If you joined us for the conference last year in Boston, you may remember tossing a miniature disc into a metal basket (or at least making a valiant attempt) when you visited the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Host Committee’s stand. If so, you were unknowingly being recruited to take part in Disc Golf – a Charlotte pastime that is currently one of the fastest growing sports in the world. The number of disc golf courses more than doubled between 2000 and 2008, and the sport is played in more 40 countries.

So what exactly is disc golf? Well, the answer is pretty simple. Disc golf is played much like traditional golf; however, instead of using clubs to hit a ball into a hole, players throw a flying disc (please don’t call it a “Frisbee”) into a supported metal basket. The goal of both games is the same: the object is to make the shot in the fewest attempts possible. Players begin at a tee, throwing a golf disc from the tee to each basket, which functions as the “hole.” As a player progresses down the fairway, he or she must make each consecutive throw from the stop where the previous throw landed. Finally, the throw lands in the basket and the hole is completed.

Disc golf shares the same highs and lows of traditional golf, whether it is sinking a long “putt” or ending up in the second cut of rough halfway down the fairway. The trees, shrubs, and changes in terrain located in and around the fairways of the disc golf course provide challenging obstacles for the players. The great selling point of disc golf is that it rarely requires an expensive green fee, you never get stuck with a bad tee time, and you probably won’t need to rent a golf cart. Disc golf is a sport designed to be enjoyable for participants of all ages, regardless of economic status.

If all of this sounds interesting to you, you’re in luck! Charlotte-Mecklenburg is known as a “mecca” for enthusiasts in the disc golf world. The Charlotte Disc Golf Club maintains 16 courses in the Charlotte area and is developing more courses with the assistance of the Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Department. The club has also hosted the Pro Disc Golf Association’s (PDGA) Pro/Am Disc Golf World Championships on three occasions, most recently in 2012.

If you’re a veteran player or even if you’ve never played before, there’s a course in the Charlotte area that is right for you. Best of all, the Host Committee is providing an opportunity for 100th Annual Conference attendees to try their hands at one of the most popular (and most challenging) courses in the region. Register here to join us for an introduction to disc golf at Hornet’s Nest Park, where players will be given an overview of the rules of the game, followed by a fun round with experienced instructors who will help you fine-tune your game as you play.

The $50 ticket price includes transportation, instruction, discs, goodie bag, prizes, and lunch.