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It was a warm summer day at Natural Bridge State Park last Saturday. The birds chirped, bees buzzed, and the sun sparkled on the 18 metallic disc golf cages of the new Thistle Ridge Disc Golf Trail.
The ribbon cutting, or grapevine cutting, on June 3 was the pinnacle of three years’ worth of planning, designing, and installing the 18-hole disc golf course. In attendance on Saturday, Natural Bridge State Park manager Jim Jones welcomed the Rockbridge community to enjoy the cooperative work of the Rockbridge Disc Golf Club, the Friends of Natural Bridge State Park, Rockbridge Outdoors, Washington and Lee University, and the Rockbridge Community Health Foundation. Also notably mentioned were Innova Disc Golf for a generous contribution to the project and the Natural Bridge Baptist Church youth group, who volunteered on Stewardship Saturdays.
Located at the park’s Blue Ridge Trailhead, the Thistle Ridge Disc Golf trail serves as “another recreational opportunity at Natural Bridge State Park, which will keep our visitors here longer, boost tourism, and give another opportunity to enjoy what Rockbridge County has to offer as far as our natural and recreational assets,” said Lexington City Council member and Rockbridge Outdoors chair Chuck Smith.
The course appeals to both players and hikers as it engages trail-goers with natural resources while out on the trail. The game’s scorecard doubles as a field guide and provides information about trees and birds that can be identified along the trail. Additionally, the Thistle Ridge course has many vantage points to view the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
The disc golf course is designed for disc golfers of all skill levels. The game, which has taken off in popularity over the last several years, is played and scored similarly to golf – par and bogies still apply. Rather than shooting a small ball into a hole on the green, players throw Frisbee discs – still called drivers and putters like traditional golf – into metal gages raised 3 feet above ground.
Members of the Rockbridge Disc Golf Club, including Brian Hamelman, demonstrated how to throw the discs at Saturday’s event, beginning at the course’s environmentally friendly tee pads. Guests were invited to try the sport and Chuck Smith, Lexington City Council member Nicholas Betts, and a Natural Bridge State Park ranger could be seen testing their Frisbeethrowing skills.
While Hamelman and the Disc Golf Club are now able to relish in the fruits of their labor, creating the course was no simple task. Smith noted that upon asking Hamelman how many hours went into the project, “[Hamelman] said without even hesitating [there are] thousands of hours they’ve contributed and volunteered to lay out the course, manicure the course, and make it what it is.”
Park manager Jones is elated to see how their hard work has paid off and is excited to begin advertising the course to park visitors and the Rockbridge County community.
“Anytime we can do something that causes people to unplug and enjoy nature, maybe even gain a better appreciation for the world around them, we’ve left our mark on the next generation,” Jones said.
The course is located north of the Natural Bridge Visitor Center at the Blue Ridge Trailhead. The state park $5 parking fee applies.
The disc golf course is the third in the Rockbridge area, with the others available at Glen Maury Park and Washington and Lee University.
