Jeremy Cionca hasn’t found time to play disc golf, a sport he once played competitively, because in these past few years he has been busy working and taking care of his family. However, that all changed after the pandemic which gave Cionca an excuse to start playing again.
“Lately we have been getting back to the courses because there is nothing to do,” Cionca said. “It has rekindled the fire a little bit. I have a taste for it again.”
Disc golf is a sport where the objective is to throw a disc golf disc into a chain basket from a set distance. It is similar to the sport of golf in that there is a tee box where players throw their first shot and the goal is to land in the target in the least amount of shots. It’s a sport where players can maintain safe distances and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nick Maiz
Kensington Metropark’s sign that displays how to play disc golf as well as park rules for located next to the Black Locust Disc Golf course.There are courses in Kensington Metropark in Milford, Cass Benton in Northville, and Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter. Kensington Metropark’s disc golf course has been open since late April.
The lockdown has also increased the demand for disc golf equipment.
Scott Aikens, a sales manager at Discraft, a Michigan-based disc golf manufacturer, said many people are interested in playing disc golf now.
“Discraft’s goal is to catch up on the demand for our product,” Aikens said.
Aikens said the sport is something for families to do together while practicing safe habits during the pandemic.
Randy Cortright from South Lyon said he’s playing more disc golf due to COVID-19.
“You can play with just the people that you know,” Cortright said. “It is very easy to stay six feet apart.”
For Cortright, the people he knows is family: his two daughters. He wants to take advantage of this because he loves the outdoors, and disc golf is a fun way to that.
“It’s a very relaxing sport, zero stress, zero anxiety, and I wish I could play more often,” Cortright said.