ReZoom

With 460 acres and a few very dependable lawnmowers, John Jokinen is slowly yet surely realizing his goal of creating a disc golf mecca.

Back in the early 1980s, John Jokinen thought about retirement all the time. A self-described small town boy, he paid his dues working for the timber arm of U.S. Steel in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, then went in with his father-in-law, Bob Stilin, to create North Country Lumber. Things stayed busy at home, too, as John and his wife raised two sons and two daughters.

In 1993, John and Bob began buying up land in Highbridge Hills, Wisc., and making plans to build a sustainable retirement retreat, complete with the world's first certified organic golf course. Using organic grass seed and organic fertilizer, John and Bob were going to outdo the Audubon Society when it came to wildlife preservation.

But in 1998, tragedy struck: Bob Stilin was killed in a car accident. The retirement retreat was scrapped. The golf course was abandoned.

A few years later, around his 50th birthday, John had a conversation with his nephew, an avid disc golfer living in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. Disc golf is just like ball golf, his nephew said, only you use a Frisbee instead of a ball, and your two hands instead of a club. John now considers this conversation a personal "rejuvenation."

"All my life, I've been doing things in a traditional way, getting up and eating breakfast and going to work," John said, his Midwestern accent belying a deep-seated profundity. "But now, through the sport of disc golf, I've discovered a more relaxed lifestyle that's bringing me in touch with people who care about their health and about the environment."

For some, disc golf, or "Frolf," is not a particularly serious pursuit. It's more like an organized form of screwing around, a diversion created by people with too much time on their hands and not enough money for clubs and spikes.

But those people are wrong. The fastest growing sport in the world, disc golf is serious business, with its own professional association, its own professional tour and its own colorful vernacular. (For instance, should you find yourself in Olympia Fields, Ill. on April 29th, check out the PDGA's 22nd Annual Oly Spring Opener, where you'll witness the best in hyzer-flips, tomahawks, chicken wings and turbo putts.)

John's nephew put him in touch with Chuck Kennedy, a top-ranked professional disc golfer and course designer. Kennedy traveled to Highbridge Hills to take a look at John's dormant land.

"Chuck took a look around and told me we could have the most unique disc golf setting in the world," John said. "And that's just what we created."

Working with the PDGA, John created the Highbridge Hills Sports Complex, a 460-acre home for 10 distinct 18-hole disc golf courses. In addition to being a disc golf mecca, Highbridge Hills also offers trails for hiking and biking, campsites and Twister Kart rentals.

This summer, though, will be all about the disc golf, as Highbridge Hills hosts the 2007 World's Pro Disc Golf Championships, with 400 players from 17 countries competing for a purse of $100,000.

Upkeep of such an enormous complex, coupled with his day job at the lumber mill, means little down time for the 54-year-old sports entrepreneur. His lawn mowing schedule, for example, is a nightmare, beginning May 1 and continuing every day until October 1.

"When I was 30, all I could think about was retirement," said John. "But when I turned 50, I threw that idea right out the door. I sleep no more than four and half hours at night because I get excited just thinking about the day ahead. This has been the most intriguing job I've ever had."