If you love outdoor sports – and tennis and golf aren’t your style, disc golf is an enjoyable alternative.

The rules are very similar to golf, said Dan Doucette, a disc golfer who is a member of the Sault Disc Golf Association.

“The only difference is you’re throwing a disc instead of hitting a ball with a club,” Doucette told SooToday.

“You throw the disc, you walk up to where it lands, you throw it again, and you keep doing that until it lands inside the hole, or in this case, a basket.”

The goal is to get the disc into the basket in as few throws as possible.

“All the holes at the disc golf course at Penhorwood Park are par three, so if you get it in two shots, you get a birdie, in three throws you’re par and above par is a bogey,” Doucette said.

“Originally it was called Frisbee golf but the discs are different from Frisbees. They’re smaller and thicker,” he added.

While golfers carry 14 clubs in their bags, disc golfers carry from four to 20 different discs in their shoulder bags.

They’re used as backup discs or used in windy conditions or for tricky shots, such as throwing a disc clear from a clump of trees.

Discs can be purchased at retail chains like Canadian Tire or online, but the SDGA encourages players to buy local through vendors such as Goodspeed.

Disc golf in the Sault and area is played on a 12-hole course at Penhorwood Park and an 18-hole course at Pointe Des Chenes.

St. Joseph Island offers the challenging 27-hole Mountain View Disc Golf course and the nine-hole Orchard Loop.

“Penhorwood is great for getting beginners into the sport. It’s not punishing. There are a few obstacles but you’re not out in the woods,” Doucette said.

Disc golf obstacles include wind, trees, hills and gulleys, each of which can challenge a player in getting a good clean throw.

Males and females of all ages play the sport.

Singles, doubles and groups of up to four people can play on a disc golf course score card.

Doucette estimated there are 30 to 40 players in the SDGA.

At Penhorwood, players can enjoy doubles nights on Wednesdays, ladies nights on Tuesdays and SDGA league play at Pointe Des Chenes on Thursdays.

Some SDGA players travel to take part in tournaments out-of-town while the league also hosts tournaments in the Sault and area.

It’s a game that can be played after sundown.

“We have discs that glow in the dark,” Doucette said.

“Typically they will set up lights in the basket so you can see the basket, and then the glow discs need to be activated by a flash light. You have to shine a flashlight on them and that activates them. If I hit it with some light it would actually make the rim glow blue, so that makes it easy to find in the dark.”

In the Sault and area, disc golf season lasts from spring to October or November, though some hardy souls play in winter if the snow isn’t too deep, Doucette said.

“It’s a high quality game,” he said.

“You’re walking, hiking up and down hills, throwing a disc and having a good time. You get some exercise. You get to be with people who are like-minded.”

Disc golfer Christina Bussineau loves the sport.

“I like the sense of community,” she said.

“Everybody roots for everybody. Everybody teaches everybody new things. Even though it’s supposed to be a competitive sport, it doesn’t ever really feel like a competitive sport. Everybody’s so positive with each other,” Bussineau said.

The sport is an inclusive one.

“One of the things I like about it is the accessibility for all different demographics, whether you’re 70 years old or younger, whether you’re male or female,” said Noah Roode.

“Everyone has a place where they belong. It’s a lot of fun and there’s a lot of respect between the players,” Roode said.

Information on the local disc golf scene, including league memberships, can be found through the Sault Disc Golf Association Facebook page.

“Other than that, whenever we’re out and we see new people we welcome them. People can just join in and have fun and get to know each other, and then they can become members,” Bussineau said.