Disc Golf Club Plans Tournament

When Wesley Moyer moved to Lancaster County several years ago, he had a special reason to look for a place to live in Akron. Moyer specifically chose the borough because he likes Lloyd H. Roland Memorial Park, 221 N. 11th St., Akron. Moyer's connection to the park is not simply due to an affinity for the outdoors, but rather is tied to his interest in disc golf, a sport he first discovered at summer camp in Pottstown as a teenager.

"I got more serious (about disc golf) when I came here," said Moyer, who is now the secretary of the 75-member Lancaster County Disc Golf Club (LCDGC). He also volunteers to help maintain the disc golf course at Akron - a 27-basket course with holes in the open, in the pine forest, and mixed between fairways and woods. Maintenance ranges from working to replace worn-out rubber and concrete tee pads at a cost of up to $20,000 to wading waist-deep into the murky pond once a year in search of lost discs.

Disc golf, not unlike traditional golf, involves tees and holes, but the holes are baskets and the balls are flying discs. The goal is to put the disc in the basket in the fewest possible throws. "(Akron) is a par three course, so it's 54 par, and professionals will shoot 45 or 46, while an average (player) shoots about 56," explained Moyer, who noted for groups of three players, the course takes about three hours and 30 minutes to complete. He noted that while league members meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, many families and members of the Plain community enjoy the course on Sundays.

Just as with clubs for traditional golf, discs are divided by designation. Fairways, drivers, mids, and putters are chosen by the player based on the distance of the throw and other factors. Moyer has stacks of discs he has collected, but he said that starter packs of three can be purchased at a nominal cost. Moyer pointed out the differences in discs, noting that putters are thicker and other discs may have thinner and sharper edges.

LCDGC is a county-wide organization that holds five yearly tournaments, including one on New Year's Day. The next event will be the Pennsylvania State Championship from Friday, July 22, through Sunday, July 24, at all the Lancaster County disc golf venues, which are Overlook Park in Lancaster, D.F. Buchmiller County Park in Lancaster, Shiprock Disc Golf Course in Willow Street, Muddy Run Park in Holtwood, and Herr Park near Millersville, along with Akron.

Readers who would like to know more may visit http://www.lcdgc.com or search for "Lancaster County Disc Golf " on Facebook.