Joomla Login LightBox powered by WowJoomla.com

Add another activity to the list of things you can do at Smithville Lake.

There’s now a disc golf course.

The Clay County Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites opened a nine-hole course in the Camp Branch campgrounds — off Collins Road near Paradise.

"We’re trying to offer people a wider range of activities at the lake," Mike Kaullen, deputy director and chief ranger in the parks department, said.

Disc golf, also called Frisbee golf or frolf, differs from traditional golf in that players throw discs at targets that resemble metal baskets.

Kaullen said the department decided to create the course because of the game’s growing popularity and a lack of a course in the area. The closest course to the Camp Branch course, according to the Professional Disc Golf Association’s Web site, is about 30 miles away in Kansas City’s Water Works Park.

The Camp Branch campgrounds seemed like a natural fit for a course, Kaullen said.

"The natural lay of the land and the trees there make for a great course," he said. "There are some challenges to it."

Traffic on the course has picked up in recent months.

"If activity continues to pick up, we could end up putting courses in Little Platte and Crows Creek," he said, referring to two other parks that surrounding the lake.

The other two parks, he said, could easily hold 18-hole courses.

"Adding more courses will also be a budget issue. Funding is difficult right now," he said.

The traditional metal basket "holes" cost about $350 each, he said. However, the county cut costs at the Camp Branch course by going with homemade holes made of black plastic tubs and chains.

"It kind of looks like a feeding lot," he joked.

The holes are numbered, yet the tees are not clearly marked.

"This was more of an experiment for us," he said of the course-making process.

Disc golf players pay no fees. To play, just show up with a disc.

Smithville Editor Nancy Hull Rigdon can be reached at 532-4444 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed