What is Frolf?
Frolf, like Disc Golf, is played among groups with a disc (originally a Frisbee disc). That’s about where the similarities end. Frolf, unlike Disc Golf, is a freeform amorphous ever changing game that can be played anywhere and everywhere in the world. Frolf has been compared to Golf, but Disc Golf is more similar to Golf than Frolf is to Golf. Frolf has also been compared to Calvinball, and Calvinball is similar, although much more anarchistic than Frolf.
Frolf is not confined to; courses, holes, distances, geographical locations, urban, suburban, specific discs, streets, parks, or beaches. You will find that there are courses everywhere using everything as a disc basket. Your college or university, your school, your neighborhood, or you were Park are all perfectly acceptable courses.
Everything is fair game
Everyone and everything in the world is part of the frolfing game. Every tree, street, sign, building, car, person, animal, thing is part of the game. Everything must be taken into consideration when playing a hole. If you throw your disc toward a target, and a dog gets the disc, where the dog puts the disc down is where the disc actually landed, and you must play from that spot. If innocent bystanders are nearby, and they throw your disc back to you, where the disc lands is where you play the hole. Conversely, if a bystander flings your disc to you in the direction of the intended target, where the disc lands is where the disc lands. You cannot, however, tell the bystander “throw the disc at the statue (target) as that would be in violation of the Spirit of the Game. Only you can be the source of the conscious forward progress of your disc.
Socially connected
Frolf is part of an overall positive social interaction that does no harm to living creatures or personal property. At its core, it exists inside the “Sprit Of The Game” which sets the tone for everyone for how to play. It is not possible to play in a somewhat crowded area and not interact with people, and those interactions should leave the people not involved with the game feeling welcomed, not offended. Think of the game as a general guideline on how to interact with life, rather than a competitive sport based on beating another person by having the lowest score.
Rules and Calvinball?
The rules of the game change based on player preferences, weather, moving targets, crowds, time of day, random issues, and skill levels of the players; much like Calvinball. Calvinball is the extreme end of the spectrum for unstructured sport. Unlike Calvinball, which has a wide variety of items to play with, Frolf requires you to use a flying object of some sort. It can be played at any time by anyone with one of many discs. A first time player should be able to play with seasoned veterans and still have a great time, win many holes, and have a better than average shot at winning the game playing from any role.
University courses
Frolf is a game traditionally played on college campuses to relieve stress, get to know the campus, or just to get out and socialize with current and new friends. Most college students know the game and play it with their own rules and strategies. It takes a warm sunny day, and an itch for exploration to make a great study break. If you have a college story or a college video you would like to add to the Frolf YouTube channel, send us a message. Below is one video of a standard game played at a college or University, in this case; Carleton College in Northfield MN. Let us know if you know which University it was played at.
Frolf and the Spirit of the Game
The Spirit of the Game is that Frolf is a friendly, non-competitive/competitive, socially interactive game. Causing a social violation is counter to the Spirit of the Game. For instance, offending someone, or hitting an innocent bystander with a disc is a social violation, and counter to the Spirit of the Game. Breaking anything is against the spirit of the game. Most of the Standard Rules fit withing the Spirit of the Game. Violating the Spirit of the Game is not a penalty per se, but can be used when discussing whether a shot counted or not, a rule is valid or not.
The Spirit of the Game is the only standing rule of the game. All else is up for discussion and negotiation by the players and innocent bystanders on the field.