Disc golf is a fun, relaxing sport gaining popularity in Washington ...

Emma Rose Hanley grew up around her family's private 18-hole disc golf course near Cherry Grove, but nearly 20 years passed before she took to the sport.

Now Hanley, 33, is a ranked pro/am player. The Head Start teacher also was the 2011 Oregon Women's Disc Golf Champion.

"It was just something that Dad did," says Garry Hanley, Emma Rose's father and a disc golfer since the 1970s.

This summer, the Hanleys are offering disc golf classes for families and adults through the Hillsboro Parks and Recreation Department. Each two-part class includes a session on basic techniques and skills, rules and course etiquette at the Washington County Fairgrounds and a session on the 9-hole course at Orchard Park.

Disc golf is growing in popularity with families, Garry Hanley said. "Everyone can do it at their own level and the kids are often better than the parents," he added.

Disc golf is a game in which players throw a Frisbee-type disc at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc."

Its origins are cloudy, but the game formerly known as "Frisbee golf" appears to have emerged simultaneously in several locations in the 1960s.

Back then, the game involved flinging discs at objects -- trees, poles and garbage cans. With the invention of the disc golf basket -- a basket and chain contraption that captures the disc -- arguments over whether the disc actually hit the target were eliminated.

Garry Hanley, 59, has played disc golf for more than 30 years. A semi-retired recreation educator, he took to any sport having to do with balls, but found disc golf a great combination of sport and outdoor activity.

"And, it's inexpensive," he said.

Basically, all anyone needs to play is a disc or two and a course. No special shoes, padding, helmets or sets of fancy clubs or rackets are required. Most courses are in public parks and are free to play.

At Emma Rose Hanley's level of play, disc golf requires a range of discs, including putters, mid-range discs and drivers. She chooses which to throw from a specially designed backpack that holds colorful plastic discs engineered for short or long throws, for curving left or right, and, depending on the weather, with more or less grip.

Avid disc golfers don't seem to mind the rain in Oregon. Besides Orchard Park, other western Washington County courses include Stub Stewart State Park, Horning's Hideaway and McMenamin's Grand Lodge.

The association estimates that 500,000 play disc golf regularly in the United States.

Emma Rose Hanley finds practicing her putting a relaxing daily ritual after a day of teaching, and she often spends weekends at tournaments around the Pacific Northwest. She belongs to the Chick Flick, a group that encourages and promotes the sport among women, who make up only about 7 percent of local players.

"It's neat to be a part of a women's sport that is growing," Emma Rose Hanley said.

Garry Hanley still plays as an advanced grand master (age 50 and older), but now also serves as his daughter's coach. After each practice, Emma Rose records what they worked on in a journal to help improve her game.

"I live for disc golf," she said. "It's like meditation and when you're done, you're legitimately tired."

The father-daughter duo enjoy teaching together to spread the disc golf gospel. Their next family disc golf classes will begin Aug. 8, and the next adult class will begin Aug. 15. To register, call Hillsboro Parks and Recreation, 503-681-5382, or check the summer activity guide available at parks facilities or online.

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/index.ssf/2012/07/disc_golf_is_a_fun_relaxing_sp.html

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