How Did St. Cloud Not Make This List of the Best Disc Golfing Cities in America?
What are YOU doing on Saturday. August 3rd, 2024 -- National Disc Golf Day?
Well, if you truly want to get in the spirit of things, you could grab your discs and head to one of a long list of disc golf courses in the St. Cloud area where on any given weekend, hundreds of people are showing off their power shots and trying to sink perfect putts.
Disc golfers have high praise for the variety and quality of courses in our area. In fact, Clearwater's Airborn Disc Golf Preserve and its three coures took #3 on DiscGolfScene.com's list of Top-Rated Disc Golf Courses in Minnesota.
At #4 -- St. Cloud's Riverside Park 18-hole course. And at #7, the 18-hole Clearwater/Pleasant Lake Course in Annandale.
So why isn't St. Cloud on LawnStarter's list of 2024 Best Cities for Disc Golf?
It's not like Minnesota isn't represented on the list. Far from it. In fact, a number of North Star State cities made the list:
#5. Minneapolis
With 80 golf courses, 74 of them are professional disc golf courses. 5 of them are highly rated.
The survey noted:
"Minneapolis may offer a shorter playing season, but that doesn’t stop enthusiasts. Featuring courses like Bryant Lake Park and Hyland Hills, the city caters to all skill levels, offering diverse terrains and scenic lakeside views."
Here are the other Minnesota cities on the list:
6. St. Paul
17. Plymouth
19. Brooklyn Park
23. Bloomington
31. Woodbury
400. Duluth
421. Rochester
But where's the love for St. Cloud on this list? After all, according to Visit Greater St. Cloud, there are more than a dozen courses within city limits and a bunch more in the St. Cloud area.
The answer? St. Cloud ranks #525 on the list of biggest United States cities by population. The study only looked at the 500 biggest cities -- not metro areas.
So rest easy -- just because the Granite City didn't make some company's list doesn't mean disc golf isn't a rich and vibrant sport in our area.
It very much is.