in fresh air, and hearing soothing birdsong. The real sport of golf can be very frustrating to newbies due to the technical intricacies of the sport; disc golf is a much more agreeable activity for beginners. Just remember to put your first name and phone number on your disc, as the disc golf community will try to get your disc back to you should you lose it on the course.

Disc golf can be played using a traditional frisbee, like the type made by Wham-O. But you will notice that most experienced disc golfers prefer to use special discs designed specifically for disc golf. They are smaller and denser and can go farther. You also have more control over them in windy conditions. Like regular golf, disc golf has drivers that can be thrown farther; mid-range discs that you have more control over but cannot throw as far; and putter discs for the final throw into the basket.

The history of disc golf is difficult to quantify. The idea for the sport likely started over a hundred years ago when someone decided to throw a pie tin at a tree. Organized disc golf started in the 1970s with the advent of the basket as a target, and the opening of 18-hole courses.

The United States has almost 7.500 courses, but disc golf is actually very Scandinavian. On a recent trip to Iceland, we encountered disc golf courses in almost every town.

Boyertown’s course was designed by local disc golfer Steven Bleiler, a long-time social studies teacher at Boyertown Area Senior High School. “When I heard the borough was thinking of building a disc golf course, I contacted the borough office to volunteer to work on the course,” he says. “I was put in contact with Roger Lehmann, the president of the Lion’s Club. He informed me that they needed help actually designing the course. After meeting in the park and talking about the project, I took on the role of designer.”

“I am an average disc golf player, so I focused on trying to make a course that was accessible to beginning players, but challenging enough to players better than myself,” Bleiler continues. “I created a spreadsheet of my favorite course, determined the average length of each hole, the variety of shots required, and other characteristics of disc golf courses. I then made sure the course I was designing fit into the template of other successful courses.”

Bleiler remarks that he spent dozens of hours walking and exploring the park, practicing shots, dreaming up holes, and taking notes. Bleiler’s dream came to fruition in 2012 when a 9-hole opened in the park. After seeing the immense popularity of that course, Bleiler was asked to expand it to 18 holes, which opened the following year to the accolades of the Pennsylvania disc golf community.

Jordan Groff is a 2017 graduate of Boyertown Area Senior High School and talented and prolific disc golfer. Although he currently lives in State College, PA, he frequently returns to Boyertown to visit friends and relatives and makes a stop at the course part of every visit. I sat down with Jordan over a fajita lunch to talk about his disc golfing and the Boyertown disc golf course.

Jordan said that he has been disc golfing since 2015, but stepped up his game during Covid. He runs with a crowd of other disc golfers who dream of owning their own tract of land someday on which to build the ultimate disc golf course. He plays multiple times a week, splitting his time with pickleball and working as a mechanical engineer.

“What draws me to disc golf is that I just really love watching the discs fly,” he smiles, spoken like a true engineer. “It is just very satisfying to get a great throw and watch the disc just soar through the air.”

Groff’s analytical background plays heavily into this enjoyment in the sport. He explained to me that, although the discs may look alike to the common eye, they are all designed to do different things. “A lot of people think you are just throwing a frisbee. But discs are designed differently. They are designed in such a way that you could throw them all the same way, but one is designed to go straight for 100 feet, another is designed to go straight for 200 feet. Another is designed to go straight for 100 feet but then turn right.”

Groff owns over 60 discs, and typically carries 32 different discs in his backpack when he plays a round of disc golf to cover the various scenarios he may encounter. But he reaffirmed that the sport of disc golf can be played using any frisbee, and that official discs are not necessary.

Groff detailed the benefits of disc golfing. “For one, it gets you outside,” he said. “I like hiking but I don’t love it. I like doing things beyond the hike, and disc golf is essentially hiking with something to do as you hike.”

“I also love the social aspect - getting out with friends. Everyone can play regardless of experience and have a great time. I have taught most of my friends to play; it is a sport that you can learn quickly, and they have all caught up with me. Some beat me now.”

Groff enjoys the variety of challenges offered by the Boyertown course in particular. “You have technical holes with lots of trees; you have wide open holes through fields. It offers everything for all interests,” he said.

He also appreciates the convenience and how the Boyertown course can be played quickly. “If you have an hour and a half, you can play the Boyertown course,” he explained. “Some courses are much longer and more difficult and can take up to four hours to play. Not Boyertown. It is a great size and there is always time to squeeze in a round.”

Bleiler piggybacks off of Groff’s comments. “One reason that I believe the course has become so popular is because both beginners and advanced players can enjoy the course equally,” he said. “Newer players can enjoy the course because each hole is fair and the distance isn’t too great. For advanced players, they can play a quick round and chase a low score.”

Bleiler still plays disc golf at Boyertown, mostly during the summer. “I love going to the park and seeing so many different people enjoying the course.”

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