New disc golf course attracting attention to Austintown Park
AUSTINTOWN
When Austintown resident Ray Penny approached Todd Shaffer, township park supervisor, with the idea of putting a disc golf course in Austintown Township Park, it was the first Shaffer had heard of the sport.
In disc golf, players throw discs at chain-link goals on a course laid out similar to a regular golf course.
After some research, Shaffer realized it would attract a demographic, young adults in their 20s, that wasn’t using the park as frequently as others.
“It was exactly what I was looking for,” Shaffer said. “I have nothing for this age group out here, and I was trying to figure out what to put in for them.”
It’s an age group that isn’t served by the splash pad and playground for children or the tennis and pickleball courts, which attract an older crowd.
Now the course, which is still being fine-tuned, is drawing in young adults from throughout the Valley.
Shaffer said about half the people he’s talked to on the course are from Austintown. The other half came in from Niles, Canfield, Boardman and even Warren.
Penny said he decided to approach Shaffer about putting a course in because he and his friends were driving 45 minutes to Champion to play.
Penny and his friends helped Shaffer design the 5,321-foot course.
Read more about the new course in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.