Disc golf – one of the fastest growing sports in America – is coming to Donley County with the help of two local men and the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation.
Melvin Balogh, one of the organizers of the Green Belt Disc Golf Club, is a longtime player of the sport and says it’s a great family outdoor activity.
“My son and his friends play, and I play with my son,” said Balogh, who is the volleyball coach at Clarendon College. “There’s no learning curve. If you can throw a Frisbee, you can play, and any age can enjoy this game.”
Flying disc sports have risen in popularity ever since Frisbees were popularized in the 1950s, and the development of disc golf has followed that rise with more and more people catching on to the sport. The concept is simple: follow the basic rules of golf but throw flying discs into metal baskets.
Balogh and fellow disc golf enthusiast Yancey Gill first officially brought the game to Greenbelt Lake this summer when their newly formed club hosted a tournament at Kincaid Park June 13-14. Twenty participants and 30 total attendees from around the Panhandle were on site for the tournament, which used temporary baskets.
Balogh said the response was excellent and showed that a course would draw people to Clarendon.
“We received feedback there is not another course like this in West Texas,” he said. “The lake, the trees, the topography are just perfect.”
With the blessing of Greenbelt Water Authority, the club has laid out an 18-basket course on the west side of Kincaid Park, but raising funds to buy the baskets – which can cost between $375 and $425 – has been a major hurdle.
That was until Monday night when the Clarendon Economic Development Corp. Board approved up to $7,000 for the purchase of the baskets if the club will meet some simple goals – get a formal letter of approval from the water authority and form a board or committee to help promote and organize tournaments.
“I wanted to form a committee anyway, so that just moved that goal along,” Balogh said Tuesday. “I’ve already been contacting people.”
According to the Disc Golf Association, the game is similar to regular golf; however, instead of using golf clubs and balls aiming for a hole, Disc Golf players use golf discs and aim for a Disc Pole Hole, a pole extending up from the ground with chains and a basket where the disc lands. The object of the game is to complete each hole in the fewest number of throws, starting from a tee area and finishing at the Disc Pole Hole. The game differs from ball golf in that it can use a wide variety of terrain. Often times, land not suitable for other park activities or development is perfect terrain for a disc golf course.
Balogh said the 18-basket disc golf course will cover about the same area as a nine-hole ball golf course.
Flying disc sports received a boost this week when they were officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Balogh says as the sport grows, the local course will be an even bigger attraction.
“It’s a sport that once you experience it, you will enjoy it,” he said. “It’s a very positive outdoor experience.”
The club hopes to have the Kincaid course ready sometime this fall.
For more information or to help sponsor the course or tournaments, contact Melvin Balogh at melvinbalogh@gmail.com or 337-244-4913. Also, check out the Green Belt Disc Golf page on Facebook.
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