Surf City Disc Golf is on the way! An initial nine holes on a new Town course are approaching completion on H20 Place (off Highway 210) in mainland Surf City and are projected to open for play this spring.
The layout is the brainchild of Interim Police Chief Major Ron Shanahan who was looking for off-duty recreational activities for the Surf City Police Department that would tie into the Town’s Employee Wellness Program.
Since mid-2015, he, other Town volunteers, and members of the Pleasure Island Disc Golf Club have created a layout through the woods on what was once Sanders Farm off Old Post Office Road. Some of the silos and abandoned machinery from peanut farming days are incorporated into the course itself. The Surf City Disc Golf course will be the only area layout between Wilmington and Jacksonville when it is ready for play.
“This course will be a great Town attraction,” says Samantha Bradshaw, chair of the Town’s Disc Golf Committee, which has pushed the project forward. “We eventually plan to finish18 holes so we will have a complete full-size course,” she adds. A demonstration hole is also planned for the grounds at Surf City Community Center.
The location is just north of the Surf City Police Department’s satellite station where H20 Place leads to the water tower, making the Surf City Disc Golf course an attraction on the North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
According to the Professional Disc Golf Association’s (PDGA) website, disc golf is played much like traditional golf. Instead of a ball and clubs, however, players use a flying disc. The sport was formalized in the 1970's, and shares with traditional golf the object of completing each hole with the fewest strokes (in this case fewest throws). A golf disc is thrown from a tee area to a target which serves as the hole.
“Disc golf can be played from school age to old age, making it one of the greatest lifetime fitness sports available,” according to the PDGA. “Because disc golf is so easy to learn, no one is excluded. Players match their pace to their capabilities,” the PDGA web page adds.
Two community-wide Course Cleanup days are being held later this month where volunteers will be welcomed to assist on the course. On both January 23 and 30 (Saturdays) volunteers can assist Interim Chief Shanahan and others from 9 am to 4 pm
in helping with light physical labor that is needed on holes, trails, and tee-areas. Please come ready to work.
When it is opened, there will be no charge to play the Surf City Disc Golf course. Course hours and other information will be posted on the Town website (www.townofsurfcity.com).
This spring, the Surf City location of Cape Fear Community College will host a Disc Golf class on Monday nights, March 21 to April 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, with class instruction to utilize the new course. The cost for enrollment is only $59, and students can register online at www.cfcc.edu/ce or register and pay in person at the campus center.
The Town is ready to accept Hole Sponsorships for up to a two year commitment to help defray construction costs. One year will cost $300 and two years $500. Sponsorships and additional donations will be accepted through Surf City Town Hall at (910) 328-4131.
