Locals Only
A New Spin on an Old Game DISC GOLF COURSES IN JOHNSON COUNTY ARTICLE JENNY WOLFF | PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED
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Course Name Location Holes Tee Type Blue Valley of Kansas Overland Park 18 Mulch Cambridge Park Overland Park 9 Woodchips California Trail Olathe 9 Grass Lenexa DGC Lenexa 9 Concrete Harmon & Santa Fe Parks DGC Prairie Village 9 Concrete Lakeside Hills DGC Olathe 18 Concrete Prairie Center Park Olathe 18 Concrete Shawnee Mission Park DGC Shawnee 18 Concrete Shawnee Country Club Shawnee 4 Woodchips
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Johnson County Lifestyle | July 2015
isc golf, a 40-year-old game, is spiraling high in popularity in Johnson County. This sport is played by all ages, in backyards or on courses, in all sorts of weather. “We have people throwing discs in sun, snow, sleet, rain, you name it,” says Bill Maasen, superintendent of parks and golf courses for the Johnson County Park and Recreation District. The origin of the modern game of golf, the one associated with balls, clubs, tees and greens, is usually traced to 15th century Scotland. Golf has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry, played in more than 100 countries. It took about 600 years for a spin-off to develop. Disc golf flew onto the American scene after toy company Wham-O began manufacturing aerodynamic discs called Frisbees ®. By 1977 Wham-O had sold more than 100 million Frisbees®, and people everywhere were tossing these discs high and low. In the 1970s, Wham-O designer Ed Headrick invented Frisbee® Golf, where people tossed Frisbees® into metal baskets. Today the game is known as disc golf and the Disc Golf Association estimates that there are more than 3,000 formal courses in the United States. The aim is to traverse the course in the fewest number of throws. The discs, called putters, mid-range and drivers, each have different edges to cut through the air with varying accuracy and control to hit the basket, hole or target. The first public disc golf course in Johnson County was built in Olathe at Prairie Center Park 1989. In 2007, a course was constructed in Shawnee Mission Park. Maasen is a big advocate. “This is a family-friendly, fairly unobtrusive game for a park. It takes a small footprint and the space can co-mingle with other activities,” says Maasen. “It is also a great way for us to invite the public out, and the more people you have using a park, the safer it is.” From start to finish, Maasen said it costs about $20,000 to install a disc golf course. Compare that with a $100,000 price tag for a shelter house or playground. Plus, disc golf