What sport do you associate with the state of Iowa? Wrestling? Basketball? Football?
Disc golf probably didn’t come to mind, but the Hawkeye State has a long, storied history with the target sport.
According to UDisc, the sport’s most popular scorekeeping and course directory app (founded by two Iowa State University students), Iowa currently has 363 disc golf courses, ranking it third among all states in disc golf courses per capita. The oldest course in the state, Tourist Park in Cedar Falls, was established in 1978.
The PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) World Championships have been held in the state twice: in Waterloo/Cedar Falls in 1989 and in Des Moines in 2004. Iowa has also produced two of the greatest female disc golfers in the sport’s history. Juliana Korver, a University of Northern Iowa graduate, won the Female Professional Open (FPO) World Championships five times (1998-2001, 2003), while Des Reading, another UNI graduate, was crowned FPO World Champion three times (2002, 2005, 2006). More recently, Gannon Buhr from Indianola is currently the top ranked Mixed Professional Open (MPO) player on the PDGA tour, Sarah Gilpin of Solon won the FPO Putting World Championships in 2022 and 2023, and the Des Moines Challenge tournament has become one of the most popular stops on the Disc Golf Pro Tour.
A relatively inexpensive and accessible sport, disc golf has seen significant growth in recent years. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the professional side of the sport shut down along with other professional sports leagues, new amateur players flocked to local courses. An outdoor recreational activity that could be enjoyed solo or in socially distanced groups, disc golf provided a much-needed distraction during a dark time.
The combination of being able to enjoy the outdoors while connecting with other people was a big draw for Brady Connor, who discovered disc golf around this time while still a high schooler in Tipton. Connor was particularly drawn to “the beautiful scenery it provides and the laidback nature of the game itself,” he said.
“Some of the most amazing views I’ve ever come across have been on disc golf courses … Another thing I’ve come to find is that most of the people that you meet are incredibly friendly. I have made so many new friends since I started playing disc golf.”
New COVID-era players joined a community of disc golfers that had been playing the sport for decades. Greg Friestad, Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Iowa, has been a member of the PDGA since 2009. In addition to the appeal of the outdoors, Friestad also appreciates that disc golf is accessible to young and old outdoorspeople.
“I’m an outdoors enthusiast with a lot of hiking and backpacking in my past,” he said. “Iowa doesn’t have a lot of long-distance hiking options, but disc golf gives me that joy of escaping for a day of walking in the woods. It’s a great way for a 50+ guy like me to get a lot of exercise without the injury risks that come with other competitive sports. It’s two to four miles of walking for a casual round, depending on the course, and tournament competition can easily put eight to 10 miles on my step counter. I’m so glad to have found an active sport I can enjoy well into my 60s and beyond.”
For those interested in trying out disc golf, the first step is getting your hands on a few discs. Advanced disc golfers will often have 15 to 20 discs in their bags, but beginners are best served by starting out with a limited number of discs and learning how they fly. Discs come in a variety of shapes for a variety of purposes, from bevel-edged distance drivers designed to cut through the air efficiently for long flights, to blunt-nosed putters designed for straighter, shorter distances.
You can stock up on supplies at Titan Disc Golf. With physical shops in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, and an online store at titandiscgolf.com, Titan has by far the largest selection of discs and disc golf accessories in the state.
According to co-owner Joe French, “Both shops are staffed with knowledgeable disc golf veterans who can answer any questions a newer player might have about flight shapes, beginner-friendly discs and price comparisons between plastic types and manufacturers. We take pride in helping to grow the sport in our communities and beyond. And we love helping players of all skill levels and ages pick out that perfect disc they are missing in their bag.”
Disc golf equipment can also be found at sporting goods stores like Play It Again Sports and Scheels.
Discs in hand, now it’s time to find somewhere to play. Easier courses average about 250 feet between baskets, while the most difficult ones can exceed 400-foot average distances. Of course, hills, trees, bodies of water and other obstacles add to the challenge.
In the Iowa City area, Wetherby Park is a great place for beginners to start. With nine shorter holes and no real rough in which to lose discs, beginners can let their discs fly, learn their flight characteristics, and become comfortable with putting. Next up, the Altmaier Family Park is a fun, challenging 18-hole course in Coralville that will provide opportunities to work on a variety of shot types. A nearly 700-foot, open, downhill final hole invites players to test out their max distance throws. Sugar Bottom is a nice introduction to woods golf, with Peninsula Park’s wooded fairways and punishing rough making it the most demanding course in town.
If you’re a glutton for punishment, Becky Zallek Disc Golf Course in Des Moines, according to one Google reviewer, is “a brutal and unforgiving course, but it’s absolutely fun!” The Metro has a wealth of other top-notch courses, among them Ewing Park, with a wooded front nine and open back nine; Daubendiek in Jefferson, a newer, densely wooded course along the Raccoon River; the pro-level Pickard Park in Indianola; and the gorgeously wooded Walnut Ridge Recreation Area and Grandview Park.
Unfortunately, many of the Cedar Rapids area courses were severely damaged by the 2020 derecho. There are plans for Jones Park to be redesigned incorporating some land from the adjacent ball golf course. Redesign work at Legion Park in Marion has been ongoing, and there is hope the new course there will be ready for play this spring. Shaver Park, long the gem of Cedar Rapids disc golf courses, was hit particularly hard by the storm and was rendered unplayable for several years. Through the hard work of the local disc golf club, the course was completely redesigned and reopened last summer. It is once again the most challenging course in the Cedar Rapids area.
Further north is perhaps Iowa’s most challenging course, Wildcat Bluff in Vinton, ranked by UDisc in 2023 as the 16th best disc golf course in the world. Fair warning: check your ego in the parking lot.
For those looking to connect with other players there are several ways to plug into the local disc golf community. In Iowa City a singles league (Beef League) and a random draw doubles league (Iowa City Dubs) meet weekly and rotate courses. The Cedar Rapids PDGA League is a weekly singles league that meets at various courses, while Sunday Dubs at Shaver Park is the local weekly doubles league. The Des Moines Metro Disc Golf Club was founded in 1990 and provides constant opportunities to compete, even in the coldest months. Their Ice Bowl tournament this winter raised $3,000 for the Food Bank of Iowa.
Finally, it is important to know that it requires the work of many volunteers, working in conjunction with local parks departments, to maintain and improve disc golf courses. Joining your local club and participating in course work days is a great way to give back to the local disc golf community, keep your local courses in their best shape, and meet other local disc golfers. Happy discing!
This article was originally published in Little Village’s April 2024 issue.
