by Colleen Carroll

Silver Creek Metro Park has opened a disc golf course.



Disc golf — a sport that is essentially the same as regular golf, but with flying discs — has found a niche in Northeast Ohio, with a smattering of courses opening within the past 10 years. Summit Metro Parks now has one too.



“The course was meant to be,” says Lisa King, Executive Director of Summit Metro Parks.



Lisa gave opening remarks at the opening ceremony on Friday, June 14, thanking the staff and park crews on their efforts in constructing the course.



The new course shares space with a preexisting cross-country course, which sees limited use and visitors throughout the year.



“We were looking for new ways to introduce people to this beautiful park,” says Lisa.



The 18-hole course hosts nearly 9,000 feet of disc golf fairway, including the monstrous 1,000-foot 16th hole. Par for the course is 61 for average joes, but there is also a “gold level par” of 55 for the experts. From tee to basket, players throw and average of four to five times per hole along doglegs and through tree lines, although according Bill Griffith, pros can usually hit the basket in two.



Bill, the architect of the Silver Creek course and a competitive disc golfer, has designed several disc golf courses in Northeast Ohio, including courses in Mogadore, Aurora and a championship-caliber course at Kent State University.



“Ten years ago, there was maybe one course in all of Summit County, and we’ve got five courses now,” says Bill. “This is going to be a great, great course.”



Disc golf is played with weighted discs known as drivers, mid-range discs and putters. As players grow their skills, they can add more specialized discs to their arsenal, such as fairways and irons. (I wasn’t kidding when I said it was very similar to regular golf.)



Bill pointed out that disc golf differs from regular golf in that it allows players to become creative with their throw methods. With no real limitation to how discs are thrown, players often develop their own unique style as to how discs are thrown or rolled to the basket. So Happy Gilmore your discs away, golfers!



The park is located at 4579 Medina Line Road in Norton is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. So whether you’re an early bird or night owl, bring your own discs and start flying.



Photo Caption:

Bill Griffith, Mark Spiask, Lisa King and Justin Simon cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Silver Creek Park disc golf course..

Colleen Carroll is