New disc golf course is nearly ready for players
The disc golf course at KSU will be officially ready for players on May 9. The project cost was under $15,000. Dean Bielski said the course is already seeing eager players.
A new disc golf course is nearly ready for players at Kent State Tuscarawas. The course, situated on land adjoining the campus, is getting its finishing touches before opening for the public on May 9. A new bocce court also has been installed at the campus.
“I’ve been surprised because we’re not officially open yet,” Kent State Tuscarawas Dean Bradley Bielski said, “but people are already out there throwing discs.”
The course is designed for student, faculty and community use and will be open to the public.
“The idea began last summer,” Bielski said. “One of our students, Kyle Schaar, came up with the idea and has led the project.”
Schaar designed the course and located equipment and supplies to project costs. “It started a couple of years ago,” said Schaar, a competitive player. “I brought a basket and started practicing throwing discs at lunch. There was plenty of unused land, and I thought it would be great for a course, so I pitched the idea to the dean.”
He then spent last summer designing the course and choosing baskets.
The project was funded by money designated for student activities, which went unused due to the pandemic outbreak in 2020, Schaar said.
“We came up with the plan for the whole project, and Dean Bielski took it to the board for approval,” Schaar said.
Bielski said, “The campus grounds are governed by a board of trustees, and they were happy with the idea and approved it. The equipment started coming in last fall, and when the weather turned cold, we decided to wait for this spring. There are just a few finishing touches left to do.”
Once the course is officially up and running, it will be listed on the app UDisc, which will allow players to find the course and follow the direction of play. Installation of the disc course at Kent State Tuscarawas is in keeping with a nationwide jump in popularity of the sport. According to the UDisc publisher, four new disc golf courses were constructed in the United States per day in 2022.
The disc golf course is joined by a bocce ball court, which will chiefly be used by faculty members but also is open to the public.
“This is an outgrowth of changes that came about due to the pandemic. We were in and out of classes, half open and half closed, and we were thinking that if we can’t really be fully on campus, what can we do to plan for the future? Part of that was good use of the space we have,” Bielski said.
The bocce court replaces a bed of flowers near the Performing Arts Center. The court was constructed by faculty in spare time this spring next to a gazebo already in place.
“We just have one court now, but if there proves to be a need for more, we will likely add more courts,” Bielski said.
While there are a limited number of discs and bocce balls available, they are reserved for students and faculty.
“My suggestion is that members of the community who want to play either disc golf or bocce ball bring their own equipment,” Bielski said.
There is no charge to play either game, and reservations are not needed — for now. “I expect if we look out there and see a dozen people waiting by the T-box to play, we may have to reconsider that,” Bielski said.
Kent State Tuscarawas is at 330 University Drive NE in New Philadelphia.