COEUR d'ALENE — Six years ago, Ben Squires stepped onto a disc golf course in Missoula and played his first professional disc golf tournament as an amateur.

He went back to the Zoo Town Open in June. This time he played as a professional, and took first place.

"It's a big accomplishment," said Squires, 28, of Coeur d'Alene. "(Pro disc golf player) Christian Dietrich, who I lost to just a few weeks earlier, he was the person to beat. He was only one stroke behind me getting into the final nine. I didn't know I was going to win until pretty much the last hole."

Squires has been playing disc golf since he was 16. He joined the Professional Disc Golf Association in 2010 and in 2011 won a prize total of $1,885. He took a short break from sanctioned competitions and has since returned to the game; at only three events this year, he has secured nearly $1,400 in combined prize cash.

"You hear everyone say that they love 'x' sport — baseball, basketball. I truly believe, being a philosophy major, that disc golf is the sport of the next generation," he said. "The ethics that are built into the sport of golf are more accessible to people through disc golf than regular golf. You can buy a $10 disc and play for hours."

Disc golf is a sport where players throw discs into baskets that are placed along a course. Players strive to make the baskets in as few throws as possible, similar to golf. Squires said many courses are family-friendly and made for everyone.

"You can go out there as a group or family and people of all skill levels can have fun," he said.

Squires plans to take his passion and talent to disc golf competitions around the country with six or seven more big events ahead this year. He'll be competing in the Ledgestone Insurance Open in Peoria, Ill., in August and selling artwork created by his mom, local artist Marlene Craig, to help fund his travels. Although, if he wins the first place professional purse at Ledgestone, he could be about $250,000 richer.

"It had the biggest payout in disc golf history last year," Squires said. "I think they're going to do that again this year."

After Ledgestone, Squires plans to compete in the Rocky Mountain Disc Golf Championship in Bozeman. It's a larger tournament with more than 150 competitors.

Locally, Squires is a member of the Farragut Disc Golf Club and will be hosting a one-day disc golf event this fall. He also plays leagues and plans to participate in the PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships next year.

Whether competing or playing for fun, Squires said disc golf is a sport he will play the rest of his life: "You can play this as long as you can throw a disc."

"When I practice and I'm doing casual things like league, it's a gathering of friends, a walk in the woods," he said. "In the tournament setting, you go back to being a very focused person. It's managing mistakes, managing your reaction to mistakes, staying calm and trusting in yourself. You want to be in the moment."