Acclaimed Winchester disc-golf course is home to one of the fastest growing sports in America

Published 3:30 pm Monday, July 31, 2023

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Any day this summer, you can find people out and about doing activities.

Among them is one of the most popular growing sports in America, a pastime that has grown through the years.

Disc golf – featuring an 18-hole course – can be utilized here in Winchester.

Email newsletter signup

“Disc golf and pickleball are the two fastest-growing sports in America,” said Lewis Willian, a volunteer who helps monitor and manage Ironworks Hills Disc Golf Course on Ironworks Road. “It’s just good for the community as another activity to do.”

Disc golf, using rules similar to golf, involves players throwing flying discs at a target – typically a basket.

Like everyday golf, scorecards are kept to determine who the leading player is.

While engaging, the game also allows for exercise opportunities.

Ironworks Hills Golf Course, stretching approximately 2.5 miles, lets others get their steps in.

Simultaneously, active engagement with others makes the time go quickly.

“For me, it’s much better than neighborhood walking or treadmill walking,” Willian said. “I’ll go out there…walk 36 holes and play five miles, and I don’t even realize it.”

With its ideal location between Bert T. Combs Memorial Highway and Kentucky Route 89, the site draws many enthusiasts – even those just passing through the area.

As with any sport, skill is involved in maximizing success.

To become prestigious at playing disc golf, competitors will want to learn how to throw straight, long, with a left- or right-turn, and more.

Ironworks Hills Golf Course has attempted to set up its course to meet this need so players can improve further.

“You’ll see some disc golf courses that are just wide open, and whoever throws it farthest wins,” Willian said. “What you want is complexity…we’re always trying to improve and increase the complexity of the course.”

The efforts of various volunteers haven’t gone unrecognized.

“There was a recent poll of the top courses in the state, and Ironworks was listed at number eight,” Willian added. “We were the only course that wasn’t listed in a metro area, where there’d be a lot of voters.”

Thanks to tournaments and more, disc golf has become a year-round sport, and the community can expect to see more as nine new holes were just added to make up the Lykins Creek Disc Golf Course.

With hopes to add nine more holes at places like Wiseman Park and College Park, the many volunteers hope to see 45 holes throughout Clark County by fall.

In the meantime, those looking for an introduction to the game can join experienced players at Ironworks Hills Golf Course on the second Thursday of August at 5:00 p.m.