"I hate ducks," my 9-year-old told me on the third hole of the disc golf course.
Why was she lamenting ducks?
Because she was tired of duck-walking up the hills on the disc golf course with her cross country skis.
OK, you'd be right to question our sanity at combining cross country skiing and disc golf. And although it was clear we hadn't thought things through, it made for an entertaining afternoon.
Last fall we tried our first round of disc golf at Enman Field in Brunswick. We had a great time and the kids thought hiking through the woods to track down our wayward discs was as much fun as throwing them into the chain-link cages (dubbed "jail" by my kids).
We were told by the staff at Enman Field that disc golf was a year-round sport. I asked how you could possibly find a disc in the snow and was told to look for the smiley face imprint the disc made when it landed.
Bennett's Disc Golf course in Gorham opened this past summer and since it was closer to home, we decided to give that course a try for our winter disc golf experience.
We paid our course fee and received bright red discs to use. I asked if we had to follow the holes in order and was told since there was only one other group on the course, we were welcome to go out and play the holes in whatever order we wanted to.
That's one of the things I love about disc golf, the people and the game are casual and laid-back.
We strapped on our skis in the parking lot, which took a while because we're out of practice putting on our gear, and gathered up our polls and discs to head to the first hole.
The first thing I realized before getting on the course was that I needed to get rid of my poles. I couldn't manage them along with the score card and pencil, disc and camera. But OK I thought, I could still do this, it was just going to be a little tricker than I had planned.
The first hole led us down a hill that the kids were excited about. But then we discovered we all sort of forgot how to ski down a hill with cross country skis. The kids fell down every five feet or so before they found their balance on the skinny skis.
"I think I used the wrong wax on these skis," said my husband after his second fall. Excuses were easy to come by.
But we all made it, albeit a little wetter than when we started. We recovered our discs after our first throw without much trouble (except for the skiing part), seeing the smiley faces in the pristine snow pretty easily.
After another throw we had to climb a hill, which took a lot of effort on cross country skis. But we managed that challenge well and all of us made that hole as a three or four par.
We made our tee-off for the next hole and proceeded down another sloping hill, this one a little bigger. The kids skied ahead to retrieve their discs and then made their next throw.
Ah, but that's where we made a mistake. The kids were skiing down the hill willy-nilly and disturbed the snow all around the area my husband and I had thrown our discs.
"Where's your disc?" I asked my husband.
Slowly he looked around and then back at me, "I have no idea."
After about five minutes of searching we came up with the disc. That's when I made a new rule. Everyone tees-off together, spots their disc and doesn't forget where it went.
On the next hole we started to get into a rhythm throwing and spotting the discs. But then we were faced with going up another hill.
The kids immediately started complaining and I reminded them again about "duck-walking" their skis so they wouldn't slide backwards. My 9-year-old started muttering to herself as she made her way up the hill.
"I'm walking like a duck. I don't like walking like a duck. I don't like ducks.... I hate ducks."
But she did it. My 8-year-old however decided to take off her skis and walk up the hill. She had the biggest grin on her face and started laughing as she passed her sister.
"Look. I took off my skis. It's easier." My 8-year-old is a firecracker and often tries to find the easiest way out just about everything.
After the next hole, we were all wiped out and the kids and I had decided to take off our skis. The course was hill after hill and had been a serious cardio workout.
We carried all our gear to the next tee-off while my husband stayed determined to keep his skis on. But by the next hole he was all set with the skis.
"Let's dump the skis and then come back out to finish playing," he finally said.
I liked that plan so we hiked back to the car, dropped off our skis and grabbed something to drink before heading back out to the course on foot. But here was another example of an error in judgment - I drank seltzer water on our break. Why was it a mistake? Because I had the hiccups for the rest of the afternoon.
I was trying to shake the hiccups as we made our way back to the hole we left. The kids were gleefully running through the snow and making snow angels, happy to be free of their skis.
After we played another hole, we had a snowball fight. Another hole was played and the kids made pretend snow make-up and ate handfuls of snow (I tell them not to eat the snow but as soon as I turn my back, they've got it in their mouth anyway).
Even though we veered off course with our round of disc golf as the kids found a variety of distractions with the snow, we decided unanimously that disc golf was a great winter game.
If you're a family that's looking for a new sport to enjoy in the snow, disc golf may be just the thing to put a little excitement into your winter - and a smile in the snow.
Trip: Winter Disc Golf at Bennett's Disc Golf
Town: Route 114, Gorham
Hours: Wednesday - Sunday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; if the clubhouse is closed, players with discs are welcome to play on the course without charge
Fee: $5/person, includes disc rental
Phone Number: (207) 839-9177
Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram, December 2005
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