HAMLET — A tentative plan is in the works for a 18-hole disc golf course at City Lake in Hamlet.
Chris McDonald, president of the Richmond County Disc Golf Group and an associate planner in Charlotte, presented the concept to the Hamlet City Council at their July meeting about the plan.
Both McDonald and Hamlet City Manager Matt Christian said the plan received unanimous praise from the council.
The RCDGG was a product of COVID-19 and formed in the summer of 2020. It became an official LLC in mid-2021, with over 70 current paying members.
“When we started, we probably had maybe 12 people show up to our doubles events,” McDonald said. “Our league now has 30+ people showing up every week.”
McDonald said their is a desire to grow the group and have another destination not just for local residents, but something that could attract people from Wilmington and Charlotte.
Charlotte is considered the disc golf capital of the world, boasting over 50 courses in the area. The Disc Golf Pro Tour Championship takes place at Hornet’s Nest park in Charlotte, and the United States Disc Golf Championship is held at Winthrop University in nearby Rock Hill, SC.
The USDGC in 2021 shattered their previous attendance record and had over 3,500 spectators in a single day. Disc golf was one of the few sports that was relatively unscathed by the pandemic, and a major surge in public interest propelled the sport while others struggled.
Rockingham already has a course at Hinson Lake, and Richmond Community College has a six-hole course adjacent to their lake. The Hinson Lake Classic, a tournament led by McDonald, hosted over 70 competitors in October. McDonald also runs a sanctioned Professional Disc Golf League at Hinson Lake, which attracts competitors from Southern Pines and Laurinburg. There is also a course at South Piedmont Community College in Polkton in Anson County.
“If we’re going to bring a new course to the area, we want to bring something that will bring people from further away,” McDonald said about the plan for the Hamlet course.
McDonald said that Hinson Lake is a great course, but caters more toward beginners. This new course would include multiple Par 4 holes of around 6oo feet, and a Par 5 hole of 900 feet.
Hamlet City Manager Matt Christian said he was first approached by McDonald about the concept last July.
“It seems like a really great project that would benefit the [RCDGC} and the citizens of Hamlet,” Christian said. “It would maybe give people a reason to come visit us.”
The planned budget is around $30,000-40,000 at this time, with money going toward landscaping, baskets, teepads and trashcans. There is no financial commitment from Hamlet at this time. Christian added that some of their equipment could be used to assist in the project.
“City Lake Park is a huge asset, and having another thing to do their is a very positive thing,” Christian said.
Before any fundraising takes place, there would be another visit by McDonald to the council.
The project is still in a feasibility phase at this time. The next step is for McDonald to is physically walk the property and receive input from any stakeholders.
“I think the biggest thing is trying to figure out, is the land usable?” McDonald said, adding that he will be using GIS layers to determine elevation, property levels and marshiness.
A tentative completion date for the project is late-summer of 2023. For more information about the RCDGG, visit www.rcdgc.com
“It seems like a really great project that would benefit the [RCDGC} and the citizens of Hamlet,” Christian said. “If anyone can get this project done, it’s Chris and the momentum of the Richmond County Disc Golf Group.”
Course collector visits Richmond County
Lowe Bibby has played over 850 disc golf courses in the United States, and traveled as far as Hawaii.
In North Carolina alone, he’s played about 390 courses. In February of 2021, he finished playing every course in Virginia, totaling about 160.
“It’s always a short lived goal,” Bibby said. “Since that time, they’ve probably added about 10-15 courses!”
His journey as a course collector led him to Smith Acres, a private disc golf course operated by Brian and T.J. Smith, on July 16. Bibby puts all of his reviews on the website DG Course Review. He’s currently ranked top ten in the world for courses played.
“Some people are like, ‘You gotta be nuts to go out and play all these little courses over the state,’” Bibby said. “I love seeing the little towns. I’m going places I would have never been to otherwise.”
Bibby, who has been playing since 1979, moved to Charlotte primarily for disc golf.
“Worldwide, it’s one of the top cities for disc golf,” he said, adding that a dream destination for him is playing in Finland.
Bibby wants to put his course collecting journey to good use. He’s consulted on the design of a few disc golf courses, and aspires to one day design his own course.
As he left Smith Acres (and collecting some hard-earned prize money for a third-place finish with partner Dexter Mabe), Bibby shared that he was traveling to Asheville the very next day to check out another course, keeping up with the fact that he’s played every NC course west of Greensboro. While he puts in long hours on the road driving, he said he just likes to think and pray during his travels.
“Every course, there’s always at least one hole that makes it worthwhile to go to,” Bibby said. “I love to learn and am always improving my game.”
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