Backyard Adventures
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1005 E. County Road 400 N, Petersburg 812-354-3059 • www.pridescreekgolf.com Prides Creek GOLF COURSE 9 HOLES AS LOW AS $ 20 SINGLE MEMBERSHIP $ 475 WITH CART Newly Remodeled CLUB HOUSE Available for parties, receptions and reunions 2560 North Old US-41, Princeton | 812-385-5669 | C O U N T R Y C L U B Princeton Banquet and Sunroom Rentals • Weddings and Receptions • Showers • Reunions • Dances • Parties 9 Hole Golf Course • Open to the public • Rental Carts available • Driving Range • Charity Golf Events • ursday Night Scramble • Friday Morning Men's Scramble 18 Hole Disc Golf Course • Open to the public • Rental Carts available • Tournaments • 2022 PDGA Worlds Amateur Championship GOLF & DISC GOLF Princeton Country Club Princeton Countr y Club is ranked as the 17th best course in Indiana. The interme- diate-level green, along with Prides Creek, is one of the few courses with water chal- lenges. The greens fee is $3 for 18 holes, and an additional $5 gets golfers a golf cart. The greens are a fun place for friends to gather, because, after wards, they can retire to the clubhouse restaurant to talk over the day's challenges—and there will be challenges, warned Waites. The white tees mark the early intermediate tee off, and then there are further back tees for the advanced intermediate sets, giving it an overall 7/10 difficulty rating. Soon, however, there will be a champi - onship level of challenge installed over the current countr y club layout that will offer a full 10/10 difficulty for the serious disc golfer. Haubstadt Johnson Twp. Haubstadt Local disc golfers call the Haubstadt Johnson Township disc golf course the "hidden gem" of southern Indiana due to its beauty and how well the course has been designed, ranking at about a 7/10 difficulty. While it is 75 percent wooded, it's considered by local disc golfers to be one of the best-maintained courses in southern Indiana. The 18 holes wind through the park on walking trails, but there aren't big gaps in the woods, so while the holes aren't long, they require a lot of accuracy on the tight fair ways. Mesker Complex Mesker Park, Evansville The Mesker Complex refers to Mesker Park and Mesker Woods courses, separate, but near one another in Evansville. Ranked the seventh best course in Indiana, Mesker Park offers a variety of long and short tees, and several elevation changes, but the real attraction is Hole 9 and Hole 15, consid - ered the signature holes of the park. "The signature hole is what ever yone remembers the course by," said Waites. The shorter hole is challenging due to the hard-packed green, and Hole 15 is an island hole. The park also has the distinction of being one of the few places a person could lose a disc to a wild animal — Hole 16 abuts the Mesker Park Zoo. Mesker Complex Mesker Woods, Evansville The Mesker Woods is a 9/10 difficulty, with a wooded tight fair and scenic views. The signature hole here is Hole 2, which is a straight drop of more than 300 feet, and was recently voted by disc golfers to be the best Hole 2 in Indiana. Woodmere Evansville Woodmere offers a free, flat, park-style course, with an open layout lending to its 6/10 difficulty that can still pose challeng- es due to trees. Located on the southside of Evansville's Lloyd Expressway, next door to the State Hospital, the recently redesigned course just recently finished its update in early June, with the last four holes now incorporating water. Prides Creek Petersburg Ranked the third best course in Indiana, Prides Creek Disc Golf Course and Camp- ground has a park entr y fee in the sum- mer, but offers 18 holes around a lake, with signature holes at Hole 1 and Hole 8. One hole finishes at the water's edge, with the golfer putting on a slope. "It's a big challenge, a mind game. Wind and elevation is a factor, and the trees are there, but it provides a wider fair way than many treed courses," said Waites. Difficulty is a 9/10. WORLD TOURNAMENT COURSES Story by JANICE BARNIAK Photography CONTRIBUTED DISC GOLFERS local faces flock to Southern Indiana's courses Naturally social-distanced, inexpensive and easy to learn, the sport of disc golf, if anything, has seen a pandemic boost as southern Indiana's new breed of "disc jockeys" trek through woods and across pristine courses in pursuit of the aces — the hole-in-one throws. Disc golf is like regular golf, but instead of sending a ball into a cup down a fair way, discs (only outsiders call them "Frisbees") are thrown towards metal chain baskets. Instead of clubs, the golfers use putter discs for short flights and thick-rimmed distance drivers to tee off. "It's big because you can get into it pretty affordably. People want to get outside of the house right now, and you don't need a lot of people or equipment. You don't have to gather close together, even for tournaments," said Steven Waites, non-profit Dads Fore Disc Golf member and Amateur Worlds organizer for 2022. "It's not like golf where you have to invest a couple hundred in equipment and green fees. It's friendly to a lot of skill levels and you can accomplish a lot in a short amount of practice time." Four years ago, there were no profes- sional association members in southern Indiana and only a few courses. Now there are roughly 60 members of the Professional Disc Golf Association and a wide variety of courses, including those held by private employers, universities and even historical sites. The variety of local courses has attract- ed the Amateur World Tournament competi- tion to be played in Princeton in 2022. For the true newbie disc golfer, warm-up and learn the sport on Princeton's South- side 9, Gibson County's first permanent course. Local organizations like Dads for Disc Golf use the beginner course to teach children and host fundraisers, like their recent tournament for suicide awareness. While the nine refers to the original nine holes, the layout now has 12 family-friendly holes. The only caveat is players should use caution in rainy season as it can flood. Other area courses not included in the world tournament include Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Indiana's employee greens, University of Southern Indiana's course, and the recently-finished Angel Mounds facility, located around the Angel Mounds Native American pre-contact site along the Ohio River, which has the benefit of having a muse- um visitors can tour. Mark Belcher Danny "DC" Clevenger Charlie Freimiller, Mar yann Freimiller, Jeff Hancock, Jaima Cartwright, Keith Holder and Matt Braun