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Surefire fun with Frolf in Amherst

p>Oh, the fun you’ll have on the course, and you won’t even have to putt. The Amherst Recreation Department is planning to create a rec park that will include disc golf and a pump track on 22 acres of school-owned property near Route 101, at no cost to taxpayers.

First, the pump track is a small, looping trail system ridden continuously without pedaling. Speed depends on a rider’s ability to gain momentum by pumping on the track. Strong wrists will help, kids. But it’s disc golf, known as "Frolf," that fascinates us and will be a bit of nostalgia to any loyal "Seinfeld" fan. Frolf is like golf; you have to get around the course in the fewest number of throws of the disc. Recreation Director Craig Fraley hopes to have a full 18-hole course, and believes the hills on the property, off Baboosic Lake Road, will make the course interesting.

Frolf is the kind of thing an entire family can enjoy (whereas Dad and Mom might shy away from a pump track). Anybody can hurl a Frisbee; thus, anyone can Frolf. But there’s more: The property will offer access to the B&M rail trail and to the Hazen Property’s 227 acres of woods and fields, owned by the town. So if you tire of Frolf, you can take the kids for a hike. This all sounds good, and using recreation funds instead of direct taxpayer money makes it sound even better.

The "Seinfeld" reference? Surely you remember: George was responsible for ensuring that invitations to a party being thrown by Jerry and his girlfriend made it into the mail on time, but on his way home to get them ready, he ran into people playing Frolf in Central Park and they needed a fourth. Who could say no? Not George. Needless to say, he had to rush to get the invitations out, dropped one on the stairs, slipped on it and … Watch the repeat.

And watch for the 2017 opening of Amherst’s frolf course. Just make sure that on any day you play, you aren’t responsible for mailing anything.