Maximum Fun at Maximo Park

If you haven't ever played frisbee golf or disc golf, you need to try it! We've written about frisbee or disc golf before, but it's always great to revisit this topic, as it is one of Sparky's absolutely favorite forms of exercise! It's fun, it's walking, it's not strenuous, and it's a very social game, great to do with friends or family.

In our travels to St. Pete Beach yesterday, we stopped off at the Maximo County Park to play disc golf. For a quick refresher, you use discs that are just like Frisbees, only they are weighted for different playing uses--a heavier putter disc that drops like a rock after you throw it for those short putts, a flyer disc that comes in a mid-range weight and a long distance weight and more, and various other discs if you want to get fancy and correct for a slice or a hook. You can buy them at just about any sporting goods store, but they are not usually found at Walmart. Here's our collection, but we only each use two at a time. We kept losing them in the car and in the RV, so we finally bought a holder for them and when we rounded them all up, we were shocked at how many we had! You really only need two a person to play, a flyer and a putter. Of course, you might lose one in play depending on the terrain of the course or what time of year you play. Sparky would always lose one or two in the fall in the piles of leaves at the local disc golf course back in South Bend!

You throw at a chain link target basket....The chains USUALLY trap the disc....sometimes you get robbed, and the disc bounces back out. You keep score like golf...There is "par" for each hole.

The nicer courses are usually 18 holes with concrete "launching" pads and nice signs to show you whether it's a "dog leg" shot or a straight on shot or a complicated obstacle shot. Or, they might have a map or map brochure of all the holes posted at the park, if you're lucky. Sometimes you can go online and print out a map or get a review of the disc golf course you are going to play.

The basket is directly behind all these bushes and trees!

Sometimes you gotta work a bit to find your disc and get it out of wherever it lands! Of course, you then have a penalty shot! Sparky had to climb a palm tree to get her disc on this hole! (I always said she was a little monkey! laughs E.) And I'm the one who doesn't mind climbing the ladder to check out the motorhome roof, either!

Sometimes you can see the basket, but it's intimidating worrying about whether you will be able to find it AFTER you throw it!

See the blue basket off to the right a bit?

Sparky found hers!

Is form important? Well, yes and no.....Even with the best of form (haha)....

looks pretty good to me!

Or a more "loosey-goosey" type of form......

a little extra foot "oomph"!

The discs still have a mind of their own.....Well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

We love this park to play frisbee golf in...It's got some wide open spaces, but it's also got plenty of challenging "just try to get it through the trees" holes, too!

Maximo Park is a gorgeous park. Even if you don't want to play disc golf, there are beautiful places to sit in the shade, watch the shore birds and boats out on parts of Boca Ciega Bay......There's even an observation tower to go up and look out on the beautiful water vista.....

It was a fantastic day in St. Pete Beach today...We loved it! Sparky and Eldo sure loved playing frisbee/disc golf at Maximo Park...It really WAS maximum fun, and it was FREE! Try it some time!