A disc golfer tees off on the seventh hole in the first round of the Rose City Open July 10. The annual event drew scores of disc golfers to Pier Park in North Portland. (Photo by Matthew Ginn © 2010)

Portland is a hotbed for many non-mainstream sports, and disc golf is among the more popular of these. There are about two dozen courses within an hour’s drive of downtown, and others are planned.

The idea is a pretty straightforward cross between traditional golf and Frisbee. Instead of whacking a little white ball from bunker to water hazard along manicured lawns, you move a plastic disc from point A to target B in as few throws as possible. And instead of carrying a bag with a dozen or so clubs for use in specific situations, disc golfers carry a bag with a selection of discs for use in specific situations: drivers, mid-range, and putters.

Sand traps aren’t as big a deal in disc golf as they are in the older variation of the game, but “fairways” often run right through some heavily wooded areas.

Such is the case at the Pier Park course, which recently hosted the Rose City Open, where “200ft tall Douglas firs play on almost every hole.”

The Rose City Open drew 145 disc golfers to North Portland, with the top-level competitors playing for a $3000 purse. Click here for detailed results.