New 18-hole disc golf course in a cypress forest opens in North Myrtle Beach

An 18-hole disc golf course nestled in a cypress forest is opening Friday in North Myrtle Beach, bringing a new recreational activity to the north end of the Grand Strand.

The Cypress Nook Disc Golf Course, located at the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex, is the city’s latest addition to its lineup of recreational activities.

The City of North Myrtle Beach had long been looking for a way to bring a disc golf course to the Park & Sports Complex, and they finally found a way a few months ago, Matt Gibbons, director of parks and recreation for the City of North Myrtle Beach, said.

A few community members who shared the city’s desire to add a disc golf course approached the city with their own plan and vision. They would collaborate to turn a small portion of land in the Park & Sports Complex into the new scenic disc golf course, Gibbons said.

Disc golf is an adaptation of traditional golf that uses flying discs instead of balls. Players start each hole at a tee box, and throw their disc toward a basket that acts as the hole.

Community members involved with disc golf helped the city organize the design and layout of the course, while the city was primarily responsible for the addition of holes and signage to the area.

Due to the small space available for the disc golf course, it was not possible to structure it around having wide spaces to fling discs in.

Instead, the layout was adapted to the surrounding forest, requiring players to weave the discs through narrow fairways between trees and fling discs in sharp turns. The natural landscape also provides elevation changes that require more technique when throwing the discs.

Each of the course’s 18 holes will have two tee boxes — one intended as the main course tee box, as well as one aimed at beginner disc golf players.

“The course is carved into the woods, so it keeps this natural appeal of being a secluded, wooded area,” Gibbons said. “It’s just really unlike anything that I think is around.”

The City of North Myrtle Beach spent about $25,000 to install the baskets for the holes, tee boxes and signage for the course, Gibbons said.

The Cypress Nook Disc Golf Course is open daily in accordance with the Park & Sports Complex’s general hours. During summer, the complex is open from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.