Disc golf course open in Spring Park
After nearly six months of work, the new disc golf course is open for play in downtown Tuscumbia’s Spring Park.
Mayor William Foster was joined by Jon and Melissa Avery of the Colbert County Disc Golf Club, as well as other members and sponsors, in officially opening the course with a ribbon cutting on Jan. 1.
“Mr. and Mrs. Avery came to the office one day discussing a disc golf course,” Foster said. “From there, this whole thing began. I wanted to make a course that was community-based and funded.”
The course was announced during the July 15 meeting of the City Council.
A map of the disc golf course.
Foster said each of the 18 holes, each containing a basket goal, would be privately sponsored for funding.
He thanked each of the $1,000 sponsors: First Metro Bank, Tuscumbia Utilities, Bank Independent, Mayer Electric, State Farm Insurance David Reed, Hometown Pizza, C & I Crane Service, Golden’s Professional Car Care, Kyle DeFoor Law, Coldwater Seed and Supply, PROJECTXYZ, Singing River Dentistry, Long Lewis Ford, Play It Again Sports, Advanced Surgical Care, Valley Credit Union, Rattlesnake Saloon, Norton Underwood CPA, and the Colbert County Disc Golf Club, during the ribbon cutting ceremony.
“I cannot thank our sponsors enough,” Foster said. “Without them, this wouldn’t be here. This idea would have died at my office. This is great seeing everyone here. This is very fun. Thank you all for coming and supporting this.”
There were 20 or more visitors who attended the ribbon cutting waiting to play the course on Day One, with Foster saying around 50 people went through on New Years.
“We, along with the City of Tuscumbia, have designed and installed this course for the general good of the community,” Jon Avery said. “There are so many people to thank. We raised $19,000 through sponsorships, and we are well under budget. Everything was privately funded, and the mayor made that happen.”
Avery thanked his wife Melissa, who worked on the course signs, map and basket installation, Council members Jennifer Bennetch, Chris King, Foster, Public Works Director Joel Kendrick, Parks and Recreation Director Brooks Canup as well as several city employees and other volunteers.
“We moved here to Tuscumbia in 2021 because we love this place, the history and the infrastructure,” he said. “What we have learned from Tuscumbia is we also love the people. Some of the greatest people we’ve ever met. The cooperation we’ve had from the mayor and the City Council and its workers has been tremendous.”
The disc golf course is one of a number of improvements that have been made to Spring Park over the last few months.
The water fountain show and waterfall features have been fixed, and the old, condemned roller coaster has been removed to make way for an upcoming playground area meant for toddlers.
“We are doing a lot of work in this park,” Foster said. “We have the kayak launch; we’ve cleaned up and we have all the pumps going. We’re building this park back to where it should be.”
How disc golf works
Disc golf is similar to regular golf, but with some key differences.
A player makes a throw on the first hole of the course.
The course will feature 18 regular holes and one practice basket.
Instead of hitting a ball, participants throw a disc that is smaller and heavier than the typical frisbee found being tossed around at the beach or in the backyard.
Instead of the goal being a cupped hole in the ground, the target is a tall basket with chains meant to catch the discs.
No carts are necessary for disc golf. Jon Avery said walking the proposed course will take just shy of a mile from start to finish.
Also, like golf, participants can choose to only play nine holes at a time.
“The course is separated nine holes by nine holes,” Foster said. “The first nine will be near the beginning of the park, with the other nine across the bridge. They are actually going to be tossing over the water.”
Avery said the Colbert County Disc Golf Club will cover the maintenance of the course themselves, freeing the burden from the city.
He said the group will host one benefit tournament a year, with proceeds expected to be enough to cover any maintenance needed by the course.
He also said he hopes disc golf league play and sanctioned tournaments will utilize the course.
The disc golf course is free to play and open to the public outside of league or tournament play.
