Throw it around the Bend
Bend, OR is an outdoors mecca. It’s right up there with…well, it might even be at the top. Of course, locals will talk about how crowded and expensive it is, but that doesn’t take away from the breadth of recreation activities. There’s skiing, flyfishing, mountain biking, whitewater kayaking, and hiking. Disc golf is also a big thing.
There are 11 courses on UDisc that list a Bend address. There is even one on Mt. Bachelor, with stunning views of the surrounding Cascade mountains. On one of my visits to Bend, I played at Pine Nursery. The name isn’t inaccurate, but I think it could be more specific. Rather than playing through tall Douglas Fir or small lodgepoles as one might think, the course is in an open desert with scattered Junipers.
I love the sight and the smell of Juniper trees. The berry is a common ingredient in home brewing and gives gin its piney flavor. I brew root beer and add it in from time to time. In any event, disc golfing through juniper trees is an olfactory experience. Along with the juniper, sage brush is rampant.
Throwing with the pros
At Pine (Juniper) Nursery I disc golfed with my sister Valerie and her two friends. One was a bona fide former professional. She taught us a thing or two about slinging discs and won the round easy. It was interesting to hear about her time on the circuit. I hope one day disc golf will have a grand slam as popular as plain old golf.
Honestly, the course is one of my favorites. Imagine dry shrubland with views of snowcapped Cascade volcanos. Bend is a hotspot of mountain activity. There is Mt. Bacholor, the Three Sisters, and Three Fingered Jack. The course difficulty wasn’t all that bad either. Juniper trees don’t pose nearly as big a fairway threat as some of the big oaks and dense pine I’m used to.
Most disc golf courses don’t have clubhouses and bars to hang out at the end of a round. That’s why coolers and beer cozies are so popular on the course. I don’t remember if we had anything, but later in the trip we did visit Boneyard Beer Company. In addition to having a cool name, its logo is in the same family as Jolly Routes.
