We have exciting news to share! CCHO is creating a 9-hole disc golf course in a wooded area on our 165-acre Wooster campus. Construction is nearing completion and our heart is to have the course fully complete by Spring 2022. Much progress has been made including selective clearing of course fairways to ensure player safety and enjoyment as well as sponsorship of baskets and pads. We are grateful for the support of churches and organizations who are helping make the course a reality.
The CCHO course offers a unique, uneven terrain covered by a natural tree canopy. It will be available for play in all seasons. Nature allows our kids to experience the beauty of God’s creation, thereby experiencing Him. Time in nature also benefits their mental and emotional well-being.
Disc golf is a target sport, similar to traditional golf, in which you start at point A and throw a disc (a smaller, more durable frisbee) in as few throws as possible into a basket that catches the disc at point B. There are multiple reasons why this sport will help our youth grow and why we want to install this course on our campus.
#1: Goal-oriented and progress-focused: Disc golf is a goal-oriented sport in which you can make different goals for yourself to reach and work to attain those, which can help teach our residents how to make and reach goals in their lives. When playing the sport, you can tangibly see your progress when you practice.
#2: Mastery: One of the core values children and adolescents need to develop emotionally is mastery. This is the concept of accomplishing something, growing in a skill, becoming competent in a specific activity. The disc golf course will provide another opportunity for residents to experience this during their stay at CCHO.
#3: Fun: Disc golf provides a fun and active outlet for kids to curb their boredom and practice in their free time. It may also spark a new interest that residents haven’t had a chance to discover yet. With many courses in Ohio, youth can continue playing once they complete their program and return to community life.
#4: Bonding: Connecting with our kids is critical to their program success. Disc golf gives staff and residents another activity to enjoy together in close proximity to residential buildings, while also being able to escape the campus routine and traditional therapeutic spaces.
#5: Exercise and athleticism: Disc golf is a sport that anyone can play. It’s a good source of exercise without being too rigorous. Because of the trauma our children have been through and how that often affects development, many of them may not be as coordinated or athletically inclined. Disc golf gives them an opportunity to enjoy sports and physical activity, perhaps for the first time.
Thank you to Summit Disc Golf Association and Holmes County Disc Golf Club for their guidance during course development as well as their volunteer hours in clearing and preparing the course for play. Many heartfelt thanks also to area churches who gave financially to the project: Belden United Methodist Church in Grafton, Doylestown United Methodist Church, Faith United Methodist Church in North Canton, Otterbein United Methodist Church in Navarre, and Wooster United Methodist Church.
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