There’s a new league in town.

Disc golf enthusiasts are meeting every Monday this summer for a little friendly competition at Chester’s new course at Cole Memorial Park.

The league is free to anyone who wants to play, both adults and juniors. So far, eight players have turned out the first two weeks, with the youngest player in seventh grade. Tee off is at 5:30 p.m. through Aug. 29.

If you prefer to have a little skin in the game, the league offers optional cash games. It costs $2 to enter the Closest to Pin contest, with the kitty going to the player who gets closest to the pin on a designated hole. Each night’s cash game costs $5, with the pot going to the top finishers, depending on how many players enter. And $1 into the ACE pot goes toward a rolling prize for a player who gets a hole-in-one — something that hasn’t happened yet. The pot carries over each week; so far it’s up to $22.

You don’t have to register or even show up every week since the standings don’t carry over.

“If you miss one week, it doesn’t hurt you at all,” said Mark Hostert, who is running the league.

Disc golf is relatively new in Chester. The nine-hole course at Cole opened in April 2021. Hostert credits college student Jarrett James with getting the discs flying in Chester. Hostert says James took the idea for the course — which he designed — to the Parks and Recreation Department over the pandemic. They liked the idea and worked with James to make it happen.

Now, more Chester residents are getting in on the fun. “I myself had never heard of disc golf until we got a course here in town,” said Hostert, who grew up in Steeleville and lives in Chester. Now he’s working to help others discover and explore the…