A new recreational activity was officially introduced to Waterloo on July 4, as the Waterloo Park District celebrated the opening of its disc golf course at Konarcik Park.

The par-58 course, consisting of 18 “holes” ranging in distance from 160 to 700 feet, is self-maintained and is open from dawn to dusk. To play, participants must simply bring their own frisbees, which can be purchased at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Play It Again Sports or Johnny Mac’s.

Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf or “frolf,” is a sport of precision and accuracy and consists of a flying disc being thrown at a target, usually a metal basket.

There are more than 4,000 disc golf courses installed across the world, and that number is increasing yearly.

While there are more than 20 full disc golf courses in the St. Louis area, the closest ones outside of Waterloo are at Jefferson Barracks Park in St. Louis County or in Collinsville.

Two Waterloo residents — both self-proclaimed disc golf enthusiasts — set out to change that last year.

Ron Shufelt, who moved to Waterloo from Ohio less than two years ago, has been playing the sport for more than half of his life.

“I’ve played all over the country. I’m very enthusiastic about the game,” Shufelt said. “I just knew one of the local parks had to have a course.”

He first approached the park district board about the idea of a course in February 2014. Along the way, Shufelt got in touch with Dave McCormack of Gateway Disc Sports in Maryland Heights, Mo., who has designed and installed 55 courses.

“He jumped at the chance to work on this project,” Shufelt said.

McCormack talked to a few of the park board members and made a formal proposal for the course at Konarcik Park, after which the board gave the green light. In all, the park district has invested about $15,000 in the course.

During the July 4 opening, McCormack praised the new course as one of his best and said he was delighted the park district allowed him to lay out the course using the park’s natural beauty.

Shufelt is equally impressed with the course.

“This one has its own little touch,” he said. “People who come here to play love it. I couldn’t have asked for a better course.”

Also assisting Shufelt and McCormack in the project to bring disc golf to Waterloo was Nick Goodman, who was first introduced to the sport by a cousin in Tulsa, Okla., about five years ago.

“I got hooked,” Goodman said, adding that he currently plays about two or three times per week.

Goodman was eventually put in touch with Shufelt and McCormack, and the three moved the plans forward. There were plenty of hours work involved to complete the course, including the carving out of fairways and other tasks.

“It’s one of the best courses in the St. Louis area. Absolutely,” Goodman said. “The atmosphere is majestic and no one has the fairways that we have.”

As for local interest in disc golf, Goodman says it is a sport that’s “going to blow up like a bomb.”

Goodman and Shufelt have formed the Waterloo, Illinois Disc Golf Club, which can be found on Facebook. This club plans to host clinics for all those interested in learning proper disc golf techniques.

“Once you really throw a disc and get a good flight on it, it’s amazing,” said Shufelt, who said he’s had more than 25 aces, or holes in one, over the years. “The excitement of being able to make the discs do what you want them to do, it’s awesome.”

For more information on the course, or to rate it online, visit www.dgcoursereview.com.

Shufelt said he hopes the disc golf course will not only attract newcomers to the sport locally, but also bring players from all around the St. Louis area, who will in turn purchase food and gas right here in town.

“There’s no tee time,” he said. “Just show up.”