Zanesville has added a disc golf course at Riverside Park
ZANESVILLE — Tapping into the exploding popularity of disc golf, the City of Zanesville has added a course to Riverside Park.
"It is a cross between frisbee and golf, there is an 18-hole layout like a golf course, with a tee box and a basket instead of a hole," said Chris Fleming, the city's supervisor for sewer and storm sewer maintenance. Players throw a variety of discs, mostly smaller and thinner than a regular frisbee. The discs have different weights and purposes, and are used depending on the player's distance from the hole.
The course is laid out across the northern end of the park, with the front nine threading its way between trees adjacent to the soccer fields, and a more open back nine between the KidZVille playground and the softball fields.
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Disc golf's popularity is increasing in Ohio
Disc golf has soared in popularity since 2020. Membership in the Professional Disc Golf Association, which represents both amateurs and professionals, jumped from 71,016 in 2020 to 109,862 in 2021. Courses have proliferated as well, with about 13,300 courses worldwide, up 15% from 2020, according to UDisc, a disc golf app that provides course maps and scorecards. There are 392 courses in Ohio, with UDisc ranking it as the 10th best state for disc golf. There are 15 courses within 25 miles of Zanesville, according to the app's course finder.
The project started about a year ago, said Scott Brown, the city's public service director. "We knew it was popular out at Dillon State Park, and we knew there were a lot of people locally who didn't necessarily have the means to get out to Dillon.
"We took a long hard look at this part of the park," Brown said on Friday during a visit to the course. A stand of woods near the soccer fields and KidZVille presented an opportunity to add a feature to the park. "When we started to lay things out we realized we had more than enough room to put in a disc golf course," he said.
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Work started in the spring, with city crews from a variety of departments, many of whom play the game, clearing out the understory and dead trees from the woodlot, and putting in baskets. The dead trees were mulched and spread over the ground to keep the undergrowth in check. The baskets were installed permanently, but the city will hold off on installing tee boxes.
"We want to let this course mature for a year, see how it plays," said Brown. The city will use that year to see what adjustments need to be made before tee boxes, usually a concrete rectangle of at least 40 square feet, are installed.
Zanesville's new disc golf course fits with city's goals
The new course fits right in with the city's goal to provide healthy activities for residents, said Parks and Cemeteries Superintendent Howard Bailey.
"I am really happy" with the course, Brown said. "There was nothing here and we turned it into a usable space. Because we had guys that play they took an extra effort to try and make this the best they possibly can."
Players found the course quickly, playing rounds before signage was installed. The hardest part, Brown said, was laying out a course that would provide a challenge to experienced players, but still be enjoyable to beginners. Some of the area's best players have put up impressively low scores, Fleming said, but scores are averaging around par, so far.
The entire project cost about $20,000, excluding labor, Brown said. The city is also exploring the option of putting lights at the basketball and pickleball courts in the park as well.
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This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Zanesville disc golf course at Riverside Park
