Otters are Distinct With Disc Golf

Blake Northey, Staff Reporter

Blake_Northey@csumb.edu

April 7, 2008

Grab your Frisbees and get ready for some disc golf. CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB) has the distinction of being the only university in California with not one but two 18 hole disc golf courses with state of the art Mach V baskets. 

Playing disc golf is slowly gaining popularity on the West Coast and CSUMB is way ahead of other universities. Tyler McBrian, a CSUMB junior business major and avid disc golf player, said CSUMB is home to the Cyprus Course and the Oaks Course and playing these courses has really helped him focus on his disc golf potential. 

McBrian has played disc golf at CSUMB since his freshman year and he is currently the treasurer of the CSUMB Disc Golf Club whose purpose is to provide a fun, free, recreational activity for students and the general community. McBrian said, “The Oaks course is bigger, longer, and has more challenging obstacles,” and added that the Cyprus course is recommended for beginners.

Kenny Allison, a CSUMB senior Intgrated Special Studies Major, Disc Golf Club president and captain of the club team, agreed with McBrian on the difficulty of the courses. “Cyprus is a beginning course and the Oaks course has longer and more difficult shots,” said Allison. 

“The wind makes it difficult but it makes the team play better,” said Allison. As the coastal wind blows through the courses, it gives disc golf players an extra challenge.

According to McBrian, “CSUMB has distinguished itself as the most powerful school on the West Coast in disc golf,” adding that the CSUMB disc golf team are “champs, two years running,” in reference to the West Coast College Open (WCCO), in which CSUMB has taken home the Stancil Johnson Cup trophy in 2006 and 2007. 

For two years in a row, CSUMB has hosted the WCCO, which is history in the making for CSUMB since the WCCO is the first intercollegiate disc golf tournament on the West Coast. Although enthusiasts for disc golf view this activity as a competitive sport, Allison noted “the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) does not recognize disc golf.” 

Even without NCAA recognition, CSUMB has distinguished itself among California colleges with its two disc golf courses, by winning the WCCO title twice, and maintaining their hold on the Stancil Johnson Cup. 

Bradley Shafer, a CSUMB senior Human Communication major said, “Disc golf is one sport that is inexpensive and centered around nature.” Shafer also added the nice thing about disc golf is that anyone can play, “You don’t have to be in good shape, age doesn’t matter, and it’s like a walk in the park.” 

The CSUMB disc golf club hosts competitive tournaments in the fall and spring and the courses are open to students and community members of all ages. Playing disc golf is free for everyone. 

For more information on CSUMB’s disc golf club visit the website at http://clubs.csumb.edu/discgolf.