Strangers observing fieldwork

[WD09]

One time I was practicing in a park with scattered trees and throwing lines around the trees. This guy came out of a nearby building for a smoke break and was standing about 50 feet from me. As he was watching, I threw two clean shots that got their full distance, then the third shot I threw went about 200 feet before smacking into the center of one of the trees. The guy yelled, "Wow! Was that the tree you were aiming at!?"

 

[seedlings]

I often wonder how insane I look throwing my bag of discs across the local park all the time, but today one of these strangers did something amazing.

He sat down and watched me halfway across the field, and loudly whistled like a sound effect for like 30 drives in a row. Then he got up and left.

I now want a whistling disc, and am curious if anyone else has had a weird encounter with a stranger while hucking plastic.

Depending on what part of town you're in, that could have been the lookout while your car was jacked, lol. Last time I was throwing at the park, some dogs on leash were getting pretty close, so I asked the ladies if I could go ahead and throw, or if their dogs would go nuts trying to give chase to a disc. They looked at me like i was nuts. I had to painfully overexplain what I was doing, and what I was trying to ask them...

 

[RowingBoats]

Depending on what part of town you're in, that could have been the lookout while your car was jacked, lol. Last time I was throwing at the park, some dogs on leash were getting pretty close, so I asked the ladies if I could go ahead and throw, or if their dogs would go nuts trying to give chase to a disc. They looked at me like i was nuts. I had to painfully overexplain what I was doing, and what I was trying to ask them...

Haha I have a park that is about 2 blocks away, good luck looting my bike.

 

[Silboh]

I like when kids ask to their parents what I am doing and they don't want to tell them they don't know so they say something crazy.

 

[DiscJunkie]

Been doing Field Work fairly rigorously for about 5 years now.
My locations and set-ups have changed as I've gained distance and now struggle for accuracy.

I get the most stares when I set up 5' sticks with flags for targets or lines.
Some people have come up to ask, but most just look while they are walking.

I have a few stories, but my favorite is when one of the walkers let her dog pick up a disc and walk away with it. I didn't really know it was MY disc, thought it was picking up her own dog disc, until I found I was short one of the color the dog had.

So many stories, mostly pleasant...

 

[Spectacledbear]

I cant stand being spectated. I either do it at night or in a remote place.

 

[discerdoo]

I cant stand being spectated. I either do it at night or in a remote place.

Performance anxiety?

 

[Spectacledbear]

Anxiety in general.

 

[autocrosscrx]

I had a 160 foot throw in for birdie on a hole that I had never even taken a par before and was averaging a double bogey or worse. I throw this thing patent pending out of the woods, stumble and catch myself, then run out of the woods to see where my shot lands. Just as I make it out of the woods, disc hits chains and goes in the basket, so I keep running to the basket with a fist pump or two.

There are 4 or 5 walkers all facing me during this whole process and not a single one even turned their head or changed their facial expression.

Since that point, I haven't really felt any anxiety throwing in front of park goers, be it course or practice.

 

[TempleOfDoom]

I had a coyote steal one of my discs while doing field work, but that's a story for another thread...

 

[sidewinder22]

I had a coyote steal one of my discs while doing field work, but that's a story for another thread...

Had 2 kids on bikes attempt to steal a couple, they ended up dropping them as I chased them.

Had some 80 year man actually steal a couple nice EO Champ Gazelles, got away in his Honda.

 

[RowingBoats]

Had 2 kids on bikes attempt to steal a couple, they ended up dropping them as I chased them.

Had some 80 year man actually steal a couple nice EO Champ Gazelles, got away in his Honda.

Lol how exactly did the 80 year old man's heist play out...?

 

[TurkeyVulture]

I've had a couple instances.

One of them, I was laid off due to covid, and knowing my old high school kept the football field cleared of snow I jumped in and went to blow off steam. Started throwing, and forgetting the school has cameras outside, a local By Law officer pulls up. Rolls down his window and goes "son, what in gods green earth are you doing?"

I simply replied "well, its kind of like playing fetch with myself, but with 25 discs instead of 1". He laughed, got out and we talked for a good hour about it. He left knowing more about disc golf, I left thinking "how did he not smell the liquor on my breath" (the liquor part is a joke, I promise)

The second one, me and a friend were throwing, see an old Oriental couple coming up the path so we stopped to let them by but they insisted we throw for them. I hit 400' for the first time, buddy throws his about the same, they look at us and go "who sponsor you?"

We laughed, said that we play for fun but they insisted we should go get sponsored. LOL. That was a feel good moment

 

[Ryan P.]

I had a coyote steal one of my discs while doing field work, but that's a story for another thread...

Please start that thread.

 

[armiller]

In one of my few rounds in England (Bedsworth Miner's Welfare park, thanks Rhatton!) a young/middle age father and his infant daughter in a stroller stopped to watch me unload my small travel bag on a gentle downhill hole with the tee right next to the park's walking path. The course is relatively new, and it was clear that disc golf was still new to this pair of park-goers. They gave me a little applause as I headed toward the basket. I like to think it was a profitable moment and one way I like to "grow the sport."

 

[SaROCaM]

I have noticed that when kids are around they will run out into the field to retrieve my thrown discs and return them to me in neat stacks, often competing to see who can retrieve more. They just do this on their own. Contrast this with the common accounts from parents about how they can't get their kids to pick up after themselves at home.

One of the first times someone interacted with me during field practice, they picked up one of my discs (it was a Star Roc) and held it carefully in their hands. Quietly, and in a reverent tone, they said: "Wow, so this is a professional grade frisbee. I've never seen one before."

 

[TempleOfDoom]

Please start that thread.

As in, I already told that story in another thread.

 

[zenbot]

Haha nice! After pondering on my experience more, I have decided that we all could do with a professional sound effect maker on every card. I just cant imagine this disc matching the fidelity that this old man bestowed on my throws.

I carry around a Snoopy jaw harp in my bag for the occasional missed putt or tree hit. The trick is to only use it every couple of months or people will try to murder you.

 

[Jukeshoe]

I carry around a Snoopy jaw harp in my bag for the occasional missed putt or tree hit. The trick is to only use it every couple of months or people will try to murder you.

 

[crd 81]

I often wonder how insane I look throwing my bag of discs across the local park all the time, but today one of these strangers did something amazing.

He sat down and watched me halfway across the field, and loudly whistled like a sound effect for like 30 drives in a row. Then he got up and left.

I now want a whistling disc, and am curious if anyone else has had a weird encounter with a stranger while hucking plastic.

You take off your shirt and stare at them in the eyes and say, "Whose whistling now?"