Maumee weighs first public disc golf course on riverfront trail site

Maumee’s first public disc golf course could turn a quiet stretch of riverfront land into a new municipal playing ground, but the city is first facing the questions that matter most: whether the layout works safely beside the Towpath Trail, whether the ground can handle flooding, and whether the parking and access make sense for everyday players.

City leaders are considering an 18-hole course on city-owned property just west of the Fort Meigs Memorial Bridge, a wooded strip along the Maumee River that Maumee Police Chief Josh Sprow says would create a tougher layout than an open park. The price tag is about $20,000, and the city says the course could be finished as early as this year if it gets approval. That would put Maumee in line with a growing number of cities that see disc golf as a relatively low-cost way to activate underused land without the expense of a full-scale athletic complex.

The proposal is scheduled for a public hearing June 8 at 4 p.m. in Maumee City Council chambers. The city has also applied for a $5,000 grant and says it would not bring in an outside company to build the course if the plan moves ahead. Sprow has said the city is weighing concerns tied to wildlife, flooding and environmental impact before making a final call.

That riverfront setting is exactly what makes the idea attractive and contentious. Supporters say a hometown course could draw players and tournaments into nearby businesses. Joel Szirony, owner of Saucy Disc Golf in Maumee, said disc golfers often spend money on food and drinks before and after rounds, which could create spillover traffic for local restaurants and merchants. The course would also give beginners and casual players a public option in a city that currently has to look elsewhere.

Opposition is aimed less at the sport than at the site itself. Bill Buri, a Maumee resident and member of the Environmental Tree Commission, wants the land left untouched and says other locations with easier parking and access should be considered. The broader concern is familiar in disc golf development: the game fits irregular land well, but a river corridor brings a different set of tradeoffs than a standard park.

Maumee would not be building in isolation. Nearby courses already operate at Ottawa Park, Mary J. Thurston Park, Parmelee Park, Woodlands Park, Carter Park and Maumee Bay State Park. The Professional Disc Golf Association says an 18-hole design can run from about $5,000 to $20,000, which puts Maumee’s estimate at the top of a normal range. And along the same river corridor, Metroparks Toledo’s Glass City Riverwalk vision has helped make clear that riverfront green space is no longer an afterthought in northwest Ohio. If Maumee approves this course, it would signal that disc golf has moved from niche recreation to a standard part of city planning.