Springdale brings disc golf course back to life

NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER Matt Loyd packs his bag for the Tuesday night mini tournament as players gather in the pro shop, Dynamic Discs of Northwest Arkansas, Tuesday June 5, 2018 at J. Beast Disc Golf Course at J.B. Hunt Park in Springdale.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER Matt Loyd packs his bag for the Tuesday night mini tournament as players gather in the pro shop, Dynamic Discs of Northwest Arkansas, Tuesday June 5, 2018 at J. Beast Disc Golf Course at J.B. Hunt Park in Springdale.

SPRINGDALE -- The new J. Beast disc golf course at J.B. Hunt Park could be described as a "diamond in the rough," except that rough doesn't come close to accurately describing what the course looked like before the renovation.

"It was kind of in shambles," said Matt Loyd, who worked with the City of Springdale Parks and Recreation Department to completely redesign the course over the past two years. "It wasn't being taken care of. You couldn't even see the baskets from the underbrush."

In 2016, Loyd, who grew up in Russellville and attended Arkansas Tech before dropping out of college to pursue a professional career as a disc golfer, was brought in to bring the course back to life.

Loyd had traveled the country, first playing then promoting disc golf. The RV he used to go from course to course is parked next to the J. Beast course now.

"I had been in the disc golf business for nine years," said the 35-year-old Loyd. "I was ready to get off the road. So me and Zach (Walls) talked and pitched some crazy ideas and the parks department was crazy enough to let me pitch them some of the same ideas and they had some of the same visions I had, and here we are today."

Loyd works for Dynamic Discs and one of the ideas he pitched was to open a disc golf pro shop at J. Beast. There was an older house at the park, and it was converted into one of the few disc golf pro shops anywhere with hundreds of discs lining the walls.

What is Disc Golf?

Disc golf is played much like traditional golf, but instead of a ball and clubs, players use a flat disc. The sport was formalized in the 1970s. The object is to complete each hole in the fewest throws. A golf disc is thrown from a tee area to a target which is the “hole”. The hole can be one of a number of disc golf targets, the most common of which is an elevated metal basket.

As a player progresses down the fairway, he or she must make each consecutive throw from the spot where the previous throw has landed. The “putt” lands in the basket, and the hole is completed. Disc golf rarely requires a greens fee or cart rental.

Source: Professional Disc Golf Association website

Last summer, with Walls and Loyd providing the vision, workers from the parks and recreation department began the task of reclaiming the course from the years of overgrowth and neglect. They uncovered hole baskets that had been rusting away for almost a decade and began a new redesign. Soon concrete tee pads went in and signage was created to point golfers around the 6,000 foot, par 54 course.

"We were able to create some really cool holes and turn this into a fun course," said Walls, who is the assistant operation manager for the parks and recreation department. "This course is designed to appeal to a very wide skill level of golfer. We were able to create some unique holes through the woods once we cleared away all the underbrush."

The course is free and open during normal park hours. Golfers just need a few discs to get started, Loyd said.

There are plans to eventually build two more courses at J.B. Hunt Park, said Bill Mock, the parks and recreation director. A championship level course and a 9-hole course for younger golfers are in the discussion phase.

A disc golf league will start later this month and there are plans for several tournaments, including a night-time tournament using glow sticks, said Ryan Marsh, the program director for the parks and recreation department.

Walls said it did not take long for word of the revamped course to get around to the disc golf community, and there has been a steady flow of disc golfers since the spring when the course was officially completed.

"There has been a tremendous response," Walls said. "Any day of the week you see people out there playing. We've heard a lot of positive feedback, so we're excited to have this done and we're looking forward to hosting some big tournaments and events out here."

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NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER Itzy Galvan practices putting Tuesday June 5, 2018 at J. Beast Disc Golf Course at J.B. Hunt Park in Springdale.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER Barryjoe Rogers winds up for a drive Tuesday June 5, 2018 at J. Beast Disc Golf Course at J.B. Hunt Park in Springdale.

Sports on 06/09/2018

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