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Written by Emily Sparacino

A sport that has become more popular in recent years has found a home in Helena with the addition of new equipment at one of the city’s parks.

Helena unveiled its first disc golf course in Joe Tucker Park on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and saw more than 100 people go through it on the opening day.

In the weeks since then, the course has continued to attract countless visitors eager to play.

“A lot of people have been out on our course,” Helena Parks and Recreation Director Bill Miller said, and added some of the visitors have come from areas other than Helena. “It’s definitely a growing sport.”

Miller said the nine-hole, medium-difficulty course is set in a wooded area in the back portion of the park.

“We did bring in disc golf specialist Tom Monroe to design the course,” Miller said. “He is a professional disc golfer. When we reached out to him, he was all about helping us out.”

Monroe is listed on the Professional Disc Golf Association website as a member of the Disc Golf Hall of Fame Class of 1993.

As the governing body of disc golf, the PDGA oversees amateur events and a professional tour featuring full-time players.

According to Miller, Helena’s course includes regulation concrete tee pads and signage for each hole, which he said are “two things we get compliments on that people like because a lot of courses don’t have that.”

City Councilman Chris VanCleave and Mayor Brian Puckett collaborated with Miller and his department on creating a disc golf course in Helena.

“It’s been a project that has been talked about over the years,” Miller said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

The project totaled about $20,000, an amount Puckett said was necessary to ensure the course was the highest quality.

“I’m so thankful for the Parks and Recreation Department because they did all the installation of everything,” Puckett said. “They were working as fast as they could when the equipment came in so the course could open as quickly as possible. Without the Parks and Rec team, this wouldn’t be done yet.”

Miller said the city plans to install an 18-hole disc golf course at the new sports complex that will be built at the corner of Coalmont Road and Hillsboro Parkway, near Helena High School.

In the meantime, people from Helena and beyond are invited to visit the new course at Joe Tucker Park and see what it has to offer.

“It’s free to the public, and we hope that everybody enjoys the design,” Miller said. “It was put there for the enjoyment of our residents, and we hope that it will provide more interest for the sport in our area.”