Fox River Park in Ottawa now home to 18-hole disc golf course

Fox River Park in Ottawa is the new place to play for those looking to get in a full 18 holes of disc golf.

The course was designed for free by Dana Vicich, a disc golf pro who now works as a sales manager for DiscMania. He started in the world of disc golf 20 years ago, when the first version of Fox River Park’s course opened.

“I randomly bought some discs while playing at a baseball tournament in Michigan,” Vicich said. “And I came home, and there’s this beautiful course in this great park that really changed my life.”

Vicich said he played professionally and traveled around the world, and it all started in Fox River Park.

“I’m so appreciative that you had the foresight to get ahead of the curve and put in a disc golf course and now, today, to open up the new course,” Vicich said during a ceremonial ribbon-cutting Thursday for the new course.

Commissioner Marla Pearson began the ribbon-cutting ceremony by thanking Vicich along with the city’s Playground and Recreation Board, and Randy Bretag, who helped work on the project.

Playground and Recreation Board member Brent Roalson said the improved course idea originated last February after a discussion about how Marilla Park in Streator has become a destination for disc golfers and tournaments. That led to discussion about improving the Fox River Park course and now will lead even further to a new three-hole course at Thornton Park.

Pearson said the old disc golf holes have been donated to the city of Marseilles so it can build a course of its own.

Vicich said discs made for disc golf are going to be a little bit different from the average Frisbee used for throwing around in the backyard or for playing ultimate frisbee. These discs are smaller, more aerodynamic and have specific designs that work similarly to regular golf: There are putters, drivers, mid-range distance discs and everything in between.

“If you think about it like golf balls, they all have a different firmness or design, and then there are the clubs,” Vicich said. “We’ve just got the disc, so we’ve got all of our innovation on this side.”

Vicich said the best advice for anyone who is just getting started is to begin with a putter or mid-range disc and head to YouTube to watch some tutorials because there are many different ways to throw a disc.

“One of the great things about disc golf is it lends itself to creativity,” Vicich said. “You’re not stuck with the same swing like you are in golf.”

And remember, it’s not a Frisbee or a disk: It’s a disc.