Department of Parks
Disc Golf Course Opens at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Flying discs will soon be seen in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, but it is no cause for alarm.

Jenny Wiley State Resort Park in Prestonsburg, Ky., has opened an 18-hole, championship caliber disc golf course. It is the first-ever disc golf course in the state park system and one of only a handful in Eastern Kentucky.

Disc golf is played just like traditional golf; however, players use a flying disc instead of a ball and clubs. The disc is thrown from a tee area to the “hole,” which is an elevated metal basket.

H.B. Clark, a professional disc golfer from Bowling Green designed the Jenny Wiley course. It features “championship” tees for professional players and “recreational” tees for a relaxing family outing.

Featuring a signature 18th hole with an elevated tee, Clark says the par 62 course stacks up well against any course in the country.

“In disc golf it’s all about two things -- objects and elevation,” he said. “Jenny Wiley has a good mix. There are open shots, tight shots, curves to the left and curves to the right. It should be a destination . . . a place that top travel pros like to throw and a place where family campers still won’t be overwhelmed.”

Disc golf is a growing sport throughout the country. The Professional Disc Golf Association has more than 16,000 members. It is popular because it is affordable (play will be free at Jenny Wiley) and accessible to all ages.

Although open for play now, the course at Jenny Wiley will be officially dedicated in the spring. It is expect to play host to a PDGA event in 2006. Additionally, there will be a regular league at the park, and the park will rent and sell discs to casual players, according to Park Manager Scott Ringham.

The course will be open basically from dawn to dusk. Guests could even play after sunset, however, with a glow-in-the-dark disc.

The Kentucky State Park System is composed of 52 state parks plus an interstate park shared with Virginia. The Department of Parks, an agency of the Commerce Cabinet, operates 17 resort parks with lodges -- more than any other state. Each year, Kentucky parks draw 7 million visitors and contribute $317 million to the economy. For more information on Kentucky parks, visit our Web site at http://www.parks.ky.gov