The Nevada Sagebrush

Wolf Pack dance team member Charlee Kooser attempts to throw a putter into the basket. Disc golf is gaining popularity on campus and a disc golf club has been formed by Kooser’s boyfriend, Eric Castillo. Players use three different kinds of discs to play, depending on the length of the shot. Most disc golf courses are free of charge. Photo courtesy of Tony Contini

Disc golf is gaining in popularity with University of Nevada, Reno students every month.

Even a member of the Wolf Pack is hooked on the sport. UNR dance team member Charlee Kooser loves spending an afternoon playing disc golf when she has free time.

“Disc golf is my fun time,” she said.

Similar to the more popular “ball golf,” disc golf has the same objective. The player tries to get specially designed discs into a metal basket known as a pole hole in the fewest number of throws possible. Most disc golf courses are free.

Kooser said that anyone can learn how to become a disc golfer relatively easily.

“It’s not difficult,” she said. “Anyone who can walk a quarter of a mile can do it.”

At first, the basic techniques of disc golf were a little difficult for Kooser to grasp. Golf discs fly differently from the more popular Frisbee-style catch discs. Learning to get the driver disc to fly the most distance is the key for beginning disc golfers.

“(Driving) was pretty hard,” Kooser said. “There was a combination of strength and technique I needed to learn.”

Kooser compared becoming a better disc golfer with the long hours of practice she commits to every week with the UNR dance team.

“Practice always makes perfect,” she said. “If you stop dancing, your technique is going to be worse.”

Despite her busy school schedule, a part-time job with the education department and her hours of practice and performance with the dance team, Kooser still finds a way to fit disc golf in.

Kooser’s boyfriend, Eric Castillo, is president of the newly formed UNR disc golf club. He is just as addicted to the sport as Kooser.

“It is great,” he said. “It’s free, it’s good exercise and there’s no real limitations (for anyone). You can be athletically challenged and still be able to play.”

Castillo has worked hard with the Associated Students of the University of Nevada to get the UNR disc golf club rolling.

“(Our goal is) to become a part of the National Collegiate Disc Golf Union,” he said. “We want to travel and play competitively against other universities.”

Chris Muller can be reached at sports@nevadasagebrush.com.

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