Disc golf a great reason to get outside this autumn

  • Published
  • By Airman Ty-Rico Lea
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  A California Air National Guardsman stopped in Anchorage while touring the United States in an attempt to set a world record for the sport of disc golf.

Tech. Sgt. Larry Kirk, 52, an air ground equipment mechanic with the 144th Fighter Wing located in Fresno, Calif., conceived the idea of playing disc golf courses across the 50 U.S. states.

He completed the 50-state goal twice before. His first tour lasted eight years; his second took 10 months. This time he wanted to do it even faster.

"It'll be 50 states in 50 days this time," Kirk said. "I want to accomplish my goal of completing disc golf games across the U.S. and bring awareness of disc golf to those unfamiliar with the sport," Kirk said.

Kirk's previous attempt to play in all 50 states won him the attention of the Guinness Book of World Records staff. They entered him for the record for most disc golf courses completed in a year. In his second endeavor, he attempted the same record-breaking opportunity. However, his travels weren't officially documented and he was not eligible.
Kirk expressed one benefit of playing the game that Airmen here may find useful.

"The Air Force is all about physical fitness," Kirk said. "You get so much exercise just from exploring the course, and you get your cardio from walking and retrieving your disc."
"This definitely helps me get out of the dorms and do something productive and competitive," said Airman 1st Class Jordan Thies, a 3rd Operations Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment apprentice. "I've been to places such as Homer to play disc golf. I would recommend this to any Airman willing to try something new and see Alaska."
Theis also said the attention to detail required helps improve his job performance.
"Disc golf helps me maintain the skill of keeping focus," Thies said. "I feel this is important, especially since my job as an aircrew flight equipment apprentice is to maintain and ensure the safety of equipment used by pilots when they operate their aircraft."

According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, disc golf is a professional sport with more than 40,000 participants. PDGA is the governing body for the sport and sanctions competitive events for men and women of every skill level. Disc golf courses exist worldwide. The scoring system is similar to golf, in which the lowest score wins.
The Anchorage area boasts a total of six disc golf courses. Other courses in the extended area are located in Girdwood, Eagle River, Wasilla and Kenai. Each course varies from nine to 18 holes.

For more information on the sport of disc golf, check out: www.pdga.com/.