‘Church of the Frisbeetyrian’: Disc golf is booming in Leland, but where will they play?

It’s Sunday morning and a group of Leland disc golf players are at church.

The "Church of the Frisbeetyrian," that is. They’re finding fellowship over frisbees and the jingle of chains at disc golf courses across Brunswick County and the surrounding area.

Most Sundays, and other days of the week, Leland players are headed to Bolivia or neighboring New Hanover County to play. Leland’s only permanent course was recently removed and progress on a new and improved course in the town have slowed.

Interest in the sport has skyrocketed in recent years, but access to courses in Leland doesn't seem to match the current demand.

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A quickly growing sport, disc golfing is similar to regular golf with a few differences. Instead of using a club and small ball, disc golf is played with an arm and a disc (frisbee).

The objective is to throw the disc toward the basket until it lands inside. Similar to golf, each basket (or hole) has a “par,” or an expected number of throws it should take to land the disc in the basket.

The Leland Disc Golf Club currently has 110 members, according to Deron Webb, founder of the group.

Webb designed the course at Founders Park, which was installed in 2018 and was the town’s only permanent course until it was removed a few weeks ago, prior to the installation of the Christmas display at the park. The course was scheduled to close as a result of the current renovations underway at Founders Park.

Plans for a new course are already underway and looked to mitigate the loss of the Founders Park course, but Webb said progress has slowed some. The new, permanent, 18-hole course is planned for SweetBay Park, located off Trade Street in the town.

According to the town, land clearing began in April and finished over the summer. In September, land surveying for the project began. Webb, who also works as a grounds maintenance technician for the town, said progress on the Sweetbay course has slowed over the last few weeks.

“It could be a while before they can figure out the water issues over there,” Webb said. “It's just really too wet.”

The property on Trade Street contains some wetlands, Webb said, so officials are working to figure out how to best implement a course without disturbing those ecosystems.

Until those issues are addressed, Webb said the course is currently “on hold,” but the community has “a need and a want for disc golf” that has prompted work on a temporary course that could be installed off of Village Road by the new year.

Webb is currently designing that course, which he thinks could be nine to 11-holes large.

Webb said he began playing disc golf in 2016, but interest in the game took off at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The sport gave people a way engage with others and get exercise outside.

The community spans Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties, Webb said.

“There's a lot of people who are wanting to play and we have a good number of courses in the area – in New Hanover, Pender County – but there's always need for new ones,” he said.

According to the town, construction on the Sweetbay course is planned to begin in July 2023 and is expected to complete by January 2024.

Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter @jameybcross.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: As disc golf interest skyrockets in Leland, plans for new course slow