Lexington allocated $1M for a disc golf course in 2021. When will it be built?
Lexington Parks and Recreation officials said construction should begin on a new disc golf course in 2026, five years after $1 million was set aside for the project.
Back in fall 2021, during discussions on how to spend nearly $121 million in American Rescue Plan Act, or federal coronavirus relief funding, Lexington set aside $1 million in savings for the new public course.
Disc or Frisbee golf is popular around the city and brings in out-of-state visitors for various tournaments, officials said in 2021. Lexington has four public disc golf courses. There are 18-hole courses at Shillito, Veterans and Jacobson parks, along with a 9-hole course at River Hill Park.
Much like pickleball, the sport saw a surge in popularity during the pandemic.
The plan is to put the new course at Coldstream Park, adjacent to the University of Kentucky Coldstream Research Park, off of Newtown Pike.
A summer 2026 opening date?
Paul Hooper, a spokesman for the parks department, said the city has been working on the course for years.
“We anticipate construction to begin in the spring of 2026 with a completion date of summer 2026,” Hooper said.
Houck Design, a disc golf design firm, was contracted in June 2024 to design the course. The city is also working closely with Bluegrass Disc Golf Association to plan the course.
The typography of Coldstream Park has created some delays.
“The park and natural landscape have presented challenges to course design and layout,” Hooper said. “This includes a designated conservation easement and flood plain. There is also a creek that requires multiple crossings to ensuring the trail and disk golf course alignment are in agreement with the park’s master plan. This, along with the required permitting and recent government shut downs have contributed to the length of time it took to work through the design.”
Because of the flood plain and other issues, the course design needed sign-offs and permits from the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers, Hooper said. That office was closed during the federal government shutdown in October and November.
The parks department also had more than $31 million in ARPA projects it had to begin construction on or risk losing that money, Hooper said. All ARPA money has to be spent by December 2026.
In all, the city parks department has 45 ARPA projects, from the construction of Cardinal Run North to new pickleball courts, it had to kick off over the past several years. Because the disc golf course was funded through savings, it had to wait.
“Other parks projects with time-limited funds have been a factor in setting priorities, but parks always strives to ensure that project design and construction are well-thought-out and organized to ensure that the community recreational needs are met in the most efficient way possible,” Hooper said.
The department has been working with Houck on the designs since 2024. In 2025, parks began working on site surveys, parking lot design and construction documents, ACE permit applications and the removal of invasive plants, he said.
In addition to the course, the plans also include other amenities for the area, including a walking trail, which will likely open later in the summer, Hooper said.
Josh McCurn, a former Lexington-Fayette Urban County councilman who pushed the city to set money to create the course in 2021, said he is confident the Coldstream course will go from drawing board to reality in 2026.
The course is not just about outdoor recreation. It could be a money-maker for city businesses, he said.
“The course designer has visited Lexington and is nearing completion of the final design plans, with construction anticipated to be completed in 2026,” McCurn said. “This project represents an exciting opportunity to attract tourism through regional and national disc golf competitions, generate economic activity for surrounding businesses, and provide a free, accessible outdoor recreational option for local youth and families.”
