On Friday, Sept. 16, the City of King hosted a grand opening for the new Rec Acres Disc Golf course at 136 Rec Acres Lane in King.

The Rec Acres Disc Golf course has been a project in the making since May 2020, when a member of the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, Cooper Smith, suggested it. Appointed by the King City Council, the Advisory Committee advises the Council on all matters Parks and Recreation. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee researched options and costs for the proposed park, and developed a presentation, which was presented to the King City Council at their June 2021 meeting and approved unanimously under the condition that the Parks and Recreation Department fundraise to cover the cost of the course, with a goal of slightly more than $10,000.

Local businesses and individuals all pitched in to help fund the project, resulting in the Parks and Recreation Department to reach their goal in only a matter of months. Local citizen, Mac McCluskey, made an exciting addition to the course possible by sponsoring turf TeePads, which will be installed later this fall. Every disc golf hole begins on an initial throwing place called the tee. On new disc golf courses, the most popular tee of choice is turf. According to the official disc golf park website, TeePad tees have a substantial effect on the general impression and the usability of a course.

Over 50 people attended the Grand Opening for the Rec Acres Disc Golf course. George Sappenfield, a local disc golf hall-of-famer, spoke about the history of the sport before the ribbon cutting ceremony. Attendees enjoyed walking tacos for dinner and had the option to participate in a flex tournament hosted by East Coast Disc Golf, the designer/installer of the course.

“I was thrilled to host the grand opening of the Rec Acres Disc Golf course,” says Parks and Recreation Director, Olivia Calloway. “This course is a great addition to our park, beautifully designed and at a difficulty level accessible to all. It is free to play, open to all ages, and utilizes a little used corner of our park. An asset to our citizens and a draw for visitors, it will be a great resource for our community.”

Disc golf is played very much like golf, except instead of a ball and clubs, players use a flying disc….