Jason Koski/University Photography

Chris Frutchey of the Cornell Grounds Department retrieves his discs at the Robison Disc Golf Course.

It can be easy to overlook Ithaca's beautiful scenery amid the bustle of everyday life at Cornell. However, one doesn't need to leave campus to escape the crowds of Ho Plaza. Nestled in Palmer Woods, a forested nook just north of A Lot on North Campus, is the Robison Disc Golf Course.

Disc golf is played similarly to golf: The objective is to get a disc - i.e., Frisbees - from the tee to the basket in as few throws as possible. The small metal basket waiting at the end of each hole - adorned with chains that reward a good shot with a resounding ching - functions as the hole in golf. At the Robison Disc Golf Course, each hole is par three, except for one par-four hole. A hole in one is called an "ace."

Disc golf began in the 1960s on makeshift courses with targets that included trees and trash cans. The first organized tournaments began in Rochester, N.Y., in the early 1970s. Since then the sport has spread to more than 12,000 registered players, and courses can be found in all 50 states and 36 six countries.

Disc golf veteran designer Pat Govang brought the sport to Cornell in 2006. Govang sought to create a course for Cornell students and staff as well as local and visiting players. The nine-basket course is accessible for beginners and enjoyable for experts.

The local disc golf club DiscIthaca, founded by Govang, donated the materials and labor to create a temporary course. In 2009 a gift from the Robison Fund named the Robison Disc Golf Course.

Jason Koski/University Photography

Derek Crawford, a member of DiscIthaca, tees off at the Robison Disc Golf Course.

The course's landscape offers wooded fairways, swampy hazards and gentle hills. Andrea Dutcher, MILR '87, director of the Helen Newman Recreational Facility, noted that she once came across a wild blackberry bush on the course and took a break from her round for a quick snack.

Dutcher, who works with Cornell Plantations to oversee the course, said she loves the inclusive atmosphere the disc golf course fosters. "It's nice to see so many people -- three or four college students, staff members, locals -- all enjoying an afternoon outside playing disc golf," said Dutcher.

Cornell Recreational Services hosts an intramural disc golf tournament each semester. On Sept. 29, students can play with a friend in a doubles tournament. Register online on the Cornell Intramural Sports website: http://intramurals.athletics.cornell.edu/im/calendar.

The course is free and open to the public. Students can check out discs at no charge with a student ID from the Tobin Field House on Jessup Road or from Cornell Recreational Services in Helen Newman Hall.

Sam Wolken '14 is a writer intern for the Cornell Chronicle.