Picture from traditional golf course Canyon River Golf Club in Missoula, Montana.
Missoula disc golf courses (also known as “folf” or “frisbee golf”) are a fitness friendly way to leisurely enjoy the great outdoors. Missoula has several disc golf courses scattered throughout town. If you are a beginner, you are in a perfect place to learn. Local Missoula “folfers” are welcoming and helpful; often letting you play through their slower moving and larger groups.
Disc golf is similar to regular golf; however, instead of using golf clubs and balls aiming for a hole, Disc Golf players use golf discs and aim for a Disc Pole Hole, a pole extending up from the ground with chains and a basket where the disc lands. The object of the game is to complete each hole in the fewest number of throws, starting from a tee area and finishing at the Disc Pole Hole.
Generally, a course is 9 or 18 Disc Pole Holes long. Players start at hole one and complete the course in order, playing through to the last hole. The player with lowest total cumulative score wins.
Disc Golf differs from traditional Golf in important ways. Disc golf courses can use a wide variety of terrain. Often times, land not suitable for other park activities or development is perfect terrain for a disc golf course.
Disc golf is one of the best lifetime fitness sports. It is easy to learn, a healthy activity and accessible to people of all ages and fitness levels. If you can throw a Frisbee® and you like to have fun, you can play disc golf.
Today there are over 2,500 Disc Golf Courses in the United States. There are between 7,000,000 and 10,000,000 people who have played the game. Since 1976, there have been over 24,000 members of the Professional Disc Golf Association.
Pro players compete in more than 390 sanctioned tournaments and a Worlds Championship annually. The positive experience with Disc Golf and the growing demand for courses have led to the expansion of the sport all over the country, from small towns to urban areas.
There are four areas in Missoula, Montana where disc golf (folf) is played. All four Missoula folf areas offer 18 holes. Destination Missoula provided the course maps.
Blue Mountain is the hiker’s course. This area spreads across a large expanse on the face of Blue Mountain located just south of Missoula. The first half of the course is mostly open with occasional tree obstacles that can block the view of the basket, followed by the second half of the course which dives down into the wooded ravines of Blue Mountain.
The second half can require a skilled hand at tree-dodging; though the fairways themselves are fairly clear if you can keep from playing in the rough. Overall, a “big-arm” course that requires plenty of long shots. Course map.
Pattee Canyon is a technical course set in the Pattee Canyon recreation area that will find the player in amongst the trees after the first few holes. Often over-crowded after the 5:00pm work hour has been reached, this course is likely the most popular course in the valley and around Missoula with a waiting line gathering at the first hole.
This crowd, however, is no reason to skip this course as it provides a great challenge for folf players of all skill levels. Course map.
Linda Vista Golf Course gives you the chance to run a game of disc golf on a traditional golf course. Linda Vista folf course operates during the off-season when the course isn’t being used for regular golf. For more information visit their website or give them a call at 406-251-3655.
When you use the Snow Bowl Ski Area, take the lift ride to the top! Seriously, you get a view before you start playing, and during the course of play you are awarded plenty of views of the Missoula Valley when teeing down the 1,100+ ft. hole that plays down a ski run. The added bonus of this course is that it boasts a restaurant and bar at the base of the lift near the parking lot.
Blue Mountain Bed and Breakfast offers scenic mountain views and superbly delicious cuisine with complimentary fresh breakfasts each morning. Consider staying with us when you go on your next Missoula disc golf course adventure!
Written by Kristi Dement of Bed and Breakfast Blogging
