SCRANTON — Lackawanna County will construct a heritage-themed disc golf course at McDade Park with grant support from the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, officials announced this week.
The plan is to build and install in the coming months the first 12 holes of what will eventually be an 18-hole Professional Disc Golf Association-certified course at the county-owned park that’s already home to the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour, the Anthracite Heritage Museum and other amenities.
The announcement comes as disc golf, a niche sport that saw participation boom during the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to surge in popularity.
County officials hope to have the initial 12 holes of the proposed course ready for play in June, though hole is something of a misnomer in the context to disc golf. Unlike traditional golf where the goal is to hit a ball into a hole in as few strokes as possible, disc golfers aim for elevated metal baskets. The goal is to land a disc in each basket in as few throws as possible, as the player with the lowest score wins.
“For those of you who may not be familiar, disc golf is one of if not not the fastest growing sports in the United States,” Commissioner Bill Gaughan said Wednesday, touting the soon-to-be McDade course as the park’s next new recreational feature. “It’s a sport that blends skill, strategy and the outdoors, and it’s suitable really for all ages and all skill levels. Across the United States, disc golf has exploded (in) popularity, with thousands of courses available in public parks, schools and recreational areas. It’s low-cost. It’s accessible. It encourages physical activity all while fostering community through friendly competition.”
Gaughan’s comments preceded his and Commissioner Chris Chermak’s vote to enter into a cooperative agreement with and accept $4,310 in grant funding awarded by the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority for the disc golf project. That funding complements a $5,000 Pocono Forests and Waters Conservation Landscape Mini Grant officials already secured for the project and LibertyStone Hardscaping Systems of Archbald’s donation of pavers that will be used to construct the course’s tee boxes.
County Parks and Recreation Director Paul Bechtel, whom Gaughan lauded for his work on the disc golf initiative and more broadly, said the heritage theme will be reflected in the names of the holes. The name “West Mountain Crusher,” for example, would refer to the West Mountain stone quarried and used to build the Lackawanna County Courthouse. Another potential hole name, “Phoebe’s Flight,” is an homage to Phoebe Snow, the fictional socialite that advertising executive Earnest Elmo Calkins created to promote the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.
By incorporating heritage and history into the new amenity, officials hope more people who visit McDade for the coal mine tour might stick around for some disc golf, Bechtel said. The course should also attract disc golf aficionados and newcomers to the sport, and might eventually host tournaments and similar events that would bolster park visitation and tourism in the county.
Bechtel also said officials are cognizant of the potential risk posed by flying discs, and plan to situate and orient the holes to mitigate the threat of an errant throw striking a park patron. The course will mostly be located in a more-wooded area of the park, roughly between the coal mine tour and the soccer field, he said.
“This is a park that is going to have disc golf, it’s not a disc golf park,” Bechtel said. “We have so many dog-walkers, we have so many people, we’re trying to do this in a manner that is as safe as we can.”
Efforts to reach Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority Executive Director Joseph Corcoran were not immediately successful Thursday, but Chermak praised the project and Bechtel’s efforts when reached by phone.
“It’s just a nice little addition to McDade Park,” he said. “That’s kind of our premier park, so that will be nice. It is a good thing.”
Adding disc golf will provide another way for residents to enjoy the park, Gaughan said.
“So we’re really hopeful that this new course at McDade Park, which as I said will be unveiled in the next few months, not only adds that fresh recreational option for families, students and athletes, but it also strengthens our commitment to keeping our county parks active, inviting and forward-thinking,” he said. “So we’re proud to continue investing in innovative, inclusive park improvements that meet the changing needs and interests of our community.”
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