A former Ohio University professor works disc golf into his retirement with Hippo Ridge course

By: Ayden Crowley

Posted on:
Wednesday, June 29, 2022

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — A former Ohio University professor turned his front yard into a disc golf haven for players in southeastern Ohio. 

Kendree Sampson was ahead of the rapid rise of disc golf that now sees over five courses built a day, according to UDisc, a disc golf website that tracks industry trends. Sampson bought the property that would later become Hippo Ridge 30 years ago. 

He crafted Hippo Ridge into a course capable of hosting multiple tournaments a year, including “Stomped by the Hippo” on June 25.

“I was looking for stuff to do … and I came up with this idea: We could buy some property in the country and I would put a disc golf course in there,” Sampson said. 

Sampson said it took a lot of elbow grease to shape the 88 acres of rolling hills to his vision before anyone was able to go down the fairways. 

“My usual question is, how long does it take to cut the grass,” he said. “The answer to that question is all summer. You start in the spring and you don’t stop. … I spend about 10 hours a week on a mower.”

All the hard work is not going unnoticed. Hippo Ridge is one of the top rated courses in Ohio, according to UDisc. The course scores a 4.7 out of five on the UDisc app as rated by the players. 

Nick Robison is one of those players who travels to the course for multiple tournaments a year.

“It blew me away,” he said. “It’s a beautiful property …. It’s like 80 some acres out here and it felt kinda like…