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Nineteen 'golfers' hit links to open disc golf course at FGCU

By KEVIN JOHNSON (Contact)

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

ESTERO — A new 18-hole golf course recently opened on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus, and 19 golfers played in the debut tournament Saturday morning.

Surprised? Kind of like seeing those “undefeated season” women’s basketball t-shirts around campus, huh?

Photo by KEVIN JOHNSON / Banner

Tim Horvath of Fort Lauderdale takes a practice throw prior to the Southwest Florida Summer Disc Golf Series event Saturday morning at FGCU.

We’re not talking about the kind of golf that’s been around for a few hundred years and uses drivers and putters. This is disc golf, a game that’s only a few decades old and uses drivers and putters of the flat, circular, plastic variety that glide through the air.

“It’s a cross between playing Frisbee with your friends and playing golf,” said Dale Schwegel, a Bonita resident and producer of the Ultimate Disc Golf Show. “It has all the nuances of playing a round of golf. You want to play the round with as few strokes possible. You try to line your shots up and put yourself in position to play the next shot.”

Schwegel helped design the layout at FGCU with Matt Purdy, the college’s Waterfront & Outdoor Pursuits coordinator and a disc golfer. The course was completed in January, and Purdy said it has attracted strong interest since.

Disc golf isn’t new to Southwest Florida, though only a few courses dot the landscape. Schwegel was involved in designing the nine-hole course at the Bonita Springs Recreation Center. That was 11 years ago, when his allegiance switched from ultimate Frisbee - a sport similar to football - to disc golf.

“I’m an avid ball golfer, so I said I’ve got to go play (disc golf). I’ve been hooked ever since,” he said.

The FGCU course is woven into the natural fabric of the campus. Aside from the wooden tee and yardage poles and the 3-foot-tall holes — metal baskets that resemble a sort of Medieval bug zapper — it blends right in. The first hole is a 237-foot (yards are not used in disc golf) par-3 in the trees between the North Lake Village residential halls and Eagle Beach.

“We like to protect what we have,” said Kimberly Ebbert, 24, of Cape Coral. “We like to play with nature instead of against it,”

Ebbert is an advanced amateur who has been playing for three years. She has noticed growth in the sport and said the new course should help, especially because it’s on a campus.

At the other end of the spectrum is John McCray. The 35-year-old from Brandon could be considered the Tiger Woods of disc golf in Florida. He’s an eight-time state tour champion. Because he’s a pro, McCray didn’t play in Saturday’s event. Still, he liked what he saw at FGCU.

“It’s a good beginner’s course,’ McCray said. “I think it will be real good for the college.”

• About the course: It’s open to the public. Discs are available for rent from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and noon to 5 p.m. weekends. The course starts at the waterfront near North Lake Village.
• About Saturday's tournament: It was the first of four stops in the Southwest Florida Summer Disc Golf Series. Here are the results: Advanced Division: 1. Joe Colyott 2. Josh McNeil 3. Neil Shaw 4. Patrick Meier. Intermediate Division: 1. Dave Beadenkoef 2. Jon French 3. Phil Ayers 4. Richard Callahan. Women’s Advanced Division: 1. Kim Ebbert.
• What's next: The next tournament in the series is May 5 at Bonita Springs Recreation Center. Call Dale Schwegel at 872-6100 or e-mail ultimatediscgolfshow@yahoo.com.