Happy Valley has its fair share of amazing golf courses – but did you know, the region is also seeing a local boom in popularity of disc golf? Played with a flying disc instead of clubs and golf balls, disc golf is soaring to new heights across the country – where the Professional Disc Golf Association estimates that between eight million and 12 million Americans have played disc golf and that over half a million play regularly.

Celebrating its first anniversary later this spring, Wilderness City Disc Golf Course in Phillipsburg is a great course for beginners and regular disc golfers alike. The course is open and free for public use without reservation. In just under a year, the Wilderness City Disc Golf Course has had almost 2,000 rounds of disc golf recorded on the Udisc app – and that is not counting the likely hundreds of rounds that have been enjoyed by players not using the app.

A charter club of the Centre County Disc Golf Association, Wilderness City Disc Golf Course is a shorter to midrange course in length - but it is a technical course that requires good shot shaping of discs by throwers. With 9 tee pads that include both short and long baskets, Wilderness City Disc Golf gives players the possibility of playing 18 holes – all of which are par 3s and are between 185 ft and 364 ft in length.

Ted Seibert, founder of Wilderness City Disc Golf course, said that the signature hole on the course is the 8th hole – which is a top-of-the-world shot and is the favorite of everyone who plays the course. He estimates that playing the 18-hole short and long baskets takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes – but you will certainly get a workout as you will record approximately 4,625 steps and the equivalent of 11 floors of elevation change.

And while disc golfers have been known to share similar frustrations with their golfing counterparts – Seibert insists that disc golf is easier to get into.

“Disc golf is an easy-to-enter sport! You can begin playing with minimal discs and build your bag as you gain experience,” Seibert said. “Disc golf is also a great way of getting exercise while having fun.”

The Wilderness City Disc Golf Course hosts a Centre County Disc Golf Association league every Tuesday evening that is open for anyone interested in participating – all you need is a free account on the Udisc app. The league tees off at 6 p.m. and the fee is $2 per night (interested disc golfers can also participate in an optional ace pot for $1).

In addition to the league, Wilderness City Disc Golf Course is planning for a big spring and summer season with a Moonlight Masters tournament this spring and a fundraiser tournament planned for July 27 to help raise funds for course maintenance and improvements.

Local disc golfers certainly have been raving about the course on the popular UDisc app. This is just the beginning of the Wilderness City Disc Golf course – they are still working on the initial 9 tee pads and 18-basket layout and hope in the future to expand the course even further.

Wilderness City Disc Golf course is located at 1950 Black Moshannon Rd in Philipsburg. It can be accessed by turning at the SSRTA Snow Show Rails to Trails Elks Trailhead sign and proceeding down the dirt road to the Wilderness City Disc Golf sign at hole #1.

For more information on Wilderness City Disc Golf or to find out some of the exciting leagues and tournaments coming up, follow their Facebook group or visit discgolfscene.com