Frisbee Disc Enchantment

It’s too bad that a few bad apples had to spoil the whole basket for Magic Valley disc golf enthusiasts. With the abundant countryside and farmland here, it seems there would be options for other courses, where kids in their single digits could share lighthearted smiles, alongside easygoing Idaho old-timers.

A few years ago, some outdoor disc fans cobbled together a course near Ohio Gulch’s rubbish transfer station. However, a BLM agent soon informed the players they needed a permit and the course was dismantled. It could be that a few bad apples here, also ruined a good thing, but I don’t know the full story. For a while, there was talk of procuring a permit, with the BLM officer offering advice, but then those efforts seemed to float away. It would be interesting to hear from readers linked with that course.

The inexpensiveness of installing and maintaining disc-golf courses makes a good argument for more recreation districts and schools to embrace them; rather than the Disneyfied pay-to-play attitudes, which have become so prevalent. Most courses are wheelchair friendly, while injuries are seldom. The receptacle baskets are designed to be moved out of the way, when multipurpose field needs arise. The baskets also lock down onto non-protruding metal bases to prevent theft. You can even shift the poles into different positions to prevent soil erosion and to make the courses more interesting.

It would be nice so see us lay out some snowshoe-disc- golf courses around South Idaho this winter. Perhaps we could start with a prototype in the open area by Billy’s Bridge (south of Prairie Creek). In fact, I find this idea so appealing that I would compromise my earlier dignified Disneyfied stance and joyfully plunk down a small fee to avoid another Frisbee party gone out of bounds.