One Day, Five New Courses – Part Two

I accidentally turned down the correct street and pulled up to N.A.D. disc golf course. The GPS on my iPhone was the tool getting me around town and I was unsure as to whether or not I had the right street, so in a last minute effort I made an erratic right turn. I figured I was wrong and pulled in to a small dirt parking lot to turn around. Then I saw it. How I didn't notice it right away, I don't know.

N.A.D., which stands for Naval Ammunitions Depot, has a plane parked on the grass near the disc golf information kiosk. I recognized it from pictures I've seen online, so I knew I was in the right place. Instead of turning around in the parking lot I just parked.

The kiosk had a great deal of information, maybe the most I've ever seen on one. I stood there for a minute to read, then I looked around and absorbed my surroundings. The park is beautiful with huge mossy trees. Folks were scarce and cars were driving by intermittenly, so it was easy to hear the sounds of nature.

I found hole one easily with the help of a little yellow sign made of wood. Rob hadn't arrived yet, so I sat and studied the fairway. I had decided three times which disc I was going to throw by the time Rob walked up. I went with a Buzzz for the slow right fade.

N.A.D. allows you the opportunity to play from AM tees and PRO tees. Rob and I played from the AM (or red) tees and I had a great time. I was throwing extremely better than I was at Dalaiwood. The grounds here are beautiful. After each throw I would take a little time to look around and enjoy the scenery. After our round we decided to play from the PRO tees, but noticed a bunch of people piling up on hole one, so we left for Bud Pell at Ross Farms.

I felt so lucky to have met Rob at Dalaiwood. I thought for sure this was going to be a solo trip, but instead I had met someone willing to guide me through all the courses I wanted to play. I followed him to Bud Pell and as I pulled on to the property I couldn't help but laugh.

This place looked like a haven for activities. On one side there was a miniature golf course and just beyond that was a driving range packed full with golfers. The disc golf course occupied the other side of the property, but dropped somewhere in the middle of the property sat a wooded area designated for paint ball.

I immediately fell in love with this place. The course didn't disappoint either. We had the opportunity to play from AM and PRO tees again and we opted for AM since it was my first time. I can't wait to go back though. I believe it was hole three that had 1000 feet separating the PRO tee from the basket.

My game was OK here. Fatigue was setting in. After the round Rob had to start the drive home, which was somewhere near Tacoma. I began thinking about beer and Pagliacci pizza, but decided to hit up one more course. I drove to Kitsap Fairgrounds, stood on hole one and contemplated whether or not I should attempt this last course for the day.

The first hole was a long right turn and proved to be too enticing to skip, so I dug deep, found some energy and threw hard. When I saw my yellow Champion Mamba flip up and start gliding right perfectly down the fairway I knew I had it in me to accomplish my goal of five new courses in one day.

The day light was beginning to diminish and skeeters were coming out to feed. When I caught up to a group of three kids smoking pot and chucking their way through the forest I decided to call it quits. They didn't let me pass them on hole six, so after I watched each of them throw two to three discs each I patiently waited for them to putt out and then stood on the tee. I decided I wasn't willing to follow these guys for 12 more holes, so I called it quits. I took my par and made my way through the trees back to my truck.

It was time for a beer.

I made it back to the ferry just in time for the boat to close up and drift away. I drove the last automobile on. I believe it was around 7:00 p.m. The ride home was peaceful. I sat in a booth and stared out on to the Puget Sound reliving the beautiful day in my mind.

I love that this part of the world is my new home.