Contributed Photo: This aerial image shows the location of an 18-hold disc golf course to be built at EAC’s Discovery Park Campus.
Contributed Article
Safford – Gila Valley Disc Golf Club (GVDGC) is excited to announce the plans to build an 18-hole Championship Disc Golf Course at Eastern Arizona College’s Discovery Park Campus.
Eastern Arizona College has agreed to let GVDGC develop nearly 25 acres to be used for this new course which is located in the northeast corner of the Discovery Park Campus. GVDGC, in conjunction with Discovery Park staff, will begin clearing dead foliage, overgrown weeds, and fallen trees in the little-used corner of Discovery Park in order to begin the transformation.
The project will be funded completely by donations and GVDGC estimates that $1,000 per hole is needed to build 18 tee pads and buy the baskets. That doesn’t take into account the hours of sweat equity the club board and members will provide to get the course ready to use.
“We are excited to be able to begin the process of developing a disc golf destination course in the Gila Valley,” said GVDGC President, Todd Draper. “This course will be capable of hosting state and regional level tournaments when it is complete.”
If you have a youth group that needs service hours or are a business that is interested in sponsoring a hole, please email gilavalleydiscgolfclub@gmail.com for more information.
The course was designed by Pro Disc Golf Association Pro, Pete Ulibarri.
Graham County currently has a 9-hole disc golf course at the Graham County Fairgrounds. It was created in 2018 and features water hazards and elevation changes. It is located near the duck pond and can be accessed from Armory Road.
Disc golf follows the same basic rules as regular golf but instead of hitting a golf ball players throw a disc (frisbee) at a target (usually a basket with chains to help catch the disc). There are between nine and 18 holes, and the player with the lowest number of overall throws wins.