The days are getting longer and the weather grows increasingly more present as we inch closer to spring. Spring is a time when things blossom and beauty bursts from nature. It’s also the time when we can get outside and rekindle the fun things we love about the outdoors.

Playing sports is one of the things we can enjoy. Sports are great ways to pass the time, but they’re also an excellent way to stay fit and healthy. As we all look forward to crawling out from under winter’s blanket, here are some not-so-ordinary sports we all might consider playing.

Pickleball

One sport that has grown in popularity recently is pickleball. It has attributes of racquetball and tennis. Most of all, it has one key benefit, and that is good exercise. Pickleball mixes rules and play strategy of tennis, badminton and ping pong.

The equipment needed isn’t terribly expensive. The ball is larger, which means making contact is easier for beginners. A pickleball court is smaller than a tennis court so it takes up less space.

However, it’s a fun racquet game that gets us up and moving. It might be a new sport, but we’ll be picking up our pickleball paddles this spring.

Badminton

Our first thought might be to assume that badminton is a casual game reserved for quiet backyard barbecues.

Sure, badminton is a fun game that can be played lightheartedly. However, it’s also an Olympic sport. The key here is the word sport. Badminton sets are simple and inexpensive. Like pickleball, a lot of space isn’t needed to play badminton.

But, the activity level may surprise you. Badminton is a great sport to play at family gatherings or competitively. When we play the game according to the international rules, it becomes a sport that requires agility and endurance.

Disc Golf

Playing the game of golf is another fun sport that has many avid golfers pining for spring weather. However, as great a sport as it is, golf can be a bit pricey. You need clubs, and then there are green fees, which can be pricey depending on where you play.

We’re going to try out an exciting version of the old Scottish-born game of golf. The playing environment is somewhat similar in that’s an outdoor sport. However, disc golfers can get by with a single Frisbee.

That’s correct. Disc golf is played using discs or good old-fashioned Frisbees. While a single disc can get you by as a beginner, there are discs for various shots on the course, including putting.

Intermediate and advanced players have a bag with a full set of different weighted discs. Disc golf courses are popping up all across the country, so finding a place to play shouldn’t be hard either.

Plus, if you’re in a pinch, there is the old standby disc golf idea that uses trees, telephone poles or street lights. An official course will have large baskets with metal chains. These are comparable to the holes on a regular golf course.

Courses are designed like golf courses. There are tees where players throw their drive shot. Discs fly down a fairway, with a certain number of “throws” per hole being designated as par.

Just like regulation golf, we keep a record of our strokes or throws on a scorecard. Playing disc golf also gets us out into nature. The area needed for a disc golf course is far less than a regulation golf links.

Disc golf courses often wind through trees or up and down hills. Playing a round of disc golf is an excellent way to get a cardio workout.

Spring is on its way. Softball players will dig out their bats and ball gloves. Golfers will clean up their clubs. Check out our adult leagues if you are looking for organized competition. There are dozens of sports we enjoy, sports which we welcome the warmth of spring so we can begin to play them again.