Brighton Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon recently unveiled a new 18-hole disc golf course. Free to play, it's accessible via a 30-minute hike up the Lake Mary Trail.
That’s in addition to the resort’s nine-hole course, which starts just above the base of the Majestic chairlift.
Scott Belchak is the head of a nonprofit called ElevateUT Disc Golf, which strives to increase investment in frisbee golf throughout Utah. He said the new Brighton addition is great, but the Wasatch Back has a lot of room to improve.
“Park City and the Wasatch Back is starving when it comes to disc golf,” Belchak said. “You’ve got the little nine holer there at Trailside, but Park City hasn’t really invested in disc golf, as of yet. It feels like kind of an afterthought.”
Belchak helped build the Wasatch Wunder course at Wasatch Mountain State Park. The 18-hole course opened last year.
In late July, he organized a “pop-up” tournament at a newly designed course higher up in the state park adjacent to the WOW Trailhead. The event, which drew over 150 players and raised $10,000, kickstarted the fundraising campaign to permanently install the course.
“The goal is to go after a Utah outdoor recreation grant with the funds, and double all our money,” Belchak added. “I’m running another fundraiser tournament at the Wunder in October called Wunderfall, and then we’re going to run another WOW tournament next year.”
Belchak has recently worked on courses in Draper and West Jordan, and said the Salt Lake Valley is running out of space for new courses. That has him looking for opportunities in the Wasatch Back.
“Soldier Hollow specifically is interested in bringing disc golf events and tournaments to their Nordic ski hill," he said. "So that’s one opportunity we’re looking at, and there’s certainly others. It’s just trying to find the space and permission from landowners to put it in.”
For anyone looking to try disc golf, Belchak recommended the UDisc app to find courses.
In addition to the courses at Brighton and Trailside Park, people can frolf at Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon and at Canyons Village, beginning at the Red Pine Lodge.
For updates on future tournaments, follow “Wasatch Wunder” on Facebook.
