Jun. 8—The new disc golf course at Edwards Park is “well designed and fair,” pronounced Mike Green, who has played disc golf in more than half of the United States and was one of 180 who entered a tournament at the course for its grand opening last month.
“The woods portion is tough, but there are birdies to be had if you hit your lines,” added Green, who is from Columbus and began playing disc golf six years ago. Designer Will Schusterick, co-owner of Prodigy Disc, a Whitfield County-based manufacturer of disc golf discs and other equipment for the sport, “always does a great job with his designs.”
The course “is beautiful,” said Rocky Face’s Derrick Linville. “The amount of different shots it makes you use is awesome.”
Schusterick, a former No. 1 disc golf player in the world and three-time winner of the U.S. Open, also designed the disc golf course at Westside Park, and his relationship with the Whitfield County Recreation Department has been fruitful for both parties.
“I’ve played in every state, and 12 countries, and the Whitfield County Recreation Department is arguably the best I’ve worked with,” said Schusterick, who was the youngest U.S. Open champion in history when he first captured the title at the age of 18 and has been a professional since 2007. “They maintain the courses, and they have everything ready.”
“Prodigy Disc and Whitfield County Recreation are a good team,” said Green, who played the Edwards Park course for the first time during the grand opening tournament. “This recreation department takes care of the courses; Westside is always immaculate, too.”
The Edwards Park course joins the Westside track and a nine-hole offering at the Tunnel Hill Golf Club in Whitfield County, and adding another course affords even more opportunities to host tournaments, which can make a positive local economic impact, said Brian Chastain, Whitfield County’s recreation direction. The course at Edwards Park had its soft opening a few months ago, and the total cost to the county to add this course was “less than $10,000.”
Schusterick spent “about a year” working on this course, which is “a little more advanced” than other area courses, he said. “It’s like that next level, but beginners can have fun, too, and see what that next level looks like.”
It also has “all the amenities a good disc golf course needs,” from practice baskets to benches, Schusterick said. “People come from all over to play this course, and the reviews have been amazing — more than 4.5 stars (average) out of more than 1,000 reviews on udisc.com,” an app for disc golfers.
Adding another disc golf course in Whitfield County was necessary because “disc golf is really growing in this area,” and the COVID-19 pandemic has also boosted the sport, he said. “We’ve seen that on the business side with our company’s sales.”
Disc golf “is really easy to get into — it probably has the lowest barrier of entry of any sport — because all you really need to start to play is one disc, and the whole family can play,” he said. “You’re all involved and outside.”
It’s not as time consuming as some other sports, either, he said. A person can complete 18 holes in 90-120 minutes, and even with a foursome, “you’re done in under three hours.”
David Keaton once mocked his friend Craig Bagby for “tossing Frisbees around” until Bagby persuaded him to try the game, Keaton said with a hearty laugh. “I just played once, and I was hooked.”
Keaton and I “would go out hunting together, but we were looking for things to do after hunting season,” Bagby said. Disc golf is “outside, it’s challenging, and it’s good exercise.”
“We go pretty much every weekend, either here or Westside,” Keaton said. “I get excited by those few really good shots” each round.
Green has “played in Alaska, and I’m going to play in Hawaii for the first time in a couple of weeks,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to compete in something at an older age, and you know you can always play better.”
“Anyone who gets into disc golf gets in it for a long time — we have people out here today from (age) 12 to 65 or 70 — (as) it’s not a hobby you drop,” Schusterick said. “You never really get out” of it.