Frisbee Sanctuary week tees off
Marquette has held the title of Frisbee Sanctuary since the 1970’s when the toy manufacturing company, Wham-O, knighted the town for its dedication to promoting disc sports. Now, they can add another notch to the belt, with the grand opening of Marquette’s first 18-hole, world-class disc golf course.
Powder Mill Disc Golf Course is now officially open to the public. The 1.8 mile track used to play host to explosives testing back in Civil War times, but now it serves as one of the most picturesque sporting grounds in the country.
“Well we’ve had this dream for…I’ve had it for 30 years. So, when you see your dreams actually happen in front of your own eyes, it’s really a great feeling. We got a land-use agreement in October and then we started working. We had all types of volunteers. From 8 and 10-year-old kids to boy scout troops to senior citizens, they’ve all been out. Then, our sponsors bought life-time hole sponsorships to help us buy the baskets and the tee pads. So, it started in October and it opened in June; six months for under $20,000 to build a world-class course. We’re pretty proud of it,” explained Buck Buchanan of the Upper Peninsula Disc Golf Association & Disc da U.P.
Powder Mill is just one piece of much bigger puzzle for Buck, who has visions of putting Upper Peninsula disc golf in the national spotlight.
“We’ve been told there’s enough area, eventually, to build three or four courses around here. I’d love to have four courses around this area within a five-minute walk. We’re going out to Silver Creek next, and we’re going to expand them to 18. Harvey and Chocolay Township have bought 18 new baskets. Then, eventually, next summer we hope to get out to Al Quaal and build 36 holes. Escanaba just built 27. Iron River has an 18. Michigan Tech has just contacted us about building an 18-hole course up there. Our goal is to have 10 or 15 quality disc golf courses all within a two-hour drive. That will bring people to the Upper Peninsula and the Frisbee Sanctuary,” Buchanan added.
Hurley Field will play host to the closing ceremonies for Frisbee Sanctuary week, where huckers from all over the country will compete in the U.S. National Guts Frisbee Championship.