A break from the regular links

LIHUE — Phil Worwa, the disc golf advocate on Kauai, was overwhelmed Thursday when he celebrated the first disc golf graduation for nearly two dozen youngsters at the Pua Kea Golf Course.

Worwa offered disc golf as a diversion from the traditional summer golf academy, which wraps up its final day today.

“The youngsters were really receptive,” Worwa said. “The first day we offered it, it was wild. We had to establish rules to keep kids from hitting each other. They didn’t know that you don’t catch the discs.”

Disc golf was offered for an hour every Thursday as an alternative to traditional golf.

“We didn’t want to do it too long,” Worwa said. “Parents had their youngsters in the program to learn golf and we didn’t want to detract from that.”

Worwa said the graduation comes on the heels of the first disc golf tournament on Kauai, hosted by the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Mana, Morale, Wellness and Recreation Committee.

One of the MWR Committee’s functions is to seek out new ways to keep the Navy people recreated.

“This is perfect. Kauai is the only island in the state where we don’t have a disc golf course,” Worwa said.

He added there were 24 participants during the first disc golf tournament, ranging from local residents to people from 10 different states.

The winner of the tournament, Sam Aldrich, won on a score of 57, three-over the par 54 based on three strokes per hole for 18 holes.

Disc golf is played under the same format as traditional golf except the golfer uses discs similar to Frisbees, but designed for disc golf.

“We have a lot of people who travel and pack their discs which include a driver, midrange and putter,” Worwa said. “It’s a lot easier to pack discs than to travel with a full set of golf clubs.”

Worwa said people interested in playing or learning more about how the game is played are invited to stop by on Sundays when he sets up a course at Weliweli Park in Koloa.