Jendaya Fleming
palmettoreport@gmail.com

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — A number of women in Rock Hill have turned to disc golf as a new way to get active during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ladies Disc Golf League provides tournaments, which serve as an outlet for people who cannot do their other activities.

The league used to average about seven players a week last year, but this year they’ve had three times as many women come out to play.

“We have new players every week because disc golf is really a great activity for social distancing,” said Sarah Nicholson, the creator of Ladies Disc Golf League and Throw Pink.

This year’s league started on Sept. 20 and ended on Oct. 28.

The women get to join the league for free and they have tournaments every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Fewell Park in Rock Hill.

Participants can earn prizes if they are in the top two or three and can also earn extra prizes for other achievements, such as closest to the pin.

The league and Throw Pink — the organization that hosts the disc golf events — was created for women of all ages and even provides loan discs if needed.

“I started Throw Pink in 2013 and I have been playing disc golf since 2008. I lost my mom in 2003,” Nicholson said. “Throw Pink was combining two things that I was really passionate about; women’s health initiatives and making difference to fight cancer and other heart diseases and different things like that.”

Nicholson said when she first started playing, she noticed that not a lot of women took interest in the sport.

“I was the only woman that I ever saw out on the course area and the only person playing and it’s such a great sport for women that I wanted more women to come to play and see how cool it was,” Nicholson said.

Throw Pink holds tournaments for disc golf throughout the year and hosts events for new players and teaches beginners how to play the sport. The organization also donates to a local charity, which hosts their events.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the league now plays in smaller groups with three people in a group or four if they come from the same household.

“In a year (and) a half I played this course in Fewell Park and I’ve gotten a hole in one twice. That was exciting. I’ve played some courses that were professional and did pretty well,” said Deborah Davis, a member of the Ladies Disc Golf League. “I’m thinking about doing the amateur tournament in Japan next year.”

“I did not know how to throw a disc or anything. Yeah so, this group has really taught me a lot. Like my husband plays and that’s who I started with,” said league member Mariah Ingram. “Then I came here and they just taught me more, so it’s been an awesome learning experience with this group.”

More information on the league can be found on Facebook in their private group called Rock Hill Women’s Disc Golf.

People can find out their scores, which prizes they are able to win and when the league’s next game is on the Facebook page.