SOUTH WAYNE — New disc golf courses have been popping up in the area — Blanchardville established Driftless Valley this spring — and South Wayne is just one of the latest local places to add their own 9-hole course.
Jeff Cobb, a native of South Wayne who currently serves on the Village Board as trustee, noticed a missed opportunity in the Community Park. As a baseball coach, he noted that there “is a nice walking trail, but it’s not used. The area is dead outside of baseball season,” he said.
That’s when he and his brother-in-law Kyle Stauffacher had an idea. The two had been playing Monroe’s Twining Park during their lunch breaks, but thought how nice it would be to have a course in South Wayne.
In March 2024, they began to brainstorm how to best utilize the Community Park to make a “fun but challenging course.” The two sketched a rough draft using Google Maps, went out to walk the space and got fellow Village Board trustee Kevin Donar on board. In May, the layout was solidified and flags were placed for village worker Roger Trame to put in temporary rubber tee pads. By June, the course was open to the public and ready to play.
The process took roughly three months, but Cobb admitted that the course is still a work in progress. He said the No. 1 priority at the moment is better signage.
When my Dad and I played the course for the first time on Aug. 16, it was a little difficult to navigate at first — there was no map on UDisc. So, as we played, I marked each tee pad and basket on UDisc for others that play later.
After a little bit of searching, we found hole 1’s tee pad at the entrance of the parking lot, near Robert Homb Memorial Drive. On the corner of each rubber tee pad is a yellow spray-painted number corresponding to each hole. At the moment, there are no other signs.
Hole 1, much like the first three holes, is a straight 200-300 foot par 3 shot with very few obstacles in the way. These open routes prepare you for holes 4-6 that are positioned in a small wooded area between the cemetery and high school track.
Hole 4 begins at the edge of the walking path and ends on the other side of the creek. At first, my Dad and I thought the creek was behind the basket, so you wouldn’t want to over shoot the basket. But, the creek is well in front of the basket, so on your drive you either lay up and get over on two, or throw hard and clear the creek.
Hole 5 is probably my favorite of the whole course. There is a tight line for both left-hand backhand throwers and right-hand backhand throwers, but if you miss that gap and hit a tree, your disc will likely end up in the creek.
“We wanted some easier ones and some fun ones,” Cobb said. “We wanted to accommodate both right-hand and left-hand throwers.”
Even at 70% recovering from a strained/torn hamstring — that’s a story for another day — I hit the gap perfectly and parred the hole with a chance for a birdie putt.
At first, hole 6 was confusing. Dad and I couldn’t see the basket, so we aimed for a clearing in the woods straight ahead. Once we crossed the bridge, we saw that the basket was located dog-legged. We threw again with better success. A small caution to the tee pad on this hole: it slopes downward and is bumpy. If you want to throw from a flatter surface, you can use the sidewalk directly behind it.
Holes 7 and 8 are longer, more open holes close to Wis. 11. The final hole brings you back to the parking lot — just don’t park close to the basket in case someone throws deep.
Outside of signage, I really liked this course. The holes are just challenging enough to enjoy but not too hard that you want to quit. It’s a course that, if there is a day football game with Black Hawk-Warren, I’d cover the game for work and throw 9 holes after. With improved signage, this course will be a bright spot in the park.
— Natalie Dillon is the sports editor of the Monroe Times and can be reached at 608-324-3617 or ndillon@themonroetimes.com.
