Going for distance

After the success of Rowdy Acres, a temporary disc golf course that was installed to give students, faculty and staff a safe way to exercise during the pandemic, Wright State University has installed a permanent 18-hole disc golf course on campus.

The course begins and ends near The Village Apartments picnic shelter. The course is distinctive for this area and includes numerous elevation changes, wooded holes and wide-open holes with human-made obstacles.

“It’s a great addition to the Dayton community,” said Loren Barnhurst, an avid disc golfer who has played every course in the area. “We had a couple of bomber down hills and up hills and that’s unique.”

John Cox, assistant director for facilities and operations at the Wright State Nutter Center, designed the course. “It’s a nice walk and anybody can do it,” he said.

The par 58, 6,311-foot course has already been a hit since it opened a few weeks ago. “(In) the comments on local disc golf pages, all you hear is everybody saying is ‘hey, we’re going to play Wright State,’” said Cox.

Although the course is playable, it’s still a work in progress. Tee boxes and signage are still being installed, and Cox hopes that foot traffic on the wooded holes will help clear walking paths.

“The course, in my opinion, is pretty fantastic,” said Jonathan Ciero, a senior mechanical engineering major who began playing disc golf this past year. “Seeing this full 18 holes coming to fruition with actual baskets and everything, it’s almost a dream come true.”

Eric Corbitt, director of the Student Union and Campus Recreation, says the course is another great resource for the Wright State community to enjoy.

The course is free to play and participants can checkout discs from the Recreation Desk in the Student Union. A course map and other course information can be found on udisc.com or the UDisc app.