Camp Luz course brings new challenges for disc golfers
Camp Luz will usher in its inaugural Buzz at Luz Disc Golf Tournament at the camp.
As the joy of playing disc golf continues to rise, players are looking for challenging courses where they can test their skills and have a good time with friends.
A disc golf player himself, Camp Luz Director Andrew Michaels has enjoyed more than a few courses, but recently, he and others took a look at the possibility of carving out a course on the acreage at Camp Luz, located between Orrville and Kidron.
While they initially felt a nine-hole course was possible, they were able to utilize the entire acreage, shorten up the course a tad and build a new 18-hole course that meanders through open fields, grassy knolls, around cabins and through the woods of the 50-acre campground.
“When we started working on the design, I was going to be happy to create a nine-hole course,” Michaels said.
He said he checked out some courses in North Carolina when visiting there and checked other course designs. The more he explored, the more he began envisioning an 18-hole course.
“Once we got into it, we realized we could do shorter holes, keep things interesting and challenging, and do 18 holes,” Michaels said.
The course design came together, and a local donor stepped in and provided the finances to help build the course, and now Camp Luz is on the map of disc golf courses.
“We wanted to keep it shorter for campers, new players and families to play and enjoy,” Michaels said. “But we still wanted it to be enough of a challenge for people who play a lot to have an interest in playing and have fun with it. It was fun working with the trails and the natural spaces we had to come up with a unique design.”
The course does require some technical ability, with several holes presenting tight quarters where a draw or fade is required, and accuracy becomes the focal point rather than “letting it rip.”
Michaels said most of the holes range around 200 feet with the longest set at 345 feet. Navigating tree limbs and traversing the rise and fall of the landscape should make it interesting for players.
Michaels said the course has already become a popular stop for players and families.
“It’s been neat to connect with new people we wouldn’t have otherwise gotten to know,” Michaels said. “We wanted to use this as a tool to build community and get to know our community better.”
It also serves as a tool that allows people to experience the beauty throughout the camp.
Michaels said once they started the project, it came together quickly. They started about one year ago, marking the course with stakes and letting several local players who understand courses play it. They offered some advice, and Michaels said the camp took that advice and improved the course.
“We eventually came to a layout that we felt really good about,” Michaels said. “But we were making minor adjustments right up to the day when we put the baskets in the ground.”
As of now the course doesn’t have concrete throwing pads, but Michaels said that is something they will pursue in the future. Until then he said the course is open and ready for play.
Each tee has its own sign with the hole number and picture defining the hole’s description. Michaels said they trimmed down some trees and brush to clean up the course, but for the most part, they allowed the terrain to define the course.
Michaels said the course is great for families, youth groups and groups who travel and play together. He said groups can make a day of it by renting the camp or the swimming pool.
While the Camp Luz disc golf course is closed during summer seasons when campers are inundating the premises, the rest of the months, beginning when school starts, are open season for disc golfers seeking a course, and it is free to the public.