Angels Crossing isn’t Vicksburg’s only picturesque golf course. An 18-hole disc golf course at the Vicksburg Recreation Area on the northeast side of Sunset Lake is considered one of the most beautiful disc golf parks in Southwest Michigan.
It’s getting better all of the time, thanks to a handful of dedicated volunteers and the Vicksburg Department of Public Works, according to Christina Klok. And it’s about to get some extra attention.
Plans for the disc golf park started a few years ago, when former village council member Klok had a mission to bring people into the park to enjoy being in the beautiful outdoors. She noticed the growing enthusiasm for disc golf and figured the village area could be a great place to play.
In 2011 she sought and received funding for 20 baskets, enough for an 18-hole course plus two warm-up baskets. The following year two 5’ x 10’ concrete tee pads (long & short) for each basket were added. In 2014 signs at each tee with a hole overview, par, distance to the basket, and directions for the next tee were installed The work made this a top of the line disc golf course that has brought many people of all ages to play.
There is a still more work to be done: The site has been chosen to be a host course for the 2015 Professional Disc Golf Association’s World Championship Tournament. This is a great honor for the new course and it will be important to live up to the expectations of the organizers, Klok said.
The July 21-24 tournament will bring many visitors from around the United States and abroad to Vicksburg. There will be two rounds each day with 72 players at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. for a total of 144 participants plus those who accompany them or come to watch the competition.
Other disc golf courses in the area that will be staging the same rounds include Coldbrook Park, Robert Morris Park, Spinski’s Short at Timber Ridge, and Meyer Broadway in Oshtemo. The championship rounds will be played at Timber Ridge. The players must qualify as in other tournaments. Disc golf is an individual sport, not a team sport, according to Chris Newman, who is coordinating the Vicksburg location with Larry LeBond, the overall chairman out of Kalamazoo and the Lake Effect Disc Golf, LLC.
Recently Klok and her husband, Leonard, have been working on carving out a rustic walking path around the perimeter of the park. She invited residents and non-residents to come out and enjoy this beautiful amenity. The course and path plus an existing bike trail and scenic deck overlooking Sunset Lake make the Vicksburg Recreation Area a great place for everyone.