Disc golf course open in Ross Township

There’s an additional place in the North Hills to play disc golf, an outdoor sport that has grown quickly in popularity since the height of the covid pandemic.

President of Ross Township’s board of commissioners Dan DeMarco announced the official opening of The Dips disc golf course at Denny Park at the Oct. 16 commissioners meeting.

During the meeting, the course’s designer, Gary Dropcho, praised the efforts of the township’s parks and recreation department.

“The nine-hole disc golf course was created and paid for by Ross Township, and made possible by a lot of volunteer hours to install the course,” Dropcho said.

He revealed that the name of the course, The Dips, had been inspired by a roller coaster in a former amusement park in West View.

“When we worked on this course, the topography of Denny Park where the course is kind of reminded us of the roller coaster,” Dropcho said. “If and when you play the course, you’ll walk over 6,000 feet in length to play 18 holes. It will also climb probably about 500 feet up, and probably about 450 feet down.”

According to Dropcho, the course is one of 10 that is managed by Pittsburgh Flying Disc, a non-profit organization that promotes national and international sporting competitions in disc golf in Allegheny and Butler counties. It is one of 20,000 courses worldwide.

“One of the beauties of the game is that it gets people outside, gets people moving,” Dropcho said. “It’s a great physical activity to play with your friends and with your family. One of the best things about it is that it’s free.”

The course has been played on since the first of the baskets were set up. With the course being finished, the games are now able to be recorded as official.

“I just tried it and it’s great,” said commissioner Joe Laslavic. “What’s great is that I see families doing it, kids doing it and it’s free. I just wish we would’ve done this earlier. This is outstanding for the community.”