A PUBLIC park means different things to different people.
For most, Taman Ara Damansara park in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, is a place to walk, jog or pass through.
But for a small group of players, its trees, water, slopes and open spaces are ideal for an 18-hole course of disc golf – a flying disc sport.
The targets are metal baskets placed across a layout where players throw discs from one hole to the next, aiming to complete each hole in as few throws as possible.
At the Taman Ara Damansara park, along Jalan PJU 1A/1, regular players are trying to introduce the sport through beginner sessions, borrowed discs and a community-built course.
Malaysian Flying Disc Association acting president Loh Y Lun, who is also a Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor, said one of the sport’s strengths was that newcomers need not buy equipment before trying it.
At Ara Damansara, he said regular players often donated or lent discs to those curious to try the sport.
“The culture in disc golf is to help get new people started.”
Loh said discs could cost between RM50 and RM200, depending on brand, plastic and feel.
While beginners may only use one or two discs, more experienced players often carry several types for different shots.
Thrill of the throw
Discs categorised for long-range (drivers), mid-range and short-range (putters) are used for different distances and flight paths, with players choosing each disc according to the throw required.
The association had organised two formal beginner workshops last year, while Loh said he personally would try to bring one or two newcomers to the course almost every week.
He has introduced people from other sports, including volleyball, golf and pickleball, to disc golf.
Another MBPJ councillor Yip Sean Yi, a former professional golfer, was among those spotted by StarMetro playing at Ara Damansara park.
The aim, she said, was to build a larger beginner pool before organising more competitive platforms.
“We wanted to host a beginners tournament, but realised we do not have enough players yet.
“So we are trying to build the beginner pool first,” she said.
A full round at the park can take between 1.5 and 2.5 hours, with players walking about 8,000 to 9,000 steps.
The first hole is an 86m par three (designed to be completed in three throws or fewer), with a pathway on the left and houses on the right marked as out of bounds.
Beginners are also guided through easier options and drop zones at more difficult holes such as those involving water.
As in golf, players count their own throws, with penalty strokes added when a disc goes out of bounds.
Social sport
Data analyst Kok Zi Ching heard about disc golf from Loh while playing pickleball, and joined a beginners session.
The throwing was harder than expected, he said.
“You see how they throw and get it to fly straight and you think maybe you can do it too, but then you can’t.”
Kok said disc golf also gave him a reason to walk through the park, be outdoors and interact with others while having something to do.
“With badminton and pickleball, you get fewer chances to be social because you are standing on opposing sides.
“Here, you are walking together,” he said.
Hariz Fikri Noor Azmi, a student who is pursuing a diploma in logistics, came to know
about disc golf through playing Ultimate, which is a team-based flying disc sport where players score by running, catching and defending the disc while trying to reach the opposing end zone.
He said disc golf was slower than the Ultimate format.
“In disc golf, it does not matter what age you are because the pace is more relaxed,” he noted.
Ideal layout
For course designer Adeno Ong, Taman Ara Damansara’s disc golf layout began with a chance glance.
Ong, who works as a trainer in a medical device company, said he was driving past the park when he noticed its potential.
He later returned on foot to study the space and began imagining how a course could fit within it.
He said before baskets were installed, players used ribbons tied to trees as targets for about one-and-a-half years.
According to Ong, the basic set-up costs about RM400 per hole, including the cement ring and installation work, although a more complete course with proper tee pads and clearer markers would cost more.
Proper tee pads would also make the course safer and easier to navigate because it would show players where to throw from and where to go next, he explained.
He said beginners were usually guided through a shorter and more scenic nine-hole layout, rather than being thrown immediately into the most difficult parts of the course.
“We don’t make it too tough so as not to scare them away,” he said.
He added that Ara Damansara was good for regular players and beginners, but larger events would need bigger fairways and more playing options.
International field
The course has also attracted visiting players from outside Malaysia.
Tourist Matthew Evans, from the United States, found the Ara Damansara group through social media three days after arriving in Malaysia and joined them for a round.
Having played in Vietnam and Japan, he said Ara Damansara park was the nicest course he had played in so far.
“It is one of the best ways to meet new people,” said Evans.
For Taneli Leppanen, a teacher from Finland, disc golf was one of the first things he checked before moving to Malaysia.
“I wanted to know if there was a disc golf course here. If there wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”
Leppanen, who has been in Malaysia for about seven months, was one of the facilitators at the first introductory sessions held last year.
He said even though disc golf was more established in Finland, the local community here was welcoming.
Public course listings show that disc golf has a small footprint in Malaysia, with courses listed mainly in the Klang Valley and Johor.
In the Klang Valley, the other main course is at Lake Valley
in Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, Cheras in Kuala Lumpur, while some other layouts are target-based or informal.
Support needed
Loh estimated that Malaysia had fewer than 100 active disc golf players, compared with more than 1,000 Ultimate players.
“Disc golf needs more of a push.”
He said the community was still relying on its own resources to repair and maintain baskets.
Loh said the group had spoken to MBPJ Landscape Department about eventually taking over the maintenance.
“We cannot keep crowdfunding for repairs every time.
“Collaboration with local councils would be important if disc golf courses were to be properly maintained and expanded beyond community efforts,” he emphasised.
Loh said his role as a councillor allowed him to better understand the process of working with the local authority, especially on park suitability, safety and maintenance.
“We worked with local authorities to set up the courses in public parks,” he said.
“The courses are free and open to the public to use,” he added.
Ong said improvements such as proper tee pads, clearer markers, lighting and washrooms would make courses safer and easier to navigate.
He said tee pads would show players where to throw from and provide a clearer guide.
He added that the association was exploring other potential sites, including Putrajaya, while continuing to look at other parks in Petaling Jaya that might be suitable.
Loh said Malaysian players had also shown potential at the 2025 Thailand SEA Games, where both Ultimate and disc golf were demonstration sports.
Malaysia won silver and bronze in the men’s disc golf event, while the country also bagged bronze in Ultimate.
