As a non-traditional outdoor sport, it would be difficult to play disc golf anywhere except outside. Jefferson County has several disc golf courses and I’ve had many opportunities over the years to give the game a shot.
Decades ago when I was in college at Truman State, we played what we called Frisbee golf at locations around the quadrangle and throughout the campus. This past weekend I finally joined the legions of enthusiasts who recognize the game’s popularity.
Hanna Hills Disc Golf Course near Fort Leonard Wood in south-central Missouri is no place for a beginner. Fortunately, I completed the course with a couple of top-notch players, so I could pretend I fit in there. Hanna Hills is rated among the 100 best courses in the world and Missouri’s No. 1 most scenic course, according to udisc.com, the online authority for the sport.
After his retirement from the U.S. Army, Vic Bentele developed his property in Pulaski County to create a play-space for his family and his soldier friends from the nearby fort. He and his wife Diana cleared fairways through the woods and up and down the Ozark hills.
With more than 300 feet of elevation change and spectacular views of the Roubidoux Creek valley, I had no time or inclination to contemplate what happened to my college days’ disc skills. I just admired the scenery as well as the long, precise throws by Vic and Diana’s son Michael Bentele and disc golf equipment manufacturer Russ Burns.
Vic Bentele said the course is free of charge but accepts donations and requires all players to complete a registration certificate before attempting their first toss across a small pond from the elevated No. 1 tee box.
Jefferson County and nearby areas offer more than a dozen disc golf courses. They are among 339 in the state, 10,644 in the United States and 16,267 around the world, according to udisc.com. In Missouri, about half of the courses are 18 holes or more, and the remainder are nine-hole courses.
Arnold, Festus and Hillsboro each have disc golf courses in city parks. They are among the 89 percent of all courses that are free to play. The 20 holes at Larry G. Crites Park in Festus include long open holes and wooded areas. The udisc site says it is “not very beginner-friendly.”
For the newbie, the nine-hole course at Jokerst Park in Festus gets a positive review from udisc.com: “Fun park-style course that is easy enough to bring a new person and still has enough to be fun for the seasoned player.”
The nine-hole course at Arnold City Park is rated as beginner-friendly, as is the Hillsboro nine with the caveat that it is “mostly shorter, but very technical holes feature wooded shots with terrain.”
The 18-hole course at Pacific Community Park opened in March 2024. The udisc review calls it a “beautiful area with open and wooded holes with lots of shade. Great mix of regular and technical shots. Generally flat terrain.”
Other area courses include the new 18-hole Knight’s Flight Disc Golf Club and Grace Way nine-hole course in DeSoto, an 18-hole course at Jefferson Barracks Park, Sunset Lakes (a former regular golf course) in Fenton, and nine-hole courses at Kircker Park in Eureka and at Oakville Middle School, the latter open to the public when school is not in session.
Visit udisc.com/courses to find places to play near you.
John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and was the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas for the Leader outdoor news page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.