Disc golfers should dig new hole at Cherry Hill

COEUR d'ALENE - The North Idaho Disc Golf Club plans to unveil its new permanent 18-hole course layout at Cherry Hill Disc Golf Course in time for its league event on Wednesday.

NIDGC President Ben Squires said the new layout will help showcase the sport with safer tee pads and more manicured greens and fairways.

"It all started with safety," said Squires, who oversaw the layout changes. "Things like this help people enjoy the sport more."

He said the new design eliminates overlapping fairways, which can be unsafe. Holes 2, 4 and 8 currently share the same fairway.

The new design is similar to the current layout, though it features six completely new holes. Twelve of the original holes are staying, though all of them have been slightly modified in some way. Holes 4, 8, 12, 16, 17 and 18 in their current form have been completely eliminated to accommodate the new course flow.

"It's going to be a bigger challenge," NIDGC member Dan Gibbs said. "For new players, it's going to be harder. I don't want them to be frustrated."

The redesign process started when the Coeur d'Alene Parks Department started implementing the Fire Smart program on Cherry Hill to eliminate potential wildfires.

Last May they removed tall brush, thinned trees that were less than 6 inches in diameter and limbed the larger trees of branches within 10 feet of the ground. This opened up enough space for the club to ask the city for permission to make modifications.

A team of volunteers built several large tee frames last December. They resumed work in the spring and constructed wooden tee frames to ensure a level teeing surface for all holes.

"It's been a lot of work but it has been worth it," NIDGC volunteer Geoff Carr said. "I'd rather spend my time building a great course than playing a mediocre one."

The NIDGC hosts league events at Cherry Hill the second and fourth Wednesday of the month until late fall. It costs $3 for non-members to play.

Info: Ben Squires, 215-9132