MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – A new 18-hole disc golf course at Pioneer Park in Muskegon was approved by the Muskegon County Commission on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The sport involves throwing a disc into a stationary net, aiming to complete each hole in as few throws as possible, similar to traditional golf.
The park at 1563 North Scenic Drive has a campground with 235 modern campsites, along with tennis and pickleball courts, softball and baseball fields, volleyball space and a playground.
There is more than 2,000 feet of Lake Michigan frontage. There are lookout decks and stair access to the beach.
The disc golf course will be funded by community sponsors, with no cost to the county. For $700 per hole, sponsors can put their name or business logo on the corner of the sign.
Local resident Tim Linck Jr. and his team will design the course. They previously designed the Sweet Spot Disc Golf Course at Patterson Park in Ravenna.
Sweet Spot is “doing phenomenally well,” so the team proposed constructing another, said Bob Lukens, Muskegon County community development director.
The Ravenna course has hosted more than 2,200 players in the last year, according to data from the UDisc app, where players can find local disc golf courses and keep score of their games.
Taking into account visitors that don’t use the app, Linck said that number could be closer to 3,000.
The group hosts three tournaments a year, and all have sold out to date with around 80 players at each event.
In Ravenna, one fundraiser tournament collected $1,200 for course improvements, including wooden stairs to traverse a steep hill. Another tournament collected 500 canned food donations for a local food bank.
Construction will begin as soon as possible and the course is expected to be “playable” in a year, to a year and a half, Linck said. The course should be fully completed in three years.
The new course will maintain a distance from the campground at Pioneer Park. It will start and end at the parking area, wrapping around the campground and back.
“We are basically utilizing the areas that are not currently being utilized in the park,” said Ben Koperski, a member of Linck’s team.
The team will work with county parks staff to remove and process a large amount of dead hemlock trees in the area that have been infected by hemlock woolly adelgid disease, among other plant diseases and invasive species.
“It’s really devastating, and all along the lakeshore, too,” Lukens said.
The county may seek grant funding in the future to help pay for the removal of the trees.
The team will then landscape each disc golf hole by picking up sticks, pulling weeds and installing ground tee pads for people to stand on when they throw. They will also install baskets and signs.
Lukens said the course will be great for both seasonal campers and county residents.
“You can play disc golf virtually all year long, so that’ll really open the park up, even in the wintertime, springtime,” Lukens said. “As players come into the park, they will purchase a parking pass, bringing in revenue to the parks directly.”
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
