Which is best disc golf courses in Arkansas?

• Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota.
• Charlotte, North Carolina.
• Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.
• Ann Arbor, Michigan.
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• Austin, Texas.
• Dayton, Ohio.
• Bremerton/Port Orchard, Washington.

I first discovered disc golf, also called Frisbee golf, when I was in college. I was never skilled at the sport, but it was fun to play with friends and provided a fair amount of exercise. Although I don’t play as much as I used to it is still a great way to spend an afternoon and there are many disc golf courses across Arkansas.

The rules for disc golf are similar to traditional golf. Players start off at a tee and are attempting to strike a target in as few throws as possible. Each hole has a par and each throw of the disc is a stroke. The goal is to finish the course with the least amount of strokes and, if you are lucky, at or under par. Serious players often carry a bag that holds discs of varying weights and sizes and selecting one is akin to choosing between different golf clubs. Disc golf courses are made of nine or 18 holes.

The history of Disc Golf is little muddy, but many credit a group of elementary school kids from Saskatchewan, Canada with the invention in 1926. The boys’ popular playground game was played with metal lids and called “Tin Lid Golf.” Similarly, the first flying disc toy was created by inventor Walter Frederick Morrison after someone offered him and his wife a quarter for a metal popcorn lid they had been tossing around on Los Angeles beach in 1937. The term “Frisbee” wasn’t popularized until the late 1950s when students at Yale University were given metal pie tins to toss around. The tins came from the local Frisbie Pie Company and the co-founder of Wham-O, the company that had recently purchased the rights to Morrison’s design, remarketed the toy as the Frisbee and sales skyrocketed.

You may be surprised to know that there are well over 100 disc golf courses in Arkansas. Some are private and charge greens fees, but many are free and open to the public. Usually, players will have to provide their own discs and a standard Frisbee will work in a pinch. You can find a course close to you by visiting Disc Golf United and we’ve listed several below.

Craighead Forest Disc Golf – Jonesboro

Forest Park Loop #6 Jonesboro, AR 72401

20 Holes Public Course – No Fee

Disc Side of Heaven – Jonesboro

3255 Strawfloor Dr. Jonesboro, AR 72404 (870)336-0347

Private Course – Greens Fees May Apply Two courses (One beginner and one championship course)

Williams Baptist College Disc Golf – Walnut Ridge

60 West Fulbright Ave. Walnut Ridge, AR 72476

18 Holes Public Course – No Fee

Harding University – Searcy

Burks Drive Searcy, AR 72143

18 Holes Public Course – No Fee

Kerr Station Park – Cabot

1880 Kerr Station Rd Cabot, AR

18 Holes Public Course – No Fee

Persimmon Ridge Disc Golf – Greenbrier

1 Fairway Dr. Greenbrier, AR (501)765-1215 Website

18 Holes Private Course – $5 All Day Play

Mossy Bluff – Heber Springs

700 Heber Springs Rd. Herber Springs, AR Facebook

18 Holes Private Course – Greens Fees May Apply

Burns Park – North Little Rock

4 Funland Dr. North Little Rock, AR

Multiple Courses Public – No Fee

Reservoir Park – Little Rock

8321 Cantrell Rd. Little Rock, AR

18 Holes Public – No Fee

Fair Park – Hope

800 S. Mockingbird Ln. Hope, AR

9 Holes Public – No Fee

DeGray Lower Lake – Caddo Valley

Lower Dam Pike Rd. Caddo Valley, AR

18 Holes Public – No Fee

Old Post Park – Russellville

1500 Lock and Dam Rd. Russellville, AR Website

18 Holes Public – No Fee

Cline Park – Clarksville

Meadow Place and Parkway Dr. Clarksville, AR

18 Holes Public – No Fee

North Shore – Fayetteville

1208 E. Lake Fayetteville Rd Fayetteville, AR Website

18 Holes Public – No Fees

Waxhaws Disc Golf – Fayetteville

855 S. Block Ave. Fayetteville, AR Website

18 Holes Private – Greens Fees May Apply

Twin Creeks – Rogers

2300 S. Dixieland Rogers, AR

18 Holes Public – No Fee

The Farm – Eureka Springs

1 Blue Heron Lane Eureka Springs, AR Website

18 Holes Private – $10 Fee