Susie Griffin, Griffin Wellness Solutions, LLC

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old;

we grow old because we stop playing.” ~ George Bernard Shaw 

How many times in our youth have we heard, “go outside and play,” most often uttered in exasperation by an overwhelmed parent or supervising adult? Unfortunately, along the journey to adulthood, most adults have lost their way to play. In adulthood, attention is usually directed toward establishing careers, creating families, and settling down. Playtime is observed second hand, either on the sidelines, in the bleachers or through the windows watching as kids develop what the National Institute for Play classifies as “lifetime skills — physical agility, social confidence, emotional regulation, creativity and resilience.” 

However, the Institute states that when adults engage in play mode – a fun, relaxed, in-the-zone feeling wherein time stops — resilience increases, activating neural pathways in the brain that mitigate the effects of stress. Biologically, neurons in the midbrain light up whenever play is initiated. As the play scholar, Brian Sutton-Smith summarizes, “The opposite of Play is not work, it’s depression.” Additionally, several studies, including one in the World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, have shown that daily time spent outdoors has a positive effect on several brain mechanisms. 

Intuitively I have always known and felt the mental, emotional, and physical benefits of moving and playing outside. So called “green prescriptions” are one I often include in my personal and corporate clients' “courage to change” programs. Another essential ingredient (challenge-the-comfortable-to-get-to-change) I include in my clients’ programs is encapsulated in thought leader John C. Maxwell’s quote, “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” So, to fulfill my own “green prescription,” role model John C. Maxell’s quote, and explore my new community’s playground, I ventured outside to try my hand at disc golf. 

The first stop was Big 5 Sporting Goods store to pick up some discs. Being new to the sport and only familiar with the frisbees I tossed around when I was younger, I had no idea there were so many options from which to choose. According to Big 5’s guide and the Disc Golf Association, there are four numbers to rate the three main discs (drivers, mid-range, and putters). The first number rates the speed, the second rates the glide, the third the turn and the last the fade. The Disc Golf Association and the Professional Disc Golf Association has comprehensive information on these ratings as well as other tips on playing the game and driving or putting the discs. I decided to forego all this logical information and go with visual aesthetics alone. My chosen disc: Orange Wraith.

I recruited my husband, and we headed off to the City of Show Low’s Aquatic Center to pick up a copy of the course map to help guide us along. However, a phone shot of the course map we found posted on a board close to hole number one served us better instead. Between the course map, arrows on the trees, hole markers (with distance marked), and numbers stamped in the tee’s concrete, we made our way throughout the eighteen-hole course. We soon discovered that half the fun in playing the game was wandering through the park, looking for the markers, and searching for the next tee. While we were out playing the course, we passed by another group at a different tee. Their faces mirrored our own. Smiles, laughter, cheers, and groans at missed shots, discs hitting obstacles, successful putts, and strategic drives.

It took us about an hour and a half to finish the eighteen-hole course. Despite the cold and patches of snow, we were moving outside in the sunshine, challenging ourselves with something new and having fun doing it. We both agreed that we would do it again — maybe next time challenging ourselves to the Show Low Bluff course. 

To learn more about disc golf, or how to incorporate and benefit from more outside play in your life, refer to the resources below. I hope your New Year includes doing something for the first time and going outside to play! 

Disc Golf Association: www.discgolf.com 

Professional Disc Golf Association: www.pdga.com 

Ted Talk: Play 

www.ted.com/talks/stuart_brown_play_is_more_than_just_fun 

National Institute of Play: https://www.nifplay.org/

Outdoor Resources: www.outdoorssw.com

City of Show Low: 

www.showlowaz.gov/865/Outdoor-Recreation-Opportunities 

Other Disc Golf Courses:

Show Low Park Disk Golf Course: Show Low City Park, 751 S. Clark Rd., Show Low, AZ

Show Low Bluff Disc Golf Course: 861 S. Ridgeline Dr., Show Low, AZ

Wood Land Disc Golf Course: Located at Mountain Meadow Recreation Complex, 1300 W. Zuni Ln, Lakeside

Wilderness Ranch Disc Golf Course: Located in Wilderness Ranch, 9173 Porter Mountain Rd., Lakeside, AZ