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Local disc golf scene faces change in wake of growth
By Jason Krebsbach/Contributing Writer
 Media Credit: Matthew Kaster Derrick Molgard, a regular at the Calvary Disc Golf Course retrieves his disc after sinking a long-range chip. �Calvary Course is a great location, it�s in the woods, it�s peaceful,� Molgard said. Many golfers have inhabited Calvary so far this year because Riverside�s pins won�t be installed until May 1.
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 Media Credit: Matthew Kaster Molgard flings his medium range disc toward the goal in hopes of an under-par performance.
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Spring is here, barring another April snowstorm (you never know), and there is no better time to get outside and be active after a long winter season of acting like a couch potato.
A walk in the park is a great way to experience the joys of spring. The sweet smell of growing grass, the soothing sounds of birds in the trees, and the beautiful twinkle of chains fill the air on a spring afternoon.
Chains, you ask? If you are walking in Calvary Park this spring, chains chiming are what you'll hear all over the park. The reason for these peculiar sounds is that Calvary Park is home to one of four public disc golf courses in the St. Cloud area.
Disc golf is a sport with similar rules as its cousin, ball golf. The game is played with discs or Frisbees instead of the traditional balls and clubs. Disc golf is scored just like ball golf. The targets are metal baskets with chains hanging down to catch the disc. The sound of chains is a disc hitting its mark.
This is a sport that started in the early seventies, but has seen tremendous growth and changes over the past five years. You can look no further than the local disc golf scene to witness the surge in the popularity of this sport.
The St. Cloud Disc Sports Club has over 70 members and the club continues to get new memberships. Those numbers are pretty impressive for a club that just last year went to an elected board to handle the its issues.
The number of active golfers is proof of the game's popularity. Calvary and Riverside Park, located across the river from SCSU, can have up to 400 golfers come through on a nice spring Saturday. Club members, as well as families and college students, can be seen playing disc golf.
"Local courses have doubled in recent years to accommodate the growing number of players," said Mike Kukuk, a local pro disc golfer. Kukuk, from St. Cloud, has been playing disc golf for 10 years and has seen the additions of a course at Millstream Park in St. Joseph, as well as upgrades to the Riverside and Calvary courses, and two proposed courses in Sartell.
"It's an obvious sign of growth when you have to expand to accommodate everyone," Kukuk said. "It's great to see the sport grow."
Kukuk also expressed enthusiasm about the growth of the local St. Cloud Disc Golf Club.
"One thing I'm really happy to see is that the club has a committee of elected officials," Kukuk said. "It ensures that projects are getting done and that the club is moving forward."
Another person who has seen disc golf take off locally from its infant stages is Ken Wiggins. Wiggins has run the summer league in St. Cloud for seven years and also owns Midtown Coffee and Disc Shop.
"I can remember the original league in St. Cloud was so small, we all played in one group," Wiggins said. Groups are usually no more than four or five people, so there wasn't much turnout. That was the only league in town.
As word got out, more leagues were added as turnout increased.
Recently, St. Cloud has had up to five leagues running at the same time; a junior league, women's league, two doubles leagues and a singles league.
"The doubles and singles leagues are now attracting 25 to 30 golfers per league, so it's showing that people know it's going on," Wiggins said.
With more people playing, competition is also getting stronger. Wiggins was the 1994 amateur state champion.
"Even though I'm a better player now, I would have a hard time repeating that," Wiggins said. "The amateur division is so much tougher, as well as all other divisions."
League play is something that is growing the most, especially in St. Cloud and the Twin Cities metro area. Stakes can be high with payouts as high as hundreds of dollars.
"I don't even play in the big tournaments anymore, they are too expensive and too time consuming," Wiggins said. "I'd rather play a casual round of golf at Friday night singles league."
As with any growth, this sport has its share of growing pains. As Wiggins mentioned, with more competition playing for higher stakes, entry fees for a big tournament can range from $15 for amateurs to $100 for pros. This keeps away some players who either can't or don't want to pay that much, but would love to compete.
The growing number of golfers and overall population in St. Cloud has also caused some problems at the Riverside Park course.
"Riverside Park is one of the biggest problem areas," Wiggins said. "The park is way too crowded and that gets tough when newer players don't know all the rules of the game."
The course at Riverside Park has expanded holes to make them longer, which interferes with some walking trails. A pavilion also sits in the park, which attracts picnickers, wedding receptions and family reunions. Golfers are courteous and try hard to share the park with everyone, but some have suggested that there might be too much traffic in the park to sustain a disc golf course.
"I'm seriously wondering if we should be having league there anymore," Wiggins said. These are issues that the St. Cloud Disc Golf Club will have to address in the near future.
As of right now, the disc golf course at Riverside Park will not be installed until after May 1. This decision was made because the parks department would like to give the grass some time to come back before the course is used.
Growing pains aside, you are sure to find plenty of multi-colored discs flying through area parks this spring and summer. As you are enjoying a spring day in your favorite park, be sure to listen for the familiar sound of chains. You'll know some golfer is happy after hitting their target. Who knows, you might just want to give it a try.
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