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Date: 6/27/2022
MONSON – With an 89.9 percent score, Mountainside Disc Golf at Flynt Park in Monson was ranked top five for the best disc golf courses in Massachusetts.
The ranking of the course was determined by the UDisc disc golf app. Timothy Pascale, Parks and Recreation director, said this phone app can be used to keep score during the games, along with writing reviews and ratings of the overall course.
Pascale explained that disc golf is similar to ball golf. There are a total of 18 holes, each of which have two different baskets. Essentially, Pascale said this makes for 36 different “holes” or “baskets.”
In 2018, Pascale said they began putting in the course at Flynt Park. Peter Charron, a Monson resident, designed the course. “It started as a nine-hole course. There were no tee pads – just dirt,” said Pascale.
In 2019, the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) awarded the town a $49,510 grant to put in the tee boxes, said Pascale.
He went on to say that all 36 of the baskets were donated by Todd Rainwater, a disc golf course tour owner from Texas.
Over time, Pascale said they have started to add secondary tee pads, using the same layout as the ones already in place. Currently, there are six tee pads. Pascale said he is hopeful to receive additional grant funding to install more.
The objective of disc golf, as explained by Pascale, is to land the disc within the chains of the basket. People are able to play in teams or individually.
Pascale noted that the game encompasses a variety of different skill levels along with disc types, comparable to golf terms. This includes irons, putters and driver discs, all of which are made to travel different distances, said Pascale.
Depending on if a person is left or right-handed, Pascale said the discs are designed to help with the direction that someone is throwing it, similar to that of a Frisbee.
Mountainside Disc Golf, the name of which was derived from the course running along the mountainside, is about a “three-mile trek,” said Pascale. He noted that the course brings in people from Monson all the way to Florida, although the majority of visitors are from Eastern and Central Massachusetts.
Since the establishment of this course, Pascale said more Monson residents have been learning how to play the game.
He told Reminder Publishing that disc golf players he has seen range from age 18 all the way up to 70.
Pascale said there is a tournament for amateurs on July 2 and one for professionals on July 3. “The amateurs play for prizes and the pros play for money,” he added. At press time, there were still openings for the professional tournament, although the amateur tournament was full. Interested participants can sign up at https://www.discgolfscene.com/.
On July 17, Monson Parks and Recreation and Mountainside Disc Golf are hosting a clinic in collaboration with Monson Free Library. Charron will be instructing individuals, along with Charli Charron, disc player. For $10, anyone over the age of 6 can participate and will receive a putter. The registration deadline is July 10. For additional information or to register, call Monson Parks and Recreation at 267-4105.
Every Sunday at 9:30 a.m., there is a “random doubles league,” said Pascale. He said this usually attracts anywhere between 16 to 30 people, although there have been more.
The disc golf course is open year-round. Operating in conjunction with Flynt Park, residents may use the course from dawn until dusk.
Mountainside Disc Golf is sponsored by Monson Savings Bank.
Pascale said each hole has an individual sponsor, although there are five or so that do not have one. To sponsor a hole, contact Pascale at tpascale@monson-ma.gov or send a message through their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Monsondiscgolf/.
Pascale acknowledged the volunteer advisory board that assists him “with a myriad of things,” such as planning tournaments, leagues and so on. The board includes Charron, Nate Eckhoff and Ryan Shorette from Monson, along with Steve Tousignant from Wilbraham.