About 3 years ago while playing a round of disc golf on my local course, I began pondering what it is that I love about this game so much. It is so simple. Put this disc in that basket, try to do it in the least amount of strokes possible, yet there is something that brings me back out this course to play the same holes every morning. In sunshine, in rain, in snow – there I was putting this disc in that basket.
But why? What is the appeal?
Then I realized, I already answered my question.
“IT IS SO SIMPLE. ”
I began noticing that on the disc golf course, all problems melted away. All my thinking about bills, work, or family problems simply did not exist. Not that I was running from these things of course, but for one or two hours a day – I had but one simple focus – Put this disc in the basket. And try to do it better everyday.
Then I began realizing that this was not only a game but a walking meditation. I was using the experience of the game to drive focus and create flow. This focus and flow was central to fact that day to day problems didn’t seem to bother me anymore. I was becoming happy.
I began seeing everything happening around me had its equivalent on the disc golf course. Problems in life are just trees. You are going to hit some. Goals in life are like baskets. They are worth striving for. And guess what…You are going to lose a few discs on the way if you really want to play.
I found myself constantly relating life issues to my wife to their counterparts on the course, only to realize that since she was not a disc golfer – it was difficult for her to find meaning in them.
Then I had a thought – put it in a book. Zen & The Art Of Disc Golf was born. I wrote this book over a period of three years and am excited to say it is 90% completed. I really look forward to sharing it with all of you soon, until then I created this website, this blog, to begin sharing even more insight with you.
This is going to be a journey. And I want to take as many friends with me as I can. I am hoping to include articles, interviews, reviews, whatever interesting things I can that my fellow disc golfers would be interested in reading.
Thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned!
Patrick McCormick
– Author of Zen & The Art of Disc Golf
– Host of The Zen Disc Golf Podcast
ZEN DISC GOLF 