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In April 2012 a couple of friends from work invited me to join them on small hikes to get out and experience nature. I had been struggling with weight problems so I thought I would try and do something productive. We stumbled on a disc golf course in a local park and my friend had some ultimate discs in his trunk so we decided to give it a try. We had no idea that there was a difference between the two. At the time there were guys who actually played the game and when I look back on the situation it’s kind of embarrassing and we must have looked ridiculous. Well, being a competitive person I did some research and went to our local shop to pick up some “real” discs. After throwing the used 175g Viking and seeing how terrible I threw it I got me absolutely obsessed with learning the game.
I started going to doubles on Wednesday nights and got to meet some guys who were very cool and great about sharing tips and teaching me different aspects of the game. I got in to my first tourney about 2 months after I started and it was HORRIBLE! It was about 104 degrees and there were guys dropping left and right. That particular course is a temporary course they put in once a year on the westside of the dam of the Brent Hambrick Memorial Course in Columbus, Oh. I arrived late and took 7s on the first few holes and DNF’d halfway through the second round because between the heat and being extremely out of shape I literally couldn’t stand. That moment was an awakening to how much I had let myself go and even more how much I hated feeling so uncompetitive. I started to play every day. Over the course of the summer I went from a whopping 344lbs to 285lbs and I felt great.
In October that year I was out playing on slightly rainy day by myself just doing a practice round. I was emptying my bag on every hole and working on different shots. On hole 12 as I ran up my front foot slipped upward and my back push-off foot stuck. I flung up in the air and fell so hard on my foot that it just snapped in to two. At first I was in such shock and the adrenaline was running so high that I thought I was ok and tried to walk. I proceeded to fall down and just feel the biggest rush of pain I have ever felt in my life. Luckily there were a couple of locals that knew me and saw me writhing in pain about 4 holes ahead. They drove their car through the course and took me to my car. At that point the swelling and shock had kicked in and being a prideful and stubborn “genius” I insisted on driving myself to the urgent care. I drove my 5 speed Scion XB to the urgent care feeling every ounce of pressure and pain with each gear shift. It was the longest drive of my life.
The long story short is that this resulted in complete reconstructive surgery in my ankle.
This was completely demoralizing. I had worked so hard to lose the weight and was unable to play the only thing that had brought me any joy or contentment since playing sports in high school. I was down for about five months, first a cast then a boot. At one point I was using a walker because it was the only way I could navigate at work without falling on the slick floors. I gained every pound back plus 10 and felt terrible.
In early March I got cleared to walk without the boot and the first thing I did was go buy some hybrid hiking Keens, an ankle brace and some new plastic. I went out to the course that day and forced myself to get on the horse. Went right back to the hole and finished my round.
I have played almost every day since that moment and playing disc golf has changed my life. I have found a new respect for nature and being outdoors. I lost all the weight again. I started out the year with a 798 rating finishing at the bottom almost every weekend. I’ve clawed my way to an 842 and won my first tournament a couple of weeks ago. Disc golf has reinvigorated me and brought a determination that I haven’t felt in years. It has brought me a new appreciation for experiencing the moment and just living. It is a sport open to anyone and accessible to everybody. Simply put I am a better person because of it. I would love a new basket and it would be great to be able to get some putting practice in whenever I want. But basket or not I have won more than I could have ever wanted.
Excelsior,
Dimitrios V. Makridis
I started going to doubles on Wednesday nights and got to meet some guys who were very cool and great about sharing tips and teaching me different aspects of the game. I got in to my first tourney about 2 months after I started and it was HORRIBLE! It was about 104 degrees and there were guys dropping left and right. That particular course is a temporary course they put in once a year on the westside of the dam of the Brent Hambrick Memorial Course in Columbus, Oh. I arrived late and took 7s on the first few holes and DNF’d halfway through the second round because between the heat and being extremely out of shape I literally couldn’t stand. That moment was an awakening to how much I had let myself go and even more how much I hated feeling so uncompetitive. I started to play every day. Over the course of the summer I went from a whopping 344lbs to 285lbs and I felt great.
In October that year I was out playing on slightly rainy day by myself just doing a practice round. I was emptying my bag on every hole and working on different shots. On hole 12 as I ran up my front foot slipped upward and my back push-off foot stuck. I flung up in the air and fell so hard on my foot that it just snapped in to two. At first I was in such shock and the adrenaline was running so high that I thought I was ok and tried to walk. I proceeded to fall down and just feel the biggest rush of pain I have ever felt in my life. Luckily there were a couple of locals that knew me and saw me writhing in pain about 4 holes ahead. They drove their car through the course and took me to my car. At that point the swelling and shock had kicked in and being a prideful and stubborn “genius” I insisted on driving myself to the urgent care. I drove my 5 speed Scion XB to the urgent care feeling every ounce of pressure and pain with each gear shift. It was the longest drive of my life.
The long story short is that this resulted in complete reconstructive surgery in my ankle.
This was completely demoralizing. I had worked so hard to lose the weight and was unable to play the only thing that had brought me any joy or contentment since playing sports in high school. I was down for about five months, first a cast then a boot. At one point I was using a walker because it was the only way I could navigate at work without falling on the slick floors. I gained every pound back plus 10 and felt terrible.
In early March I got cleared to walk without the boot and the first thing I did was go buy some hybrid hiking Keens, an ankle brace and some new plastic. I went out to the course that day and forced myself to get on the horse. Went right back to the hole and finished my round.
I have played almost every day since that moment and playing disc golf has changed my life. I have found a new respect for nature and being outdoors. I lost all the weight again. I started out the year with a 798 rating finishing at the bottom almost every weekend. I’ve clawed my way to an 842 and won my first tournament a couple of weeks ago. Disc golf has reinvigorated me and brought a determination that I haven’t felt in years. It has brought me a new appreciation for experiencing the moment and just living. It is a sport open to anyone and accessible to everybody. Simply put I am a better person because of it. I would love a new basket and it would be great to be able to get some putting practice in whenever I want. But basket or not I have won more than I could have ever wanted.
Excelsior,
Dimitrios V. Makridis
