Teeing Off: The Art of Albuquerque Disc Golf

Think hot air balloons, green chili, and … disc golf?

Think Albuquerque (or as it is known around my circle of friends, da ‘burque). It’s the main point of reference for people who have never been to New Mexico and is often confused as the capital city (re: Santa Fe). Located three hours north of my hometown, ABQ is where many Las Cruces kids escape for college. Home to the University of New Mexico and some of my very favorite people, Albuquerque offers a random assortment of entertainment for all ages.

And by random, I’m referring to disc golf. It’s a sporting revolution that is sweeping parts of the nation, but it’s mostly sweeping my family and friends as my brother has recently become obsessed with this bizarro sport.

It’s golf. It’s Frisbee. It’s a combo of both and courses are popping up all over the nation.

The art of disc golf is in its simplicity. You throw a disc toward a basket and there you have it: you’ve started your first round. Albuquerque is very progressive in terms of its supply of disc golf courses; four PDGA* approved courses exist in this New Mexico city.

Roosevelt Park, a leafy green space ranging over 5,000 feet of land, has 18 newly revamped holes. There isn’t much room for high-flying mistakes, as the park seems to be covered with non-disc-golf-playing civilians. If you’re an amateur, you might want to stick to one basket and practice your toss instead of running the risk of knocking someone out. Unless you go for that sort of thing…

The Ladera Park is far less green and far more frustrating when it comes to playing a round. Stuck in the middle of the desert, the whole course is dirt with the only spec of grass being across the street at the real golf course. My fears of scorpions and rattlesnakes made this round of play an intolerable one, especially while wearing flip-flops. The tees and holes were hard to find and Mark lost a primo disc in the tangles of some desert terrain.

If you’re interested in rocking some disc golf in the land of enchantment, or any state, check out the PDGA Web site. There’s also an Albuquerque Disc Golf blog here. Search "disc golf" on youtube.com for some examples of this up and coming sport.

*Professional Disc Golf Association, and no, I’m not kidding…