Jericho Lake Disc Golf Hits the Mark

By Jeff Long

Like many sports, disc golf had humble beginnings, tracing back to local parks and outdoor picnics.

Little did the originators realize that launching a Frisbee at a sign post or a telephone pole would later become one of the nation’s fastest growing sports.

Since the first disc golf course was created in 1975 in Pasadena, the sport has surged. The Professional Disc Golf Association (www.pdga.com) reports more than 3,300 disc golf courses nationwide, a number that continues to grow rapidly.

We’re lucky to have one of the best right in our backyard. The Fox Valley Park District’s Jericho Lake Course – located on the west side of Montgomery – is a beautifully designed layout traversing a scenic landscape of mature trees and parkland, sandwiched between Jericho Lake Park and the Stuart Sports Complex.

Picturesque Blackberry Creek winds its way through the disc course, providing a backdrop on six of the 18 holes. Two sets of tees allow the course to be played at varying lengths – amateur or pro – making the course appealing and challenging to first-timers and skilled veterans alike.

A big part of the sport’s attraction is that it’s not just inexpensive – it’s free. As for the equipment, there is a variety of specialized discs out there – think the disc equivalent of a golf club set – but many get their start using just one basic disc that can be purchased for under $15.

Rules, terminology and etiquette are nearly identical to golf, but it’s more relaxed and less formal. No tee times are necessary, and it’s a great family-and-friend sport that appeals to a wide range of ages and abilities, particularly the younger set.

Built in 2003, Jericho Lake’s 18 holes measure 4,133 yards from the amateur tees and 5,399 yards from the pro tees. Each hole is between 100 to 400 yards in length and features a concrete tee pad to launch and hip-high, pole mounted baskets with cages as the disc’s ultimate destination.

Like a golf course, Jericho Lake is strategically laid out to test each player’s skill and mettle, winding its way across rolling terrain that requires players to navigate around trees and along water hazards. Its natural beauty is an added attraction; more than a golf course, it’s a beautiful park.

Disc golf is easy to learn. What’s good is that there’s always room for improvement, no matter how skilled a player becomes. And practice is made easy and affordable with no tee times or greens fees required.

There are two things that grab people and pull them into disc golf. We’ve all thrown a Frisbee, and most times, the Frisbee just goes where it wants to go.

But once you learn to control the flight – making the disc do what you want it to do – you’re on your way to getting hooked. The sound of the disc hitting the chains – “ching” – really grabs you; it’s a calling. The closest comparison would be the “swoosh” of a basketball snapping through the net or the “crack” of a wooden bat hitting a baseball to send it soaring out of the ballpark.

A successful shot in disc golf – combined with the sounds of nature – makes a “walk in the park” as enjoyable as ever.

Jeff Long is the public relations manager for the Fox Valley Park District. Contact him atjlong@fvpd.net. For a printable map and layout of the Jericho Lake Disc Golf Course, visit http://foxvalleyparkdistrict.org/node/1707