Farmville scores
an ace with disc golf course
Park overcomes doubters, brings visitors and their dollars to town B y D eborah G riffin
P
ersistence,
innovation
and
forward-
thinking town leaders helped transform
a plot of fallow farmland into a nationally recognized playing field.
directly from it, the business community has
has been an explosion in the popularity of the
certainly benefitted,” said Hodgkins.
game.
Hundreds of athletes have been drawn to Farmville.
“It’s booming,” Lubben said. Already home to two tournaments, the
The Farmville Municipal Disc Golf Course
“They shop in our stores and eat in our
officially opened in March, just as much of the
restaurants, they buy our gas,” he said. “As
country was shuttering because of COVID-19
they are traveling through, we hope they
precautions.
might see something that brings them back.”
nature of the game lends itself to social distancing. The 18-hole, 35-acre course was the site of the July 11 Contentnea Creek Classic, which
Gyms were forced to close their doors, and
For the past seven months, as social
brought in 72 players, with varying levels of
many saw disc golf as an alternative. Town
distancing became the norm, and outdoor
experience, from professionals to amateurs,
Manager David Hodgkins said the new course
activity became vital, the new course attracted
from across the state.
has been a boon to the town at a time when
those who have played the sport for years,
the pandemic crashed the nation’s economy.
and many who never had heard of it.
“Although we don’t charge to use the course, and we don’t receive any revenue
20
According
to
Farmville
Parks
Sept. 19 and 20, the Farmville course was one of three Pitt County courses used
and
during the 16th annual Down East Players
Recreation employee Isaiah Lubben, there
Cup Tournament, hosted by Greenville Disc
