Local disc golfers ready to start new year

While most summer sports leagues are staying warm and taking it easy during the off-season, that’s not so with the disc golfers of Holmes County. Freezing temperatures and even snow can’t deter some of these die-hard players from going to Deer Run Disc Golf Course in Millersburg to take in a round or two.

“It is crazy,” Ethan Steiner of the Holmes County Disc Golf Club Board of Directors said. “We actually had a player down at the course last week clearing the tee pads with a shovel. When you get down there, you see all these tracks from players having played the course. While winter play is challenging, it is still really fun. Snow just adds another obstacle you have to overcome to have a good round.”

The HCDGC will kick off its 2022 season with a winter tournament on Saturday, Feb. 19 at noon at the Deer Run Disc Golf Course. Registration is $20, and players will get a custom disc, along with prizes for first through third place, closest throw to the basket and longest drive. The tournament is co-sponsored by the HCDGC and Keim.

“This should be a lot of fun,” Steiner said. “To add a twist to play, we are going to play the course backward. We are calling it the lost course. Players get used to throwing certain lines on each hole. Reversing the direction will make it really challenging. It should be a blast.”

Steiner also said this event will only be canceled if the area is struck by a literal blizzard or sub-zero temperatures. “Come bundled up. We are going to play,” he said.

Steiner is excited about the upcoming season.

“We had great turnouts for our tournaments and our competition play on Tuesday nights,” he said. “I expect this year’s turnout to be equal, if not better, than last year as the popularity of disc golf in our area continues to grow.”

Steiner mentioned that last year — according to UDisc, a disc golf scoring app that lets players track their play on area courses — 3,056 rounds were played at Deer Run.

“That doesn’t include the fact there might be four players recorded as one round,” he said. “UDisc also believes only 40% of players use the app. If that is true, we most likely had over 10,000 individual rounds played at Deer Run last year.”

As crazy as that sounds, it really wasn’t all that surprising to Steiner.

“We put a lot of hard work into this course,” he said. “On UDisc, players can rate the courses they play. Our course is rated 4.4 stars out of 5. That puts us among some of the top courses in the state, and we are only a nine-hole course. I have run into players from Cleveland and Columbus who drove here just to play this course. One only has to read the reviews on UDisc to see how much players love playing here.

“We are very thankful for all the support the county has shown us. The Village of Millersburg, the park board, area businesses and many volunteers have all chipped in to make it what it is. I hope people realize what a gem of a course they have right here in Millersburg.”

For those interested in learning more about the HCDGC and the 2022 schedule, go to www.facebook.com/groups/holmesdiscgolf. Discs may be borrowed from the Holmes County Library, and discs and bags also are readily available for purchase at Keim in Charm.