Playing Disc Golf in the QC

The Quad Cities is an incredible place to get out in the parks and play disc golf.  There is a wide variety of courses—everything from flat or hilly, wooded or wide open, to beginner or championship level. Disc golf shares the same etiquette rules as “ball golf”.  Courses that can be easier for beginners are shorter in distance and have more wide open with less trees and obstacles.

Where to Play

Slattery Park in Davenport is a great six-hole course to learn the game.

Camden 1 in Milan at Camden Park, Mississippi Park in Hampton, and Goose Creek Park in Davenport are all 18-hole courses that are considered more beginner-friendly because they are not as long, with minimal water hazards, and the rough is not quite as rough as other courses can be.   

Eastern Avenue Park in Davenport is easily one of the most popular courses because it's flat and mostly wide open. However, Duck Creek runs through it and the added length does create more challenges.   

Any Professional player would tell you that Camden 2 (the 2nd course in Milan) is one of the best courses, and possibly in Illinois altogether.  Camden 2 is the only course in the QC that plays mostly through woods, has elevation, distance, and you can easily feel the love that the volunteers have put in to make the course special. 

The courses at Bettendorf parks, Middle Park & Devils Glen, are also on the more challenging side with several holes that play along water and have a great mix of wooded and wide open holes.   

For those that want to spend the day on the course, West Lake Park in Davenport is the biggest beast of all the courses in the Quad Cities.  The West Lake Course is a 24-hole, 3 1/2 mile walk around Lake of the Hills, featuring some of the most challenging holes in the country from the long tee pads. (There are short tee pads as well, but still challenging.)  The fairways are well-maintained but the rough is rough and the lake does not forgive bad shots. 

What Do You Need

All you need is one disc (either a putter or midrange) to get out and throw.  However, a set of 3 discs (putter, midrange, driver), which is about a $20-$50 investment, will give you more options for all types of shots.  The more discs you have, the more options you have so you’ll probably find the need to carry more discs.   

The popularity of the sport is growing.  Many learn about the sport now through gym classes or youth group activities. Much like all sports, disc golf can be enjoyed casually with friends or on a more competitive platform. 

Competitive Play

The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) offers age-protected divisions that start as young as 6 and range to 70+. There have been competitive tournaments happening in the Quad Cities since the 1990s. Since 2006, Iron Lion Disc Golf Supply has hosted everything from PDGA Majors, The Rumble PDGA A-Tier, numerous PDGA C-Tiers, Sanctioned & unsanctioned leagues, doubles, & triples events, and a winter Putt league a local brewery annually.  

Jessica Argyle is a Quad Citizen and owner of Iron Lion Disc Golf Supply.  Even though she has had a disc golf pro shop for nearly 17 years, she's not a pro player and doesn't count her score.  Her favorite courses are Camden 1 and Middle Park.