Public disc golf course suggested for greenway in Holts Summit

Creation of a public disc golf course at Greenway Park in Holts Summit was proposed Monday night during a meeting of the Holts Summit Board of Aldermen.

Scott Elam, who said he represented disc golf clubs in Jefferson City and Camdenton, asked the board to consider building one in Greenway Park.

"There are a lot of people in Holts Summit who participate in disc golf and they would use the course in Holts Summit," Elam said. "It's a healthy outdoor sport and kids love to play as well as adults."

Elam asked the board to approve using from 18 to 25 acres of Greenway Park for a disc golf course. He said the same area could be shared by walking trails or mountain bike trails if desired.

"This area has the potential of being a championship course because of the natural terrain," Elam said. "We like rough wooded areas. A large area of the park is now unused and this would provide an attractive use for the park."

Elam said he and other members of the Jefferson City Disc Golf Club enjoy using a course at Binder Lake Park in Jefferson City. Another course is planned in the same park. There also are disc golf courses in Fulton, Columbia, Eldon, Moberly and Osage Beach.

Elam said disc golf has caught on in Central Missouri and numerous disc golf tournaments are planned. He said club members travel from city to city to compete in city disc golf competitions.

The group suggested the city could start with a nine-hole course and later expand to 18 holes in Greenway Park.

Disc golf is similar to regular golf. But instead of hitting a ball with a club to drive or tap it into a hole, disc golf players toss a Frisbee-like disc toward a target that includes metal chains and a metal basket mounted on a short pole.

Players score when they toss the disc into the basket. The winner is the player who completes all holes in the course with the fewest disc tosses.

Elam said the metal basket target costs about $400 and are virtually indestructible. Chains are mounted vertically on poles to catch the sailing disc, which then drops into the basket if the toss is successful.

Club members, Elam said, could provide volunteer labor to help construct the course under the supervision of the city. He believes sponsors can be obtained to help offset most of the cost of the metal target baskets.

Elam said the game is addictive and he thinks many Holts Summit youngsters will enjoy playing and competing on the course. He said schools may also want to organize competitive disc golf.

Elam said disc golf tournaments in Central Missouri attract competitors and visitors from four states.

"Disc golf attracts visitors," Elam said, "and that's good for local businesses, restaurants and motels."

After hearing Elam's proposal, Holts Summit Mayor Lucas Fitzpatrick told him the board would consider the request and make a decision in the near future.