After a series of postponements from COVID and inclement weather, the proposed building of Reed
City’s disc golf course is returning to schedule.

The project was given the green light by city council back in October of 2019, with an intent to finish by the following spring. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 outbreak caused planning and production procedures to be paused.

After getting back on track the following spring and summer, the potential opening in 2021 came to an abrupt halt due to damage from a massive storm last September.

“That storm pretty much took out the whole north half of the city,” City Councilman Dan Burchett said. “It pretty much destroyed everything in the park along with the woods, which is where the course was going.”

While the project has had many bumps in the road, the city is now looking to get the project moving
once again. With the help of the Reed City Disc Golf Club, there are scheduled work events June 3, 4 & 5 to clean up the course. All locals and volunteers are invited to attend any of the days from 8:30pm- 5:00pm.

With help from the community and these clean-up events, Burchett is hoping for the course to be open for play by potentially this fall.

“I would love to have this thing up and running by August,” Burchett said. “I don’t know how realistic
that goal is, but I think it definitely gives us a few months to take care of it.”

For local disc golfers, the Reed City course will bridge a large gap of courses in the area. This will be its first disc golf course and the first registered public course currently in Osceola County.

“We have the crossroads trails here, kayaking, baseball, and stuff like that,” Burchett said. “Why not add something new to the city recreational area? Having the ice rink this winter was a huge success so I think the course will bring in a lot of people from out of town.”

The new course at Rambadt Memorial Park is mapped out to truly be a unique course. When asking
course designer Steve Hedstrom, he believes the course will largely benefit unfamiliar players as a way to introduce the game.

 

“I am designing the course for new players and children,” Hedstrom said. “Having all par threes with
medium to short holes makes it a great course to learn disc golf.”

Dave Maddox, who has nearly 30 years of disc golf experience, believes the course will also benefit
advanced players with its unique landscape.

“The terrain has lots of differences than some of the other local courses,” Maddox said. “It will have lots of elevation change and fairways no longer than 250 feet.”

 

Over the past few years, locals have been forced travel to places like Big Rapids, Cadillac, Ludington,
Grand Rapids, or Mount Pleasant to play. Not only will this new course benefit local players but will
provide another course for experienced players from outside the area.

“We’ve had people in Grand Rapids asking about the course and even coming down to help too,”
Hedstrom said.

Playing disc golf can bring lots of physical benefits. Things like exercise, being outside in nature, and
exploration of the course are just to name a few. Beyond the tangible takeways, there’s a whole other element that can be found within the sport: social connection.

As a prime example of a community-driven sport, Hedstrom believes disc golf can be a way to bring
people together beyond just playing.

“Having physical activity is huge, but the social community of golfers brings people together. I think this course is going to be really good for the people of Reed City.”

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