Overview:
Sally Blanchette and Frank Wruk have taken up disc golf, a non-contact sport that has grown in popularity since COVID.
Sally Blanchette and Frank Wruk of Peterborough were both avid soccer players before they took up disc golf.
Additionally they both take to trails for biking, and Wruk was a BMX biker for more than 25 years.
“I was sick of getting hurt playing other sports. Disc golf is a great way to get that chance to compete, without putting your body on the line.” Wruk said.
Wruk said the sport grew after COVID, as it isn’t a contact sport, and plenty of active people were looking for something to do to get out of the house. In 2019, there were a little over 52,000 pro disc golfers. By 2021, there were just under 110,000 pros, according to the Professional Disc Golf Association.
Wruk grew up in Keene and has been playing disc golf since 1999, but only started playing professionally in 2018. When he met Blanchette, who played in amateur soccer leagues most of her life, in 2022, he introduced her to disc golf.
“I didn’t know what it was at first and I didn’t like playing immediately because it’s frustrating when you first start playing, but I fell in love with the community and how every throw is different,” Blanchette said.
The recent Otter Brook Open in Keene was the first Professional Disc Golf Association-sanctioned tournament in over three years. Disc golf uses discs in place of balls, and every disc is made differently, so a player will choose a particular disc that is suited for that shot, just like a traditional golfer would choose the right club.
Like traditional golf, players start from a tee. A player will usually start with a driver disc, which often has thin edges to glide through the air with ease. A little closer to a mid-range is considered an optimal choice. The discs tend to look like frisbees, but they have a flat top rather than a rounded top. The idea is to shoot the disc to land in an elevated basket along a trail course.
Both golf and disc golf have par for their respective courses. For a par within 20 feet of the basket, a player would use a putt/approach disc, which most closely resembles a frisbee, but is much heavier.
Disc golf players are known for being especially respectful and supportive of one another. Respect of the game is understood as the unwritten No. 1 rule of disc golf.
“It’s one of the coolest communities I’ve been a part of. Everyone puts their ego aside and we have a lot of support for each other, even when we’re competing” Wruk said.
Wruk played in the Mixed Pro Open, where he shot 1-over-par, good for second place in his group.
“I would consider Otter Brook to be my home course,” he said.