Oglesby boasts new 18-hole disc golf course, sets May 28 grand opening ceremony

The official grand opening of the Starved Rock Disc Golf course will be Tuesday, May 28, in Oglesby’s Lehigh Park.

The 18-hole course is open for disc golfers of all ages and abilities from dawn through dusk daily.

“We look forward to continuing to grow Oglesby into the gem of the Illinois Valley with improvements and additions to the east end of town,” Oglesby Commissioner Rich Baldridge said.

Lehigh Park is located on the far east end of Walnut Street and is enroute for many on their way to Starved Rock or Matthiessen state parks.

Oglesby Mayor Jason Curran is equally enthusiastic about the opportunity for not only Oglesby residents to enjoy the course but also to attract tourists into the downtown area. He said “this great new course offers a new opportunity to accompany your Starved Rock adventure.”

Baldridge credited Oglesby resident and disc golf enthusiast, Wes Black, who designed and built the course with a crew of volunteers. Creating the course was a team effort including Black, the Oglesby Parks and Recreation Department, volunteers and City Council members.

The course was built for a range of ages and abilities. Starved Rock Disc Golf course has 18 baskets with 36 tee pads. That is two tee pads per basket allowing for two different levels of play. Black suggests that this is the perfect course for a family outing.

“Families with young kids can play the nine holes by the pavilion area and the more competitive golfers can play the full 36 tee pads,” Black said.

The typical range from tee pad to basket is 200 to 400 feet and most holes are a par 3. When asked how long it takes to finish a round of disc golf, Black said to plan for 2 hours of play. Since disc golf is free to play golfers only need to purchase discs making it an affordable sport for everyone.

Many disc golf enthusiasts use an app called Udisc to log their play. According to Udisc data 172 disc golf rounds were completed in April. Baldridge is pleased with the interest already shown in the course.

“Without promoting the new course we’ve already seen a lot of action,” Baldridge said. “I anticipate that number rising dramatically as more people discover the course.”

Interested in learning the sport? There will be a disc golf clinic for kids from 10 a.m. to noon June 24-28 at Lehigh with discs provided. Other clinics and events will be posted to the city’s Facebook page at City of Oglesby, Illinois.

The city will officially open the course with a short ceremony 2 p.m. May 28. This event will serve to publicly thank Black and the many volunteers who worked hard to bring this opportunity to Oglesby. The public is encouraged to attend and to stay to try a round of golf following the ceremony.