Feldberg emphasized the relative inexpensiveness of the sport, for unlike regular golf, which requires a considerable investment in both equipment and course fees, disc golf only requires a couple of plastic discs and a park to get started.
Chen invited Feldberg and the competitors over to bolster the reputation of disc golf as a proper sport in Taiwan. While Feldberg emphasized the inclusiveness of disc golf, he also pointed out that playing seriously involved considerable physical effort and a high level of coordination.
Brock Pitzer, another US player in Taiwan for the tournament, described the various techniques that can be used to enhance accuracy, as Feldberg, Manabu and Erich Altoray from Sweden practiced putting through a low stand of trees. The complexities of jump putts and the use of a knuckleball style pitch, and the intricacies of dealing with wind and the natural banking of the disc revealed disc golf to have plenty of technical aspects to engross the serious player.
As for Feldberg’s drives, which leave his hand at 128kph and have reached over 180m, these are feats of athleticism that cannot be sniffed at.
Feldberg believes that disc golf is, in a term he aims to trademark, “the golf of the next generation.” Today at Huazhong Sports Park, he will be doing his best to show that fun for the family and a serious sport can be combined. An 18-hole qualifying round begins at 8:30am, with 9-hole semifinals and finals in the afternoon. More information about the competition can be found at ezflyingdiscs.com.tw.
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