Local woman is world disc golf champ

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Sue Lande of LaPorte took her passion for disc golf to a new level recently, when she won the Advanced Women's Grandmaster trophy at the disc golf world championship tournament in Kansas City, Mo.

The tournament, Lande said, drew 1,100 players from 13 different countries. Lande competed in the 50-to-60 age group.

She's modest about her world championship, but enthusiastic about promoting interest in the sport.

"I'm an ambassador for the sport," she explained, adding that disc golf is the fastest-growing sport on the international scene. "It's accessible and inexpensive," she pointed out.

Lande's specialty in the game is her technical shot at short or mid-range distances. That skill won her the world championship, she said. "My opponents could drive farther, but I love short shots in the trees."

Lande was first introduced to disc golf in 1977. For several years she went to tournaments as the official massage therapist, working out the kinks for competitors, but eventually she was drawn into competition herself.

Lande would like to see more women and juniors playing competitively. At present, she said, only 7 percent of members in the Professional Disc Golf Association are women.

In 2001, Lande and other members of the Grateful Disc Frisbee Club developed a disc golf course in LaPorte, just west of Cache La Poudre Middle School. Known for its short, technical holes, the LaPorte course is now heavily used. Lande estimates that on summer weekends, it's not unusual for 100-plus players to use the course in one day. Many professional disc golfers use the course for training, she noted.

Now, Lande said, it's time for another course in the community. She would like to see one at Lions Park in LaPorte but would be happy to have one anywhere in the area.

"We need more courses to handle the demand," she said.

In the Fort Collins area, there are public disc golf courses at Boltz Middle School, Fort Collins High School, Edora Park and CLP.