On a surprisingly warm autumn afternoon, when it’s hard to decide between a T-shirt and a sweater, a few ferocious competitors gathered among the Bois D’arc trees on the Southeast Campus to decide once and for all who among them would be crowned disc-golf champion.
Some were there to prove themselves. Others were seeking glory. All were there for extra credit.
There can be only one
Much like the plot of Highlander, the best movie ever made between February and April of 1986, there could be only one. Only one would take home the coveted grand prize of a disc-golf set and matching carrying case.
They were a rag-tag group of warriors, but each had only one question on their minds: “Do I have what it takes to walk around the nine-hole disc golf course on a sunny afternoon and enjoy throwing a disc with friends?” Amazingly, all 10 contestants survived the ordeal, although a few of them were hit by stray discs.
A Champion emerges
When the dust settled, Matt Gilmer emerged as the one true master of the round plastic thing that copyright laws prohibit us from calling a “Frisbee.” When asked about the magnitude of his victory, Gilmer replied, “I say it’s a successful day. I had fun. It’s nice outside. And everybody had a good time.”
Those are humble words from one who will most likely gain legendary status as a man with eyes like fire and arms like steel that could hew down the mightiest tree in the forest with one flick of his mighty golf disc.
Fun for all
Although most of them were new to the sport, they all agreed that it was fun, that they’d do it again, and that they’d try not to hit each other so much next time.
Instructor Shahzad Nazir said the sport is easy to pick up. You can sign up for the class and learn on the Southeast Campus’ nine-hole course. Or you can just stop by any local sporting goods store to pick up a few discs and hit a local course, which can be found on the Parks and Recreation web sites for Arlington, Fort Worth, Cedar Hill and other cities.
Nazir said to make sure you take some friends. “You can just travel out to the course with friends,” he said. Because what’s going to make the sport a lot of fun for you on the course is the company — not necessarily the quality of play.”
And what became of our champion Matt Gilmer? He disappeared into the parking lot, as mysteriously as he arrived. He said he was going to meet some buddies at Veterans Park in Arlington to play some more.