B10 THE BULLETIN • FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2021
Disc golf
Continued from B1
For the uninitiated, disc
golf is a growing sport that’s
been around for decades. Its
antecedents date back nearly
a century, but the first tourna-
ments and golf course came
about in the 1970s. It’s played
a heck of a lot like regular golf,
albeit without clubs, carts or
crazy pants.
There are no cold beverages
awaiting you back at the club-
house, but there are also no
greens fees.
Of course, there’s not as
much to maintain at a disc golf
course, many of which use the
natural forest and meadow
settings — no irrigation or
lawn required. There are bas-
kets, or pins, in lieu of actual
holes. All you need to play disc
golf is some discs and an abil-
ity to huck them a couple or a
few hundred yards per hole to
make par.
Central Oregon is home to
disc golf courses from Madras
to Bend. And according to
Carey Dod, a longtime player
and the former president of
Central Oregon Disc Golf
Club, disc golf is still thriving
here.
Our round at Hyzer Pines
started well, given how rusty I
was. I even parred one or two
holes. Our skills were such
that we did not bother to keep
score. Bogeys and double bo-
geys were the order of the day.
Before long, I was barking mad
at how the trees in the forest
seemed to serve as magnets for
my discs: “I couldn’t have hit
that tree if I was aiming at it!” I
said more than once as I enter-
tained fantasies of buzz-sawing
half the trees between the tees
and holes (looking at you, 15th
hole).
Dod, however, notes that
trees definitely ramp up the
playability of a course.
“Flat, wide-open shots with
the target directly in front of
you become tiresome and bor-
ing quickly,” he told this re-
porter. “Elevation, obstacles
such as trees, targets that force
you to think about how you’ll
play the hole, that type of thing
make for fun and interesting
play.”
Also important, he said, is
the overall flow of a course.
Holes that cross other fair-
ways, for example, would be
problematic. And walk outs
between holes should be short
and sensible, so it’s easy to find
the next tee box if you’ve never
played a course before, he said.
The best courses, Dod
added, offer something for
players of all skill levels.
“Something that kind of
meets you in the middle: has a
few holes that challenge a be-
ginner, and has a few holes that
challenge even a pro,” he said.
“A 100% beginner-friendly
course won’t be fun or of much
interest to a pro-caliber player,
and vise-versa.”
Dod also said that safety
should be a consideration in
course design: Sound, solid tee
pads help prevent twisted an-
kles, and fairways should be
spaced far enough apart so that
all groups and players can play
safely without the fear of get-
ting hit by an errantly thrown
disc.
Though some players carry
an array of discs for different
situations they may find them-
selves in, most beginners can
get by with just a few: a fairway
driver, a mid-range disc and a
putter, Dod said.
“Each of these throws quite
differently but are known to be
beginner friendly,” Dod said.
70%
Central
Oregon
reservoir
levels
Some disc outlets sell beginner
packs that include all three of
these types of discs. Area retail-
ers of discs include Mountain
Supply of Oregon, Big 5 Sport-
ing Goods and Blazin Saddles
in Sisters.
David Jasper: 541-383-0349,
djasper@bendbulletin.com
Madras
22%
83%
Haystack
Redmond
Sisters
87%
Prineville Ochoco
Bend
53%
32%
Sunriver
TOP PICK OF THE WEEK
Crane Prairie
Prineville
Ponderosa Park
28%
Wickiup
La Pine
BY DAVID JASPER
The Bulletin
Ponderosa Park is a little
slice of good times located just
north of Wilson Avenue and
15th Street on Bend’s east side.
The 1.1-mile Coyner Trail
runs through Ponderosa Park,
connecting Ponderosa Park
with Juniper Park, located to
the northwest, and Larkspur
Park, located just southeast of
Ponderosa Park.
Larkspur, of course, is home
to the newly opened Larkspur
Community Center, with all
its shiny amenities. But don’t
sleep on Ponderosa Park: It has
green spaces, covered picnic
tables, a dog park, playground,
pickleball (bring your own net)
and basketball courts, soccer
and baseball fields, and not one
but two skateparks.
The older skatepark at its
north end was built in the late
1990s. Its design is a little dated
and its concrete surface some-
what chipped, but it still serves
its purpose, especially for the
scooter and BMX communi-
ties. It was followed by a more
up-to-date, street-oriented
skatepark, which opened in
2014 at the south end of the
park. Pro-tip: Local skaters af-
fectionately refer to the skate-
park as “Pondy.”
Ponderosa Park is open
from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and is at
225 SE 15th St., in Bend.
Contact: bendparksandrec.
org/park/ponderosa-park.
David Jasper: 541-383-0349,
djasper@bendbulletin.com
Crescent
Crescent Lake
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
Clarinda Simpson/Bulletin graphic
David Jasper/The Bulletin
The newer iteration of Ponderosa Skatepark, which opened in 2014, is
located near the corner of Wilson Avenue and 15th Street in Bend.
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