KIDDER TWP. — Casey DeSmith takes a deep breath and lines up his final putt.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goaltender is a shot away from beating me — a soon-to-be-29-year-old journalist who thought he'd finally found a sport in which he could beat the pros.

But first, let's make sure we're all on the same page.

It might sound like DeSmith and I are playing golf, but that's not the case. We're playing disc golf in Kidder Township at the Francis E. Walter Dam.

It's a sport with the same overarching scoring rules as golf, but it's played with an assortment of plastic Frisbee-like discs. The goal is to take the least amount of throws as possible to get a disc in a metal basket that's lined with chains.

You can click here to find the location of disc golf courses in your area.

DeSmith has a white "putter" in his hand with the word "Judge" stamped on it in black.

As he releases the shot, I know I'm beat. Sure enough, it crashes into the center of the chains and comes to rest in the basket for a birdie 2.

"Nice round," DeSmith says as he shakes my hand. "You almost had me."

DeSmith took up the somewhat obscure sport at the advice of his uncle about two years ago. He's since played at different courses in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

In a short time, the 23-year-old New Hampshire native has nearly become a scratch player, which should infuriate long-time players because the sport doesn't usually come all that easily to new throwers.

"I went that first time with my uncle, and I was hooked literally from round one," DeSmith said.

The two returned home after that round, hopped on YouTube, watched a few videos on technique and headed right back to the course for another go.

"I've pretty much cut a stroke off my game per month or so since getting started, and I just love it," DeSmith said. "It's free, it's fast. I can get through a round in a little over an hour, and I like being outside."

Hockey players spend a lot of their time inside in the cold. Disc golf provides a nice escape.

"A lot of hockey is fun, but a lot of it is a grind also, so coming out here, walking around being outside, being in the sunshine, it's a really good stress reliever," DeSmith said. "Even if I have a bad round, I'm always happy I came."

Personally, I got my reluctant start with the sport back in Massachusetts, where I grew up. My dad started playing, and I just didn't see the point. "Why don't you just go out and play some real golf?" I'd mock.

Eventually, I caved. The rest is history. When the Penguins travel, I'll often head out early and get in 18 holes at some new course in Hershey or Allentown before covering that night's game.

During our round, DeSmith and I chatted about disc golf pros — there are actually quite a few — like 2016 PDGA World Champion Ricky Wysocki and Paul McBeth, and about the difficulties you run into when trying to find playing partners.

"(Dominik) Simon said he'd come if you get a golf cart," DeSmith laughed. "Most people think I'm a nerd, or that it's a nerdy sport, I guess."

On the sixth hole, DeSmith overthrew his drive and the disc flipped over to the right and crashed behind a group of trees on the side of the fairway.

It was one of his few poor shots on the day, but his recovery was the highlight of the afternoon.

For DeSmith's next shot, he was blocked from seeing the basket, which was situated roughly 290 feet away. He reached into his bag, grabbed a disc with the name "Octane" stamped on the top, picked his line and let it rip.

You know that sound when a golf ball hits the bottom of a hole? When a disc crashes into the chains like DeSmith's shot did, it sounds even sweeter.

"I threw that literally as hard as I could," he said.

From where he was standing DeSmith couldn't see it go in, but the photographer and I got a good look.

"I just picked a line and it hyzered out (that's disc-golf talk for faded) at the end," DeSmith said. "I didn't even see it go in. I just heard it. You guys saw it, but it was pretty cool."

Over the last two years, DeSmith has talked several Penguins into joining him. Adam Krause has gone. Former goaltender Brian Foster was his regular throwing partner last season.

"(Krause) said he liked it, but he wasn't super good, and so he hasn't really been too keen on coming again," DeSmith said. "I think he went twice. I think Ethan Prow wants to check it out, maybe Thomas Di Pauli too.

Second-year center Oskar Sundqvist might be a good target. His home country of Sweden has over 100 courses and counting.

"I'm planting seeds," DeSmith said. "I'll find a new disc golf buddy soon."

In the end, the Penguins netminder finished the par-54 course with a 57. I carded a 4-over par 58.

Next time, maybe we'll try the course at Hickory Run State Park, or the one a local player built in White Haven called Linesville.

I'm sure I'll win one eventually.

slakso@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2083

WHAT IS DISC GOLF?

● Disc golf, which first emerged in the 1970's, is played much like traditional golf. However, instead of a ball and clubs, players use a flattened plastic disc that resembles a Frisbee. Rather than aim for a hole, players try to throw the discs into baskets that are lined with chains.

● Unlike traditional golf courses, disc golf courses are usually free to play and often wind through woods, utilizing trees, bushes and natural landmarks as obstacles for players to attempt to avoid.

● There are a wide variety of discs with different flight characteristics available for players to use. Slow, straight-flying discs are used for "putts," while faster discs that hold up well in the wind and can travel up to 500 feet are used for "drives."

● There are currently 134 courses in the state of Pennsylvania, many of which are kept up by locals who play them regularly. Most courses offer leagues where players chip in $5 and compete against each other in teams of two.

● To learn more about the sport, check out PDGA.com. Another resource is DiscGolfCourseReview.com, which will help with finding courses in your area.