Comparative Essay Example: Traditional Golf vs. Disc Golf

Disc golf is very similar to traditional golf in how it is played, although disc golf is far more affordable and much more approachable as a sport. With most disc golf courses being at your local park, it’s more readily available for you and your family to enjoy. I’m going to compare these two sports to their impact on who can play, the environment, and your wallet.

Traditional golf has a very high skill floor. Meaning that to be able to play the sport effectively, you will need to learn the proper form, technique, and mental focus required to get the golf ball into the hole. All of these things are needed for you to get a disc into a basket, however not at the same difficulty level as traditional golf. With this being said, disc golf is much more approachable from a beginner's point of view than traditional golf. All sports will benefit from having a knowledgeable coach to give you pointers and correct failures. Disc golf on the other hand can be learned, for the most part, just by watching a few videos or even watching how other disc golfers throw then trying it on your own. Like traditional golf, disc golf is also low impact, and can be played by almost any age. That means you can enjoy the sport with your kids or even grandma and grandpa. Since disc golf is easier, the people you invite to play will have less frustration and will be more likely to go disc golfing with you again. The disc golf community tends to be more friendly and helpful as opposed to the old boys club that a lot of golf communities have. You can bring just about anything to a disc golf course as long as it is legal, most traditional golf courses do not allow outside food or drink and some even have a dress code. Since disc golf courses are primarily located at parks, as already stated, you could have a nice family picnic after completing the course. Disc golf could also be an appealing hobby for traditional golfers, they could employ their already hard-earned skills and techniques learned from traditional golf to give them a competitive edge. 

You may or may not agree with global warming, but I think it's safe to say that most folks do care about the environment. An 18-hole golf course uses an average of 152.5 acre-feet of water per year to irrigate 80.7 acres of turf grass; one acre-foot or 12 inches of water over one acre equals 325,851 gallons. (Golf Course Environmental Profile Volume 2 - GCSAA, 2009, p.16) That is a lot of water usage for entertainment alone and maybe a serious concern for those living in communities afflicted with draught. Some communities are limited to watering their lawn only twice a week, whereas the golf courses will water as needed. The average 18-hole disc golf course requires zero gallons of water. You technically don’t even need grass to play disc golf since baskets are used instead of holes in the ground. Some might ask, what if you lose a disc. Is a disc golf disc biodegradable? No, it is not, but neither is a golf ball. Avid golfers lose 1.3 balls a round, that’s not including beginner golfers. As a beginner golfer myself, I have lost a lot of golf balls and I’m sure that most beginner golfers would agree with me. One could also argue that clearing the path for these large golf courses could be harmful even destructive to wildlife environments. You will often find that many of the more difficult disc golf courses are very much in the forests or on a nature path. If you like to be around nature, this could be your new nature walk, get your steps in and throw a few discs along the way. 

The average cost for a set of golf clubs varies between male sets and female sets, with male sets being 359$ and females 275$. (Average Cost of Golf Clubs) Now, on the other hand, you could always just go down to your local pawn shop or yard sale and pick up a set of clubs for under 50$. At some point though, you will get to a skill level that will require more reliable clubs that are tailored to you. Now that’s just the essentials, golf shoes cost anywhere from 65$-300$ depending on quality. (Now @ Golf Locker: Things to consider - golf shoes) The average golf ball costs around 2$ with packs of 12 being 24$ or more. The average cost of 18 holes of golf at a public course on the weekend, including a cart, is 36$. Most golf courses will have a membership that you can join and pay monthly or annually, but these costs can come in at the 100$ to even 1000$ ranges. You can see here that traditional golf is a very expensive hobby and I think golfers understand this, however, if you are good enough to make it to the pros, you could potentially make a lot of money. Now let's look at some of the costs for disc golf. The average cost of a disc golf disc is 13-15$ per disc.  (How Much Does a Disc Golf Disc Cost?) You technically only need one disc to play but that wouldn’t be completely practical. Take three discs, one driver, one mid-range, and one putter all at 15$ a disc, that’s 45$ for a decent set of discs. If you would like a bag for your discs, there are bags you can find for just 15$ that can hold up to 12 discs. (Infinite Starter Bag) You will need to replace your discs every so often, but since they are vastly cheaper than golf clubs, it shouldn’t break the bank. Since most disc golf courses are in parks, the average cost of 18 baskets of disc golf at a public course on the weekend, not including a cart, is 0$. This makes disc golf a more attractive sport or hobby for those on a budget and just as much is true for traditional golfers.

Now that we have compared the two sports we can effectively say that it is easier to get your friends and family to play disc golf with you. You won’t have to worry too much about an environmental impact since disc golf courses tend to co-exist with nature as opposed to paving their way through it. You also won't have to pull out a loan or make a huge investment to get started. Just like traditional golf, you can play disc golf for the rest of your life. Whether you’re looking for a new hobby or looking for an alternative to traditional golf, disc golf is a very viable, cheap, and easy sport to get into and have fun with.