Prairie Park Disc Golf Course Opens in DeKalb

Northern Illinois University students finally have a place to play Disc Golf, as the Prairie Park course officially opened last week:

Getting into the swing of disc golf
Dekalb Daily Chronicle - Dekalb,IL,USA

DeKALB - It's a sport that doesn't require special shoes, clothing or a lot of equipment, and participants don't have to break a sweat.

“Anyone can do it,” DeKalb resident Bill Flaherty said of the area's newest sport - disc golf.

He and friends played a nine-hole round Thursday afternoon at the county's only course.

DeKalb Park District officially opened the course at Prairie Park, on Glidden Avenue and Clifford Drive, last weekend, although Flaherty and others have been using it for about the two months it has been in place.

Kevin Kaminski and Robyn Ann Vardo, both of DeKalb, have been using the course since about mid-summer. They learned of it from a friend.

Vardo said she learned to play at an 18-hole course in Round Lake.

The availablity to a wide range of particpants, the easy learning curve, and the relativley low cost of installing and maintaining the course is what finally convinced park disctrict officials. And they couldn't be happier with the results. Assistant parks director Brad Garrison said:

"It's a great way to get people in the park,” he said. “Once they're out there for disc golf, they'll see the trail and other things we have available. It's also a good sport for a variety of people."

This isn't the first time someone approached Garrison about disc golf. Somebody tried 8 years ago, but the park district didn't know what the sport was all about. This goes to show how important it is for local disc golf clubs to get involved with park districts to develop courses.