Golf with a twist

A set of trees frames the left side of the fairway, a fairway protected by a pond on its right side and several lone trees spotting its center.

From the tee box it's almost impossible to see the hole tucked in behind those trees on the left, but the hole shouldn't be hard to play.

A long drive will get you in view of the pin, and from there a good approach shot and a single putt leaves you with a solid par.

Unless you nail the approach for birdie.

You take a deep breath and let the disc fly.

For more than 40 years - George Sappenfeld is credited with the creation of modern disc golf in 1965, according to www.pdga.com - people have been playing disc golf as an alternative to traditional golf.

But the sport hasn't taken hold in the Permian Basin.

Not yet.

Justin Cartwright is hoping to raise interest in the sport with this weekend's 2nd-annual Luck of the Draw disc golf tournament, an event that will kick off at 10 a.m. Saturday at Comanche Trails Park in Odessa.

"This is a test," Cartwright said. "To see how many disc golfers show up from Midland and Odessa."

Cartwright lives in San Angelo, a city that has four disc golf courses, but he plays the sport on courses all over West Texas.

Five years ago he decided to introduce the sport to Odessa.

"There were no courses in the area around Odessa and Midland," Cartwright said. "Big Spring has a couple of nice courses, but that was it."

Working with the help of Bobby Baird and Derik Gawlik, Cartwright built the first nine holes of the disc golf course that sits at Comanche Trails Park in Odessa.

The trio installed nine elevated metal baskets - the "holes" that make up a course's targets. They cleared trees. They built 18 tee boxes, which allowed a player to play a complete round of disc golf.

Nobody seemed to notice.

At least no one noticed that a disc golf course had been built.

Most thought the baskets were bird feeders.

But like any other sport, disc golf has its own number of hard-core members, and last summer Cartwright, Baird and a new partner, Chad Smith added nine more holes to complete the course.

Now the prairie dogs have to spend a lot more time ducking and scurrying for cover.

A bunch of heavy flying saucers can be a little scary.

"More recently, a lot more people have been interested," Cartwright said. "I've seen mothers and their kids, a couple of ex-sheriffs in their 50s. There are almost always two or three groups out there."

Throwing a disc at an elevated metal basket might not sound like much fun, but disc golf has an undeniable appeal.

For starters, the only cost to play is the cost of a disc. Most run between $8 and $20. Playing the course itself is free, a cost-effective condition that is common to all disc golf courses.

Traditional golf courses can feel manicured. Artificial. Not exactly the best way to see nature.

Disc golf courses are built in the elements.

Playing a round of 18 is a combination of a good jog, a hike and an athletic event, without any of the khaki shorts or polo shirts or staying silent in the middle of your buddy's backswing.

"For me, the first time I played it the sport was addicting," Cartwright said. "Most games are laid-back unless somebody's having a bad day. Disc golf is a great way to hang out."

And you don't even have to set a tee time.