- December 4, 2025
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Disc golf didn’t make the cut for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but the World Flying Disc Federation hopes the sport will be included in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
As disc golf grows in popularity around the world, a local nonprofit organization is promoting the sport in the Lakewood Ranch area.
The East Manatee Disc Golf Club hosted its first clinic July 19 at Bob Gardner Community Park, sponsored by Hydrology Water Solutions. A dozen people showed up to learn the basics of the game.
The goal of the game is simple: Get the disc into the basket with as few throws as possible.
The disc club meets most Monday nights at Bob Gardner Park, and only lightning stops them. Members and non-members of any skill level are welcome to play for a nominal fee. The games typically last an hour or two.
A membership costs $20 a year and $10 to renew for 30 weeks of play. Players also contribute $5 to the payout and $1 to the Ace Fund each week, which rewards a hole-in-one with $100. Non-members pay an extra dollar per game, and the top three players split the payout.
While disc golf mirrors many of golf’s terminology and rules, players say there are some advantages to the disc version.
“You can just walk out there and play,” Jim Dicesare said. “There’s never any waiting.”
It’s also an inexpensive sport to play. A starter set of discs costs about $25, and outside of when a league is on site, it’s free to play because courses can be found at public parks.
Member Dan Myhrberg noted that the club is a great way to meet new people, too.
The play is a mix of casual versus competitive.
The nonprofit's Facebook group has over 300 members. Not all are active, but over 100 people have participated in the club's league during the past three years.
Curtis Marxen is the league director. He organizes the pots of money and keeps score. At 35 years old, he’s been playing disc golf for 23 years.
He said a lot of people started playing during the COVID pandemic because people could still throw a Frisbee in an open park.
Marxen prefers playing in a league because it’s organized play and he only has a finite amount of free time.
“I have a 3-year-old son, and my wife is 30 weeks pregnant,” he said. “This is the one night they go to the in-laws and hang out, so I’m able to play.”
Marxen also noted that the club runs a handicap league, so the scoring is adjusted to all skill levels. Players are playing to their average par for a round, not the course’s par.
He said anyone can pick up the rules easily, but it does take some skill and practice to learn how to get the disc to fly straight and flat.
Part of the club’s mission is to make disc golf accessible to everyone. In addition to hosting clinics, Marxen is working on the idea of something akin to a Little Free Library but for donated discs.
The box would be installed next to the course, so anyone at the park can grab a disc and play without having their own equipment. Just like traditional golf is played with different clubs, disc golf is played with a variety of discs. There are putters, midrange discs, fairway drivers and long distance drivers.
The club only plays the 9-hole course at Bob Gardner Park, but there are other disc golf courses in East County. Woodland Community Park has a 6-hole course. Heritage Harbour Park has a 9-hole course, and Tom Bennett Park has an 18-hole course.
