Oglebay Park Debuts New Disc Golf Course
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One of Paul Ashmore’s passions has led to a fun new attraction at Oglebay Park Resort.
Ashmore helped cut the ribbon Saturday morning at what will be called The Ridge at Oglebay, the area that includes Route 88 Burgers and Brews, the driving range, the ski slope and now a new disc golf course that afficionados of the sport can enjoy right now.
The course, located near Oglebay’s Par 3 golf course, has two nine-hole layouts that disc golfers can play separately or combine into an 18-hole course. It has different tees for different skill levels, will be open daily from dawn to dusk and is available for both resort guests and the public.
Ashmore said both beginners and veterans can enjoy the new course.
“This is the perfect course for that,” he said, “and that’s why I designed it that way.”
Ashmore was introduced to disc golf through a friend in 1998, and Ashmore admitted he had no idea what disc golf was when he started.
“We threw some discs, I made a couple of good throws and it was like, ‘this is a lot of fun,” he said. “And I’ve been playing it ever since.”
Ashmore met his wife Missy in Charlotte in 2001 and moved to Wheeling with her in 2003. That, he said, is how long he’s been talking to Oglebay about a disc golf course on its property. When he got to the Friendly City back then, the closest courses were in Pittsburgh and Morgantown. They’ve been popping up in other areas of the Ohio Valley since then, and Oglebay officials decided it was time to add one at the park.
“I think it was his consistency and dedication,” said Rod Haley, executive vice president of the Wheeling Park Commission. “And then we started to see a growth in the sport in the area and we just really wanted to add another activity that our community could enjoy.”
Ashmore designed the course and funding was made possible through at gift to the Oglebay Foundation from Paul and Missy Ashmore, along with additional support from Derek and Morgan McKee and Russell and Christine Dunkin.
“I think it comes from a place of genuine care from our donor community,” said Eriks Janelsins, Oglebay Foundation president and CEO. “It’s not people looking for vanity projects. It’s about people asking ‘What can we do to make this community a better place.
“I think there’s a generational piece to that,” he added. “For more than 102 years, families have been donating to Oglebay and Wheeling Park. I think it is unique to our community. I don’t know that, everywhere in the world, people think that way.”
The ribbon was cut, appropriately on National Disc Golf Day, and Paul Ashmore led a tutorial on the sport for the kids in attendance. But around 70 people already have played the course and Ashmore and Haley said it has received positive reviews. There’s no cost to play, nor is there a need to schedule a tee time.
“Right now, it’s just come and play and just take your turn in line and have fun,” Haley said.