Disc golf has arrived in Covington.
After months of anticipation, the 18-hole disc golf course at Devou Park is finally ready to be unveiled to the public. The park encompasses over 700 acres of Covington hilltop overlooking Cincinnati which will give players a prime view of the city.
“We’ve got a lot of people who are passionate about this sport who have been anxiously waiting for the course to open,” Covington Parks & Recreation Manager Ben Oldiges said. “We’re thrilled to kick everything off this weekend with a great event and look forward to seeing a robust influx of people coming to Devou Park from now on to play disc golf.”
The course is scheduled to be open from dawn until dusk, seven days a week. Registration is not necessary to play at the park. The first hole is located up the hill from the Stone Shelter at the intersection of Montague Road and Golfview Drive.
Covington Mayor Joe Meyer and Vice Mayor Ron Washington will be at Devou Park on Saturday to officially christen the course. Other disc golf-related activities will be held throughout the day, such as a public tournament and ceremonial disc throwing.
Planning for the course began in 2021 with the Devou Park Advisory Committee approving the layout and location for the course. The course is funded by Devou Trust and Devou Properties Inc.
Dr. Ryan Freibert, a semi-professional disc golfer, served as a consultant and planner for the creation of the disc golf course.
“The dedication of these volunteers has been incredible, the amount of hours they’ve put in,” Washington said at Tuesday’s commission meeting. “This is a big deal and is a very, very good thing for our city. I did not realize how popular this sport was until Dr. Freibert educated me.”
The 4×6 foot concrete pads, or tee boxes, were completed by LK Concrete. The Covington Public Works’ Devou Park/Urban Forestry Division completed landscaping around the concrete pads.
Disc golf involves players throwing different discs toward a series of typically metal baskets, with the idea being to complete an entire course in the fewest possible throws. The game is scored similarly to traditional golf, and even the discs can be referred to as putters or drivers, depending on the objective of the player, as in traditional golf.
The sport has exploded in popularity since 2020. The Professional Disc Golf Association estimates more than a million people regularly play the sport nationwide. In Kentucky, there were 1,748 registered PDGA members in 2021. The state is home to 132 disc courses.
Devou Park joins other disc golf courses in Northern Kentucky such as England Idlewild Park in Boone County and A.J. Jolly Park in Campbell County.
“A disc golf course was a long time coming to our Covington parks system,” Oldiges said. “We believe the public will find that it was well worth the wait.”