Stephanie Walton, Chief of Marketing & Communications
Summit Metro Parks is always listening to feedback from the community, and on one thing the message was clear: Summit County residents wanted a disc golf course in their Metro Parks! Luckily, the park district had the perfect location available — an NCAA-certified cross country course at Silver Creek Metro Park in Norton. Hosting the University of Akron’s home cross country meets only a few times each fall, the course is well-suited for dual use.
So, what exactly is disc golf? Well, it’s just like golf — but with flying discs similar to Frisbees®. Players aim to get their disc from the tee to the target (usually a raised metal basket) in the fewest number of throws. Various weighted discs are used for different types of throws, just as drivers, irons and putters are selected in golf. There are obstacles in the form of trees, shrubs and water features, but unlike traditional golf, it is usually free to play disc golf.
First formalized as a sport in the 1970s, disc golf has steadily gained in popularity as some traditional golf courses have struggled or closed. As one measure of the sport’s growth, membership in the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) has grown by 225 percent since 2009.
Summit Metro Parks created the new course almost entirely in-house. All course maps and signage were designed, constructed and installed by park staff. Summit Metro Parks staff also cleared the site, installed major components and performed all concrete work, grading and seeding of tee boxes. For scoring, the course uses the paper-saving UDisc Disc Golf app, allowing users to access a map of the course and their personal statistics for each hole, while also creating an online community that drives users to the facility.
To ensure the course met PDGA standards, the park district engaged well-known disc golf architect Bill Griffith. As a result, the finished course perfectly takes advantage of the site’s rolling hills, open vistas and forested areas and is fully integrated into the existing park. Each hole was designed to challenge various aspects of the game while responding to the site’s natural topography.
The 18-hole course is laid out over approximately 74 acres and includes 9,000 feet of fairway. Most holes are 400 to 700 feet, with Hole 16 topping out at 1,001 feet. Overall par is 61, and players typically golf in groups of four or fewer, making disc golf a good activity for social distancing.
The course is open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and there is no charge to play. Visitors are asked to bring their own discs. Whether you’re new to the sport or an experienced disc golfer, we invite you to come out today! The Disc Golf Course is located at Silver Creek Metro Park — 4579 Medina Line Rd. (Norton). Visit the Park & Trail Alerts page at summitmetroparks.org to check the cross country schedule before planning your visit.
For more great stories like this, check out Green Islands Magazine, a bi-monthly publication from Summit Metro Parks. Summit County residents can sign up to receive the publication at home free of charge.