Video Gamers Podcast - Video Games Quick Take - Disc Golf

Episode Date: September 9, 2023

From video games hosts Josh, Paul, and Ryan we're bringing you even more video games content each week.  Video Games Quick Takes are a short series of game recommendations, funny moments, off-topic chat and more. A small dose of gaming to brighten your Saturdays! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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With Anthony Mackie. I'm going in. Giancarlo Esposito. Stand by for proof of death and harrison ford i'll show the world i've changed you want me come and get me captain america brave new world see it in imax this friday hit tickets now Hello and welcome to the Video Gamers Podcast where we break down all things gaming. We cover things on this show like first impressions on new releases, deep dives, gaming news, and tournaments like figuring out the best gaming dad of all time. And on Saturdays we have these Quick Take episodes. These are a little bit older. They were recorded by us back in the day under our old name, the Multiplayer Gaming Podcast. And the Quick Take episodes were initially only available to

Patreon and Apple supporters, although there was a little bit of demand that people were requesting to hear them as they got a little bit older. So we started releasing these to the public for everybody to enjoy. These episodes are pretty short. They are generally about 10 to 12 minutes long, and they are recorded by just one of us at a time. Usually it's us wanting to talk about something that just didn't really fit the format of the main show. So it always gave us an opportunity to maybe record just a few minutes about something that we've always wanted to talk about. Just keep in mind that as you listen to this episode, if you hear any announcements or upcoming dates, plans, anything like that, just take that with a grain of salt because you're listening to this quite a bit delayed. All right. I think that covers everything here. We hope that you'll enjoy this

episode. Let's do it. Hey, everybody, it's Josh and I am back with another Quick Takes episode. If you're listening to this, that means you are one of the few, the proud, those that support the show. And we cannot thank you enough for that. Honestly, if it wasn't for people like you, and yes, I'm talking to you that's listening right now, this show would not exist anymore. So let me start by saying thank you very much. It means the world to myself, to Paul, to Michael, to know that there's people out there that love the show, that care enough to support it. So thank you from all of us. And as a thank you, we do these Quick Takes episodes, and we hope that you like them. We hope that you find value in them and that they just help make

a little bit of your day. We know they're short, but that's why we try to keep them coming fairly often. So all right, without further ado, let me jump into this one. This one is related to a game, but it's not related to a video game. I am actually going to talk to you about the game of disc golf and why it's actually one of my favorite sports to play. So you've probably heard of disc golf. If you've never played it, you're missing out. Hopefully by the end of this episode, you feel compelled to find a course that's local to you and to go give it a try because absolutely anybody can pick up the game of disc golf for very little money, if any money at all. So what is disc golf? Well, disc golf is the game and the rules of golf played with these

Frisbees that are called discs. Now it is different than like ultimate Frisbee. Frisbee golf is not really the right term for it. They call it disc golf because these discs, while they are Frisbee like they are very like streamlined and meant to go long distances or to do different things. So if you think about the game of golf, you have all of your different clubs. You've got your drivers, your irons, your wedges, and your putters. And it's the same thing with disc golf. So with disc golf, what happens is you basically play these at a golf course. If you actually search disc golf near you, you would probably be amazed

to find out that there's probably a course that's within a few minutes of your house. Disc golf has exploded in popularity. It's one of those things where there are courses popping up all over the place because they don't really require a ton of investment for parks or disc golf associations to actually build these. And so the way that the game works is you start off on the tee on a nice course that's usually a concrete slab on some, you know, maybe wooded courses or something like that. It's probably just a dirt box that's kind of lined out. And what you're doing is you are throwing your disc towards the goal. Most goals in disc golf look like a metal basket with chains that hang down from an upper ring towards the basket. The objective there is

that you throw your disc into the chains that will stop the disc and it will fall into the basket. And that counts as kind of like sinking the putt if you were thinking about golf in that regard. So the first, you know, the first throw is considered your drive. There's all kinds of different drivers and techniques that you can get into when you're playing disc golf. There's a forehand kind of snap and a whip type throw. And then there's the backhand throw, which is where you pull the disc across your body and throw it like you would traditionally think about throwing a Frisbee. The backhand shot like that, you are ripping it. That's kind of what I tell people is rip the Frisbee out. And man, I'm telling you, there is very little that's as satisfying as ripping a Frisbee through the air and watching this thing just soar. There are some strategies involved because depending on the way that you

throw your disc, all discs as they slow down are going to curve, whether it's to the left or to the right. And dealing with that curve and understanding that is actually a huge part of the game. So I throw backhanded as my primary method. The disc will always curve off to the left in that regard. So there's a lot of strategies there. If you need to get around a big tree that's in front of you, you might throw the disc really high up in the air and really utilize that curve so that it goes out and curves around the tree.

