Kinder Kick-Off Disc Golf Tournament Aides Course Improvements

The recently redesigned Kinder Farm Park disc golf course was the site of the Kinder Kick-Off earlier this summer, when disc golfers from across the region showed off their skills and shared laughter under a cloudless sky.

In early 2015, local disc golf enthusiasts approached the Kinder Farm Park director about expanding the park’s disc course to 18 holes. “The group wanted to make the course a destination for disc golf from the surrounding counties,” explained Mike Peyton, a founding member of the Kinder Farm Disc Golf Club. “After hundreds of volunteer hours, Kinder Farm Park and the Kinder Farm Disc Golf Club boast the only 18-hole disc golf course in Anne Arundel County.”

Disc golf is an individual sport just like ball golf, and the rules are similar. Golfers throw the disc into a basket in the fewest throws possible.

This is fun yet serious business, with many golfers traveling with rolling bags filled with colored discs, sunscreen and plenty of water. Many wear high socks to protect their legs from nature’s native plants should their shot go into a “hazard.”

Prior to stepping on the tee pad at one hole, Peyton reached down, grabbed a pinch of grass and tossed it into the air to see where the breeze was headed.

The course at Kinder Farm Park was redesigned in 2015 by Stephen Hawks of Severna Park, and it now features 18 holes with a challenging layout. Each hole has multiple pin positions, and most holes have short and long tees. Winding through the wooded area, the course also features water hazards and plenty of wildlife. Only two of the holes are open and without obstacles.

Gaithersburg resident Ryan Legge said he made the trek to Millersville because of the course and because he could play with his friends, Hawks and Fred Goodson of Edgewater.

“The Kinder Farm Park course is a beautiful course,” said Legge. “Because it’s an 18-hole course, I can spend an entire afternoon playing and having fun with friends. That makes the drive from Montgomery County worth the trip.”

Pete Majkowski drove from Allentown, Pennsylvania, to join his son Mike – a Lansdowne resident – and “Little Joe” Gustafson from Glen Burnie in a round of disc golf. “Nothing could be better than spending the day with my son and playing disc golf,” said Pete.

The kick-off tournament was a fundraising event open to all skill levels. The $2,400 raised through donations and registration fees will go toward new tee pads at each hole and signs along the course.

According to the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), disc golf is considered one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States and in parts of Europe.

Peyton believes disc golf’s popularity is because “it is inexpensive compared to ball golf, provides great exercise and fun for all ages, allows for competitive play with friends and family, and there is very little environmental impact.”

The Kinder Farm Disc Golf Club’s website states the group is responsible for course design, course improvement, basket placement, local tournaments, future planning and maintaining the beauty of the disc golf course in the park. The club partners with the Friends of Kinder Farm Park and Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks on all disc-golf-course-related activities.

For more information, visit www.kinderfarmpark.org or the “Kinder Farm Disc Golf Club” Facebook page.