Why Disc Golf Is the Best Thing You Can Do Outside

I got into disc golf in 2020. My friend Vid — a merch guy on tour — handed me a Leopard and told me to throw it. Didn't stick the first time. Second time it did, and I haven't stopped since.

I've tried to explain to people why disc golf specifically and not just any outdoor activity. The honest answer is that it gives you a reason to be outside. Most people don't just go walk in the woods for fun. But put a basket out there and suddenly you're walking three miles without realizing it, focused on something, present in a way that's hard to manufacture otherwise.

The Japanese Had a Name for This

There's a practice called Shinrin-yoku — forest bathing — that Japanese doctors have prescribed for mental health for decades. The idea is simple: being in nature, among trees, away from screens, has measurable effects on stress, anxiety, and mood. You don't have to believe in any particular philosophy for it to work. Your cortisol drops. Your heart rate slows. Your head clears.

Disc golf is Shinrin-yoku with something to do. You're walking, you're breathing outside air, you're problem-solving each hole, and you're doing it with people you like. That combination is hard to beat.

The Physical Side

A typical disc golf course is anywhere from one to three miles of walking, often on uneven terrain with hills. You're throwing, bending, walking, climbing. It's not a gym workout but it's consistent low-impact movement that adds up fast over a season. In Laredo especially — where the heat makes most outdoor activity miserable — disc golf in the early morning or after sunset is genuinely manageable and genuinely good for you.

The Social Side

This is the part people underestimate. Disc golf is slow enough that you actually talk to the people you're playing with. You're not in headphones on a treadmill. You're outside, walking between holes, waiting on the tee pad, watching each other throw. Friendships form fast in that environment.

El Chainazo started in 2025 for exactly this reason — to give Laredo players more options beyond just showing up to the course alone. A community event, a reason to show up, people to meet. That's what makes a sport stick in a city.

Getting Started

You don't need much. Three discs, a comfortable pair of shoes, and a willingness to throw sideways a few times before it clicks. The Laredo course is free. The learning curve is real but short. And once it clicks, you'll be the one handing a disc to someone else and watching them get hooked.