Before I could legally drive, it was a big deal having a friend who’s older sibling could drive us places. I distinctly remember the excitement of being able to hop into my friend’s beat up gold Saturn to go to a few local courses that were outside of biking distance to play some disc golf. One of the initial attractions to the game for me was the sense that it was an escape outside of the normal boundaries of where I could normally go. The neat thing about Minnesota in early aughts, was that there were already hundreds of disc golf courses around the Twin Cities. With so much choice, half the fun was picking a fresh course and setting course to it, ready to explore.

Time moves fast, that was already 15 years ago. Hard to believe how quickly time moves when you start college and work full-time. It’s also crazy to think that I still play this ridiculous game with as much enthusiasm and interest as I did when I was younger. Playing a new course holds as much excitement to me as it did back then. The only thing that has changed in all of those years is that I can explore around the world instead of just my state.

This past weekend I met up with a friend from the original neighborhood I grew up in when living in Minnesota, Steve, who’s older brother used to drive us around to play new courses. He’s one of those friends who I don’t always see every year. Whether it’s due to our busy schedules or just the nature of working and moving, suddenly you find that two years have gone by. But when we do meet up, it’s usually over a game of disc golf or a beer and we pick up right where we left off like there was no interruption in-between. Some people you just click with and it’s always refreshing remembering that some people “get” what you talk about right away.

I think there is a reason that games like golf are played for social outings. It is a great opportunity to catch up with a friend you haven’t seen for awhile, or to meet new people you have not previously gotten to know. There is generally so much downtime during the round that you can’t help but get to know the person you’re talking to.

If nothing else, I think that playing a round is pretty universal outing for most people my age. I don’t necessarily want to go out for a drink or play video games all day with my day job being sedentary. Not every one bikes or likes to exercise, so I’ve found playing a round to be a healthy mid-ground for most folks.

In fact, earlier in the summer I was contacted out of the blue by another one of my old friends David, who I had gotten to know over time. After the casual small talk was over, I got the question, “hey do you want to go play a round of frisbee golf somewhere?” We ended up playing a couple rounds that day and caught up chatting about a range of topics from family life to career goals.

I’ve racked my brain pretty hard, and have yet to find a better activity to socialize with. I think cycling is pretty close, but I do have quite a few friends who either don’t own a bike or don’t know how to bike. Ball golf is of course another option, but with courses shutting down left and right and rounds that cost $50+, who has the patience for that?

Since it is getting into the holiday season with this year likely that many families will not be seeing each other due to the pandemic, I’ve been reflecting on how lucky I am to be surrounded by people who are active and able to get out. Without hobbies like disc golf or cycling, I probably would have gotten some insane cabin fever the last couple months. I don’t know how people live in cities like New York where you can’t just leave at a moments notice. As it came up in one of the conversations while catching up with Steve, we were thinking even though the pandemic has greatly affected our work lives, our lifestyles “really have not changed that much.” That I think, is a good thing and I hope to strive for longevity in the activities I choose to do. Gotta keep on truckin’, or whatever that Grateful Dead song says to do!