Reflecting back on 2021: Did anyone else try disc golf for the first time this year?
As the end of yet another year grows closer, and I sit and reflect on a year that we had all hoped would be so much different than what 2020 brought to us, it is clear to see that we are still working through change and challenges…but, I always believe there are positives that come out of any situation. For me, one of the biggest things I’ve struggled with over the last year is the fact that I haven’t been “on the go” as much as I am accustomed to. After the pandemic hit, it took me some time (probably more than most) to realize just how much the change of pace really was affecting me. I think I discounted the impact that it would have on me physically and mentally, but in reality, my daily pace and cadence significantly slowed due to not being able to stay as active as I just naturally was previously. Fortunately, as 2021 has progressed, the time that I have spent on the move and traveling to visit customers, friends, and family did bounce back somewhat; my natural activity levels did increase but it is still not anywhere near the levels of activity and travel that I had grown used to. I needed something extra to help me out and I am a true believer that life presents solutions to us all the time. The key to finding those solutions is simply being open minded enough to spot and accept those gifts when they are being presented.
I know I am not alone in that one of the biggest gifts and bright spots of this year came in the way of picking up a new activity/sport to pull me away from my desk chair and out into nature. I think everyone is looking for “that thing” or “a few things” to simply fill the void that many of us felt after the world changed pace on us. For me, I’ve always had dreams of maybe becoming a decent golfer. I have friends and colleagues that treat being a 4-5 handicap like its average and here I am in a position that if I could manage to score in the mid 80’s on a repeatable basis I’d be on top of the world! Every spring starts with the same hope and every fall the season ends with the same reality….I will have drug my clubs everywhere with me in hopes of playing and practicing only to end up really not having the time to dedicate to actually playing golf consistently. No doubt, golf is an excellent way to stay active and to keep moving and my desire to become a better golfer will not fade but this year the concept of “golf” broadened for me a little bit.
One of my very best friends kept asking me…”hey, I’m going to play disc golf after work…do you want to go?” I was always resistant to this idea and declined the opportunity many times before I finally caved to his persistence. Being my close friend, he probably knew better than I did that I needed something to pull me outside and change up the pace. At the time I couldn’t wrap my mind around why he would want to go throw frisbees after work instead of maybe going to the range or playing 9 holes of ball golf. After a few times of him being very persistent that I should try it out and even offering to spot me 4-5 different discs to use so that I could get started…I finally went and played my first round of disc golf. What I uncovered with this expedition was that disc golf is still golf…it is difficult…it is frustrating…its fun…it can create excitement and it can crush you at the same time. In reality, there are quite a few similarities between the two games. The major and most important to me is being out in nature and getting some physical activity. Golf courses are always beautifully manicured stretches of land and similarly, most disc golf courses have been added right into the public parks that exist in the communities we all live in (which means for the most part they are free to play!!).
The game itself has all the physical and mental challenges that the game of ball golf has but the benefit of it is that you can play a round of disc golf in about 90 minutes. In fact, I recently discovered that a client of mine also likes to play disc golf and not long ago we met for a cup of coffee early in the morning and then hit the local disc golf layout to play a round. We were both on our way into the rest of our day by 9:15 in the morning. Not a bad way to spend a brisk, sunny morning in the fall leaves and rocky hills of Massachusetts. Many people that play disc golf regularly may carry 20-30 different discs with them all designed to fly on different paths and distances but in reality, you can put 4-5 discs in your carry-on bag that will cover most situations just fine and have everything you need to stop at a park at 5:15 in the afternoon anywhere in the country to play a round of disc golf before dinner. I realize this has nothing to do with printing, packaging or displays but I’m interested to know what activities all of you have found through the last few years that you may not have found if the world had not changed as much as it has and…have you ever tried disc golf?
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