If you need to throw to the right, you're in a little bit of trouble if you throw backhand because it's very hard to do. And that's where that front flick shot might come in. So the whole point of all that is there's a lot of different shots that you can make in this. Some people do what's called a tomahawk. So if you need to go up and over something, you actually throw it as if you were throwing an axe or a tomahawk where the disc is completely vertical. That's how you get over shorter trees and stuff like that. But there's a ton of strategy in the game. There's how you get over, you know, shorter trees and stuff like that.

But there's a ton of strategy in the game. There's a ton of different shots that you can make. But, you know, that's kind of the basics of the game. You keep throwing until you make it down to the pin. You throw your Frisbee into the chains. It falls in the basket and you're done with that hole. There are putters, which are these wider, flatter, softer discs that are not meant to travel very far. They don't curve very much, you know, so they make good putters and stuff like that as well. One reason I love disc golf and one reason that I'm telling you about it in this bonus episode is because it is extremely cheap to play.

You can actually play the game of disc golf with one disc. Most people will go out, they'll buy a driver and they will play the entire 18 holes with that driver. It is not required that you have a putter. You don't need all these fancy discs and stuff like that. So if you were thinking about picking it up, you can go to any sporting goods store around you or there's actually a lot of disc golf stores locally where there's courses and stuff like that. And just buy yourself a disc, ask the guy, or just pick up a driver and go out and play. The beauty of this is unlike golf courses where you have to pay like a greens fee and a lot to go out on the golf course. Most disc golf courses are completely free. They're set up at parks.

They're set up at any kind of wooded area or open area and stuff like that. Like I live in Phoenix. There are four different parks around me that are 100% free to play. You just go out there with your discs. Usually the holes are mapped out. So as long as you can find the first hole,

there's usually a little metal plate that kind of tells you where you're throwing to and which pin you're throwing to. And then the next tee is usually very close to that basket. And so it becomes very easy to kind of find the holes and play the course as it was meant to be played. But the fact that you can just walk out with a disc onto this course and play disc golf

for little to no money whatsoever is honestly one of the best things about it. Don't get me wrong. You can spend a lot of money. I have something like 13 discs in my bag that do all sorts of different things. Some curve harder. I have putters that I like, you know, drivers that do different things. Some discs that float in case there's water nearby. I have lost many a disc into the river where I used to play in Louisiana, but that's just part of the game. Discs range in cost anywhere from about $12 to $20. And again, you can play with one disc. So for an investment of about $15, you can pick up a

brand new hobby that is honestly a ton of fun. Playing with friends is even more amazing, but there's been many a day where I'll just go out to a course by myself and throw some discs and just enjoy being outside and walking around and having fun. So check it out. Again, very cheap to get into, free courses, a lot of fun. There's a lot of mastery involved in learning how to throw the discs and things like that. There's tons of videos if you want to learn some of the different shots and stuff too, but grab a friend. They can buy a disc, you can buy a disc, or you can buy two and lend one to somebody that you want to go play with. But it's a sport that I have played more than just about any other. It is an absolute blast. It's very easy to get into. I have brought my kids, I've brought my parents. You can just tell somebody, hey, stand right here. You see that pin over there?

Throw the Frisbee. And they go, oh, okay. And then they throw it. And then you go, no, throw it harder. And then they go, oh, okay. And before you know it, everybody's having fun just trying to rip these discs through the air and stuff like that. So definitely after this episode, just do me a favor.

Just Google search it. Disc courses, disc golf courses near me. I would be willing to bet that there's some within probably a 15 to 20 minute drive. And I think it's definitely worth checking out. It's a ton of fun. It's good exercise. It's very cheap to get into. I love it immensely. And I want to share it with you guys and gals out there that are listening to hopefully give you something fun to try out. All right, that's it for this episode. Thank you again for the support. I will be back again with, I think I'm going to do a couple game takes, and then I've got another one coming up here that's going to kind of point you towards a cheap way to get legitimate games

without having to pay full price for them. So, all right, that's it for me. I will see you on the next one. Goodbye, everybody.