The original Mighty Jungle Open took place in 2019 and required YHC to distribute concrete blocks around the AO prior to the 7 AM kickoff. As holes were completed, the pax would carry the blocks to the next hole. Burpees were also accrued for every toss of the disk. Not only was setup time a problem, but the added requirements made it difficult to complete the course in 60 minutes.
In 2021, I brought golf back to the Jungle in a modified version. Instead of blocks, we would use various objects around the campus as our holes. There would be no hauling of cinder blocks, but burpees were plentiful – we were to complete increasing burpees after every toss. One after the first toss, two after the 2nd, etc.
In 2022, the Jungle Open returned for a 3rd time but this go round we only did burpees at each hole equal to the number of tosses to get to the hole. We started the 2022 edition with the back 9 since we were unable to complete the entire course the previous year. With a warm up and the high burpee count, we managed 13 holes before the final bell rang.
Golf had to be postponed in 2023 thanks to back surgery. But it would return in 2024 with a new modification: merkins instead of burpees per the number of tosses to each hole.
And so we arrive at the 2025 rendition of Jungle Golf Open. Recalling that we have always had trouble completing the entire course in an hour, we opted to skip a warmup, return to burpees, but limit them to the number of tosses per hole beyond 3 (assuming a par 3 course). We broke into 3 teams:
- Team 1: Bagboy, Thug
- Team 2: Ultraman, Blackbeard
- Team 3: Diehard, Mayhem, Fast Pitch
Players took turns throwing the disk to each hole. The hole was considered completed if the disc hit the object or landed within a stride. Team 1 was in the lead for most of the course, and as a result, they often picked the location of each hole if they couldn’t make out the landmarks on the map.
Team 2 started out rusty, but by the 5th hole they began to dial it in. Team 3 was right on Team 2’s heels and often we would complete the exercises together. With the modifications, we were able to complete all 18 holes, replay the first 2 holes and still go around the circle at the end where everyone called a Mary exercise.
I suspect we’ll make some further revisions in 2026 to try to nail a 60-minute course, but I think the course is a winner. It’s always fun to get some play time in while still getting the heart rate up. Thanks to the pax that joined me today!