Sports

With over 400 courses in Michigan, disc golf is flying high

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff

Published May 16, 2017 at 7:19 PM EDT

Stateside's conversation with Don Jensen, owner of Sweet Spot Disc Golf in Muskegon.

The game of disc golf is on the rise in Michigan. The relatively young sport, which began in California, follows the rules of traditional golf, but there's a twist. Instead of striving to smack dimpled balls into 4-inch holes, players hurl hard, flat discs into baskets.

Courses can be found all throughout the state, from metroparks in the southeast, all the way up to Copper Harbor in the U.P. Disc golf is especially popular in West Michigan, which has been dubbed the “Golf Coast” by Don Jensen.

Jensen of Sweet Spot Disc Golf spoke to Stateside about the sport’s growth across the state in recent years.

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The chains in a disc golf basket serve as a backdrop so that the disc stays put if a player's toss is on target.

The discs are harder, flatter, and smaller than regular frisbees.

Don Jensen, owner of Sweet Spot Disc Golf in Muskegon, calls West Michigan the "golf coast" because of its abundance of great disc golf courses.