Disc Golf Courses in Montgomery Parks
Montgomery Parks is planning its first 18-hole course at Northwest Branch Recreational Park adjacent to the National Capital Trolley Museum. The project is scheduled to be complete and open for play during spring 2025.
There is also a practice disc golf course with 6 holes at Avenel Local Park.
What is Disc Golf?
Disc golf, formerly known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc towards a target; it is played using similar rules as “swing” golf. The sport is usually played on a course with 9 or 18 holes (baskets) but some courses may be 3 or 6 holes. Each hole includes a tee position for starting play and a disc golf target some distance away, often with obstacles such as trees, hills, or bodies of water located in-between that players must avoid. Holes often have more than one tee area and/or basket to offer experiences for both less-skilled and more-skilled players.
Players begin by throwing a disc from the tee. Players then navigate the hole by picking up the disc where it lands and throwing again until they reach the target. The object of the game is to get through the course with the fewest number of total throws. Play is usually in groups of five or fewer, with each player taking turn at the tee box, then progressing with the player furthest from the hole throwing first, while the other players stand aside, and so on.
Disc golf is a rapidly growing sport in the U.S. and throughout the world. It offers a physical and social activity in a natural setting. According to the disc golf industry, more than 4 million people play disc golf globally. Precise local numbers are unknown but increasing numbers of courses have been popping up throughout Maryland and Virginia over the past few years, which suggests an increasing number of players. The Professional Disc Golf Association currents boasts more than 250,000 members. Most serious/devoted players in the U.S. are members of the PDGA.
Although most participants play on a casual, amateur level, the professional disc golf scene is also growing rapidly, with increasingly numbers of professional players who compete in growing numbers of local, regional, national, and international tournaments.
About Disc Golf Courses
There are currently more than 90 public or private disc golf courses in Maryland, according to the Professional Disc Golf Association. Montgomery County has three courses, of which two are located on private land (swim and racquet clubs) and only one is located on public land: Seneca Creek State Park. Prince George’s County has just one 18-hole course at Calvert Road Park in College Park. Nationally, there are more than 10,000 courses and worldwide there are more than 15,000 courses.
Most disc golf courses are designed with nature and built in more natural and less manicured landscapes than “swing” golf and require minimal maintenance. Course design aims to minimize impacts to natural resources and to minimize the danger of players (or other park users) being hit by a flying disc while providing designs that create strategy in play and variety in shots/throws for enjoyment. Holes are designed to require a range of different throws to challenge players with different strengths or skills.
Each course is unique, and so requires a different combination of throws to complete, with the best players aiming to shape the flight of discs to account for distance, terrain, obstacles, and weather. To facilitate making different shots, players carry a variety of discs with different flight characteristics, choosing an appropriate disc for each throw.
Policy Basis for Disc Golf in Montgomery County
The 2022 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan includes several recommendations for which disc golf helps fulfill.
- Design parks, facilities and amenities, and program activities to support physical activity, encourage social connections, and steward environmental resources. (p. 18)
- Explore opportunities to add sand volleyball, skate parks, and disc golf facilities. (p.31)
- Provide park amenities that serve the distinct social connection needs of seniors, teenagers, young adults, and people with disabilities and encourage positive interactions among people of different backgrounds and interests. (p. 45)
- Provide appropriate public access to natural areas to support public health and foster public support for resource conservation. (p. 63)