News

Disc golf course attracts enthusiastic following

Jerry Wohlgemuth shoots at the Jackson Park disc golf course.

By Melissa Moss, Published: June 17, 2016

The Jackson Park disc golf course has quickly gained popularity since it opened in January.

“The number of people that are out here all the time is pretty phenomenal,” says Tim Hopkin, the Henderson County Parks and Recreation director.
Henderson County built the 18-hole — or chain basket — course in response to popular demand. The course is still undergoing improvements, but each hole now has a beginners tee off in addition to the longer tee. The course appeals to all ages and skill levels, Hopkin says. The new closer tees will help younger players and beginners learn the sport.
People flock to the course in all weather conditions. In addition to that, the course has brought in a new crowd of people that may not have used the park in the past.
Designed by Jay McCarthy, a member of the Western North Carolina Disc Golf Association, the course winds through the woods and up and down hills in and around the northwestern edge of the park. It’s the fourth course McCarthy has designed. He’s currently working on a kids’ course at the Brevard Racquet Club. After McCarthy designed a course at Christ School in Asheville, the prep school started a disc golf team. Having a home course proved to be helpful. The team just won a regional disc golf championship.

McCarthy, with the help of other active members of the WNC Disc Golf Association, designed the Jackson Park links over a year and a half. The layout through a popular multi-use park brought unique challenges. He had to consider safety issues of road crossings as well as environmental factors like wildlife habitats and the bird sanctuary.

Perhaps the most exciting thing that has happened since the addition of the disc golf course was the tournament held in April of this year. The new course had gotten so much buzz online and among the disc golf community that four-time disc golf world champion Paul McBeth decided to come to the tournament in Hendersonville.
“For the first tournament we have here in good old Jackson Park, the Tiger Woods of disc golf decides to enroll in it,” Hopkin says.

McCarthy was equally excited about the success of that first tournament. He said it was an honor to have the Huntington Beach, Calif., ace play the new course. “He popped off in little Hendersonville before starting his world tour,” McCarthy says. The tournament, which raised $1,310 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, drew 106 competitors.

Overall, the new Jackson Park disc golf course has really brought a lot of hype. It’s bringing in money for the county and attracting folks of all ages to the park. Disc golf players around the country read about it online and can’t wait to try it out.
Jerry Wohlgemuth, a member of the WNC Disc Golf Association, says his favorite thing about disc golf is the camaraderie.
Less expensive than the country club species of golf and more challenging than just tossing a Frisbee back and forth, disc golf makes for a pleasant outdoor diversion.
“Basically, it’s just a big exercise chat,” Hopkin said.