Nation's First Downtown Disc Golf Course Is Opening In Dalton
Wednesday, November 26th, 2022
You might not know about disc golf, but the disc golf community nationwide definitely knows about Dalton. Whitfield County has been home to one of the best manufacturers of disc golf equipment for nearly a decade and now Dalton is home to the nation's first permanent downtown disc golf course. The course will officially open with a ribbon cutting ceremony and tournament next week.
Disc golf, which also used to be referred to as "Frisbee golf", is played like golf but instead of using balls and clubs, players throw a Frisbee-like disc and try to get it into a metal basket referred to as the "hole." Just like traditional golf, the goal is to reach the hole in the fewest number of throws. According to the PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) the sport was formalized in the 1970s and gained widespread popularity in the early 2000s. While it's becoming more common to find disc golf holes or even full courses in public parks, the new course in downtown Dalton is the first permanent course to be housed in a downtown business district.
Caption: A red disc golf "hole" basket was recently installed in Burr Park as part of the new Par 2 downtown disc golf course
"I think it’s a huge deal because it will bring a different market downtown," said Candace Eaton, the executive director of the Downtown Dalton Development Authority. "As they walk the course, they’ll see local businesses downtown or stop and eat lunch or dinner, or maybe grab a beer or shop."
The new course currently features eight permanent hole locations. There are holes in Burr Park, the Dalton Green, the greenspace adjacent to the County Courthouse Parking Deck, and the Old Freight Depot on South Depot Street.
"From a tourism standpoint, it absolutely opens our downtown for visitors to have something more to do, to keep them there a little longer," said Margaret Thigpen, Dalton's director of tourism. "For all of our tournaments and events coming in to our community, just to have something else for the visitors to do when they’re waiting for their next game or their next event, that’s a great addition."
Thigpen, who was one of the driving forces behind getting the new course installed downtown, credits a cooperative effort of local leaders and organizations for getting it done quickly.
"Seeing it come to fruition, I’m just in shock," Thigpen said. "To see the city and the county and the parks and recreation departments for both and Downtown Development and the (Convention and Visitors Bureau) to be able to all come together and make it happen in a matter of weeks, is just amazing."
Prodigy Disc Golf, which is one of the leading manufacturers of disc golf equipment and is based in Dawnville, was also instrumental in the creation of the downtown course. Thigpen credits co-founding member Will Schusterick with helping to make the course happen.
"He's been someone who was really ready to help us make it happen, and he has," Thigpen said. "To have the permanent Par 2 disc golf downtown, he can shape tournaments around it, and we can shape all kinds of different events around it, if you will, from pub crawls and team building - it's really got a lot of uses for any and all, all age groups. I really think it's a cool thing that's really going to reach all facets of our visitors and our community alike."
Caption: A yellow disc golf "hole" basket that stands beside the train watching platform at the Old Freight Depot building downtown is part of the new downtown Par 2 disc golf course
If you're interested in trying your hand at the game, discs will be on sale at the Convention and Visitors Bureau at the Old Freight Depot downtown (304 S. Depot Street). The Downtown Development Authority also hopes to see discs available at other downtown businesses soon.
"If our downtown businesses want to offer discs then we will work with them and work with Prodigy and each business can have their logos on the discs and sell them in their stores," Eaton said.
The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new disc golf course is set for Friday, November 4th at 3:00 pm at the Old Freight Depot at 305 S. Depot Street. The first tournament for the new course will be held on Friday, November 5th. The entry fee is $15 and participants receive a limited edition disc, downtown Dalton dollars that can be used in downtown businesses, a disc golf bingo card, a Prodigy mini marker, and a holiday passport. Tee times run from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm and participants can register online by clicking here.
