ST. GEORGE — City officials and enthusiasts gathered at St. James Park Thursday morning for the official opening of the city’s newest disc golf course.
“It’s another great opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors in St. George,” St. George Councilwoman Natalie Larsen said during the opening of the Beaverwood Disc Golf Course. The 18-hole, 5,600-foot course replaces the one originally built at the Bloomington Hills North Park in 2017.
The original course in Bloomington Hills was the result of an Eagle Scout project that was later removed due to ongoing conflicts with neighbors and park visitors.
“The disc golf community was really sad to see that one go,” said Joseph Nielson, landscape architect for the city of St. George.
Despite the loss of the Bloomington Hills course, Nielson said the mayor promised the city would find a new location for the course and made good on that promise.
Prior to Beaverwood’s opening, the city’s only other disc golf course was located at Mathis Park. The St. George course are two of the 11 that can be found across Iron, Washington and Kane counties, according to the Southern Utah Disc Gold Association.
“The new course is considered unique as it features different types of play,” according to a city press release. “There are holes with open desert terrain and a little brush. There are several tamarisk tunnel shots with intentionally impaired views and hidden baskets. Perhaps most difficult — and possibly most rewarding — are holes situated on hills that offer incredible views of downtown St. George in addition to occasional glimpses at wildlife.”
A portion of funding for tee pads and baskets were donated by local disc golfers and businesses. Volunteers from Infinite Discs St. George and the Southern Utah Disc Golf Association also helped with the course’s design and infrastructure installation.
Disc golf is played much like regular golf, but instead of a ball and clubs, players use flying discs flung into metal baskets.
“A disc golf hole begins from a tee area and ends at a target, the most common of which is an elevated metal basket,” according to the Professional Disc Golf Association. “As a player progresses down the fairway, he or she must make each consecutive throw from the spot where the previous throw landed. In group play, the farthest away player always throws first. Players should not get ahead of the away player. The trees, shrubs, and terrain changes located in and around the fairways provide challenging obstacles for the golfer. When the ‘putt’ lands in the basket, the hole is complete.”
The sport was formalized in the 1970s and has an estimated eight to 12 million players in the United States. There are over 7,000 disc golf courses across the county and over 10,000 worldwide.
The sport is touted as being accessible for all ages and individuals and is also considered an inexpensive alternative to actual golf as many courses are free to use.
Disc golf came to the area nine years ago, Brandon “Mook” Merzelock, president of the Southern Utah Disc Golf Association and owner of Infinite Disc Golf St. George, said. It is second to pickleball in popularity and has seen explosive growth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
“Its growing dramatically,” Merzelock said.
Merzelock has been playing disc golf for 26 years and noted that, just like regular golf, the sport has its own highly paid professionals and sponsored tournaments.
“Speaking to the growth of disc golf, there are players that get million-dollar contracts who get paid to play right now,” he said.
As for the new Beaverwood course, Merzelock said he was happy to have a new course that was a dedicated and safe space for disc golf. The new course shouldn’t cause conflict for people living in the area or visiting the park, he added.
The Beaverwood Disc Golf Course is located in St. James Park at 741 St. James Lane in St. George.
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